Forestry Act (Northern Ireland) 2010

Inquiries, information, etc.

6.—(1) The Department may—

(a) carry on, or assist in the carrying on of, such inquiries as the Department thinks desirable for the purposes of any of its functions under this Act, and publish, assist in the publication of, or otherwise make known the result of such inquiries;

(b) collect and disseminate, or assist in the collection and dissemination of, such information as the Department thinks desirable for the purposes of promoting forestry;

(c) undertake the collection, preparation, publication and distribution of statistics relating to forestry or to any forest or land suitable for forestry.

(2) The powers under subsection (1) include powers to enter into arrangements with bodies outside Northern Ireland which carry out activities similar to those referred to in that subsection.

(3) The Department—

(a) shall provide and maintain a register providing such information as the Department considers appropriate as to the location and size of woodlands in Northern Ireland and the types of trees therein;

(b) shall publish that register in such form as the Department thinks appropriate at intervals not exceeding 10 years;

(c) may exercise the powers in subsection (1)(b) and (c) in connection with the provision or maintenance of that register.

(4) The Department may exploit any intellectual property or intangible assets arising from—

(a) the carrying out of any activity referred to in subsection (1);

(b) the exercise by the Department of its functions under section 5 of the Agriculture Act (Northern Ireland) 1949 (c. 2) (provision of instruction and undertaking of research) in relation to forestry.

(5) “Intellectual property” for the purpose of subsection (4) includes any patent, trademark, copyright, design right, registered design or plant breeder’s right.

(6) Where the Department requests any person to provide or permit the collection of any information or statistics relating to any of the matters referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1), that person commits an offence if—

(a) that person fails without reasonable excuse to comply with the request of the Department; or

(b) in purported compliance with the request of the Department, that person knowingly or recklessly makes a statement or gives information which is false in a material particular.

(7) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (6) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.