The Waste (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007

Failure to furnish documentation: fixed penalty notice

5.  In the 1997 Order, after Article 5 insert—

“Fixed penalty notices for certain offences under Article 5(8)

5A.— (1) This Article applies where it appears to the Department that a person has failed to comply with a duty to furnish documents to the Department imposed under regulations made at any time under Article 5(7).

(2) The Department may serve on that person a notice offering him the opportunity of discharging any liability to conviction for an offence under Article 5(8) by payment of a fixed penalty.

(3) Where a person is given a notice under this Article in respect of an offence—

(a) no proceedings may be instituted for that offence before expiration of the period of 14 days following the date of the notice; and

(b) he may not be convicted of that offence if he pays the fixed penalty before the expiration of the period.

(4) A notice under this Article must give such particulars of the circumstances alleged to constitute the offence as are necessary for giving reasonable information of the offence.

(5) A notice under this Article must also state—

(a) the period during which, by virtue of paragraph (3), proceedings will not be taken for the offence;

(b) the amount of the fixed penalty; and

(c) the person to whom and the address at which the fixed penalty may be paid.

(6) Without prejudice to payment by any other method, payment of the fixed penalty may be made by pre-paying and posting a letter containing the amount of the penalty to the person mentioned in paragraph (5)(c) at the address so mentioned.

(7) Where a letter is sent in accordance with paragraph (6) payment is to be regarded as having been made at the time at which that letter would be delivered in the ordinary course of post.

(8) The form of a notice under this Article is to be such as the Department may by order prescribe.

(9) The fixed penalty payable to the Department under this Article is, subject to paragraph (10), £300.

(10) The Department may by order substitute a different amount for the amount for the time being specified in paragraph (9).

(11) The Department may make provision for treating a fixed penalty as having been paid if a lesser amount is paid before the end of a period specified by the Department.

(12) In any proceedings a certificate which—

(a) purports to be signed by an authorised officer; and

(b) states that payment of a fixed penalty was or was not received by a date specified in the certificate,

is evidence of the facts stated.

(13) In this Article “authorised officer” means an officer of the Department who is authorised in writing by the Department for the purposes of this Article.”.