The Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

Restoration of disqualification order

29.—(1) If it appears to the Chief Constable or a director of social services that the conditions set out in paragraph (2) are satisfied in the case of an individual, the Chief Constable or (as the case may be) the director may apply to the High Court for an order under this Article to be made in respect of the individual.

(2) The conditions are that—

(a) a disqualification order made in respect of the individual is no longer in force, and

(b) the individual has acted in such a way (whether before or after the order ceased to be in force) as to give reasonable cause to believe that an order under this Article is necessary to protect children in general, or any children in particular, from serious harm from him.

(3) An application under this Article may be made at any time after the disqualification order ceased to be in force.

(4) If the High Court is satisfied that the conditions set out in paragraph (2) are satisfied, it must order that the disqualification order is to be restored; otherwise it must dismiss the application.

(5) Where an order is made under this Article, Article 28 has effect with the following modifications—

(a) in paragraph (3), the reference to the individual being under the age of 18 when he committed the offence against a child is to be read as a reference to his being under that age when the order under this Article was made,

(b) in paragraphs (3)(a) and (4)(a), references to the relevant date are to be read as references to the date on which the order under this Article was made,

(c) in paragraph (5)(a), the reference to the individual’s circumstances changing since the disqualification order was made is to be read as a reference to his circumstances changing since the order under this Article was made.

(6) For the purposes of this Article a disqualification order is no longer in force if a direction under Article 27(3) has been given in respect of it and it is not restored by virtue of an order under this Article.