(1)Any member, servant or agent of the Commission may, on producing if required evidence of his authority, enter any premises occupied by a person on whom a notice has been served under section 52 for the purpose of—
(a)obtaining there the information, documents or other material or explanations required by that notice; and
(b)facilitating the exercise by the Commission of the powers conferred by subsection (5) of that section.
(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, any member, servant or agent of the Commission may, on producing if required evidence of his authority, enter any premises occupied by any person on whom a notice could be served under section 52 for the purpose of obtaining there such information, documents or other material or explanations as—
(a)are specified in the authority; and
(b)are information, documents or other material or explanations that could have been required by such a notice.
(3)The Commission shall not authorise any person to act under subsection (2) above unless it has reasonable cause to believe that if a notice under section 52 were served it would not be complied with or that any documents or other material to which it would relate would be removed, tampered with or destroyed.
(4)Any person who intentionally obstructs a person exercising rights conferred by this section shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or both.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 52A inserted (9.6.1997) by 1997 c. 32, s. 43, Sch. 7 para. 18; S.I. 1997/1427, art. 2(k)(n)(iii)