(1) The Secretary of State must appoint a person to review the operation of this Act ("the independent reviewer").

(1A) The independent reviewer must carry out a review under this section in respect of each calendar year starting with 2022 and ending with 2026.

Each review must be completed as soon as reasonably practicable after the year to which it relates.

(2)In each calendar year after 2026 the independent reviewer must, by 31 January, inform the Secretary of State what (if any) reviews under this section the reviewer intends to carry out in that year.

Those reviews must be completed during that year or as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of it.

(3) [deleted]

(4) The independent reviewer must send to the Secretary of State a report on the outcome of each review carried out under this section as soon as reasonably practicable after completion of the review.

(5) On receiving a report under subsection (4), the Secretary of State must lay a copy of it before Parliament.

(6) The Secretary of State may pay to the independent reviewer -

(a) expenses incurred in carrying out the functions of the reviewer under this section, and