Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997

6 Testing decommissioned articles

(1) A person who has received a decommissioned article shall not carry out, or cause or permit anyone else to carry out, a test or procedure in relation to the article the purpose of which is—

(a) to discover information about anything done with or in relation to any decommissioned article,

(b) to discover who has been in contact with, or near to, any decommissioned article,

(c) to discover where any decommissioned article was at any time (including the conditions under which it was kept),

(d) to discover when any decommissioned article was in contact with, or near to, a particular person or when it was in a particular place or kept under particular conditions,

(e) to discover when or where any decommissioned article was made, or

(f) to discover the composition of any decommissioned article.

(2) Subsection (1)(f) does not prohibit a test or procedure the purpose of which is—

(a) to determine whether an article is, or contains, an explosive or ammunition,

(b) to determine the quantity of explosive or ammunition present, or

(c) to determine whether an article can safely be moved or otherwise dealt with.

(3) Subsection (1) does not prohibit a test or procedure the purpose of which is to discover information in relation to a decommissioned article where the information—

(a) is sought for the purposes of the investigation of an offence alleged to have been committed at a time after the article became a decommissioned article, and

(b) does not concern the treatment of the article in accordance with a decommissioning scheme.