Power to require information from, and attendance of, relevant and connected persons
37.—(1) An officer may, by notice to a relevant person or to a person connected with a relevant person, require the relevant person or the connected person, as the case may be—
(a)to provide such information as may be specified in the notice;
(b)to produce such recorded information as may be so specified; or
(c)to attend before an officer at a time and place specified in the notice and answer questions.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is connected with a relevant person if he is, or has at any time been, in relation to the relevant person, a person listed in Schedule 4 to these Regulations.
(3) An officer may exercise powers under this regulation only if the information sought to be obtained as a result is reasonably required in connection with the exercise by the designated authority for whom he acts of its functions under these Regulations.
(4) Where an officer requires information to be provided or produced pursuant to paragraph (1)(a) or (b)—
(a)the notice must set out the reasons why the officer requires the information to be provided or produced; and
(b)such information must be provided or produced—
(i)before the end of such reasonable period as may be specified in the notice; and
(ii)at such place as may be so specified.
(5) In relation to information recorded otherwise than in legible form, the power to require production of it includes a power to require the production of a copy of it in legible form or in a form from which it can readily be produced in visible and legible form.
(6) The production of a document does not affect any lien which a person has on the document.
(7) A person may not be required under this regulation to provide or produce information or to answer questions which he would be entitled to refuse to provide, produce or answer on grounds of legal professional privilege in proceedings in the High Court, except that a lawyer may be required to provide the name and address of his client.
(8) Subject to paragraphs (9) and (10), a statement made by a person in compliance with a requirement imposed on him under paragraph (1)(c) is admissible in evidence in any proceedings, so long as it also complies with any requirements governing the admissibility of evidence in the circumstances in question.
(9) In criminal proceedings in which a person is charged with an offence to which this paragraph applies—
(a)no evidence relating to the statement may be adduced; and
(b)no question relating to it may be asked,
by or on behalf of the prosecution unless evidence relating to it is adduced, or a question relating to it is asked, in the proceedings by or on behalf of that person.
(10) Paragraph (9) applies to any offence other than one under—
(a)section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911(1) (false statements without oath);
(b)section 44(2) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation)(Scotland) Act 1995(2) (false statements and declarations); or
(c)Article 10 of the Perjury (Northern Ireland) Order 1979(3) (false unsworn statements).
(11) In the application of this regulation to Scotland, the reference in paragraph (7) to—
(a)proceedings in the High Court is to be read as a reference to legal proceedings generally; and
(b)an entitlement on grounds of legal professional privilege is to be read as a reference to an entitlement on the grounds of confidentiality of communications.