The Electricity (Single Wholesale Market) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007

Power to enter premises of a licence holder under warrant

2.—(1) Where the SEM Committee has made a determination under Article 8 in respect of a licence holder, the High Court may, on an application made by the Authority, issue a warrant if the Court is satisfied that—

(a) there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there are on any premises owned or occupied by a licence holder documents—

(i) the production of which has been required under Article 51 of the Energy Order or paragraph 1; and

(ii) which have not been produced as required;

(b) there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that—

(i) there are on any premises owned or occupied by a licence holder documents which the Authority has power under Article 51 of the Energy Order to require to be produced; and

(ii) if the documents were required to be produced, they would not be produced but would be concealed, removed, tampered with or destroyed; or

(c) an investigating officer has attempted to enter premises in the exercise of his powers under paragraph 1 but has been unable to do so and that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there are on the premises documents the production of which could have been required under that paragraph.

(2) Subject to paragraph 3, a warrant under this paragraph shall authorise a named member of the staff of the Authority (“the named officer”), and any other relevant officer whom the Authority has authorised in writing to accompany the named officer—

(a) to enter the premises specified in the warrant, using such force as is reasonably necessary for the purpose;

(b) to search the premises and take copies of, or extracts from, any document appearing to be of a kind in respect of which the application under sub-paragraph (1) was granted (“the relevant kind”);

(c) to take possession of any documents appearing to be of the relevant kind if—

(i) such action appears to be necessary for preserving the documents or preventing interference with them; or

(ii) it is not reasonably practicable to take copies of the documents on the premises;

(d) to take any other steps which appear to be necessary for the purpose mentioned in head (c)(i);

(e) to require any person to provide an explanation of any document appearing to be of the relevant kind or to state, to the best of his knowledge and belief, where it may be found;

(f) to require any information which is stored in any electronic form and is accessible from the premises and which the named officer considers relates to any matter relevant to the investigation, to be produced in a form—

(i) in which it can be taken away, and

(ii) in which it is visible and legible or from which it can readily be produced in a visible and legible form.

(3) If, in the case of a warrant under sub-paragraph (1)(b), the Court is satisfied that it is reasonable to suspect that there are also on the premises other documents relating to the investigation concerned, the warrant shall also authorise action mentioned in sub-paragraph (2) to be taken in relation to any such document.

(4) A warrant under this paragraph may authorise persons specified in the warrant to accompany the named officer who is executing it.

(5) Any person entering premises by virtue of a warrant under this paragraph may take with him such equipment as appears to him to be necessary.

(6) On leaving any premises which he has entered by virtue of a warrant under this paragraph, the named officer must, if the premises are unoccupied or the occupier is temporarily absent, leave them as effectively secured as he found them.

(7) A warrant under this paragraph continues in force until the end of the period of one month beginning with the day on which it is issued.

(8) Any document of which possession is taken under sub-paragraph (2)(c) may be retained for a period of three months.

(9) A warrant issued under this paragraph must indicate—

(a) the subject matter and purpose of the investigation;

(b) the nature of the offences created by paragraph 4.

(10) The powers conferred by this paragraph are to be exercised on production of the warrant issued under this paragraph.

(11) If there is no one at the premises when the named officer proposes to execute the warrant he must, before executing it—

(a) take such steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to inform the occupier of the intended entry; and

(b) if the occupier is informed, afford him or his legal or other representative a reasonable opportunity to be present when the warrant is executed.

(12) If the named officer is unable to inform the occupier of the intended entry he must, when executing the warrant, leave a copy of it in a prominent place on the premises.