Employment Agencies Act 1973

9 Inspection

(1) Any officer of a licensing authority duly authorised by them in that behalf may at all reasonable times on producing, if so required, written evidence of his authority—

(a) enter any premises used or to be used for or in connection with the carrying on of an employment agency or employment business by a person who is the holder of, or who has applied for, a licence under this Act and any other premises which the officer has reasonable cause to believe are used for or in connection with the carrying on of an employment agency or employment business; and

(b) inspect those premises and any records or other documents kept in pursuance of this Act or of any regulations made thereunder ; and

(c) subject to subsection (2) of this section, require any person on those premises to furnish him with such information as he may reasonably require for the purpose of ascertaining whether the provisions of this Act and of any regulations made thereunder are being complied with or of enabling the licensing authority to exercise their functions under this Act.

(2) A person shall not be required under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section to answer any question tending to incriminate himself or, in the case of a person who is married, his or her wife or husband.

(3) Any person who obstructs an officer in the exercise of his powers under paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £50 and any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a requirement under paragraph (c) of that subsection shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100.

(4) (a) No information obtained in the course of exercising the powers conferred by subsection (1) of this section shall be disclosed except—

(i) with the consent of the person by whom the information was furnished or, where the information was furnished on behalf of another person, with the consent of that other person or with the consent of the person carrying on or proposing to carry on the employment agency or employment business concerned ; or

(ii) to a licensing authority, or to the officers or servants of a licensing authority, for the purposes of the exercise of their respective functions under this Act; or

(iii) by the officers of a licensing authority, for the purposes of the exercise of their functions under this Act, to the person carrying on or proposing to carry on the employment agency or employment business concerned, to any person in his employment or, in the case of information relating to a person availing himself of the services of such an agency or business, to that person; or

(iv) to the Secretary of State, or an officer or servant appointed by, or person exercising functions on behalf of, the Secretary of State for the purposes of the exercise of their respective functions under this Act; or

(v) with a view to the institution of, or otherwise for the purposes of, any criminal proceedings pursuant to or arising out of this Act or for the purposes of any hearing on an appeal brought under subsection (1) of section 4 of this Act.

(b) Any person who contravenes paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400.