Food and Environment Protection Act 1985

3 Authorisation of investigating officers and enforcement officers

(1) Either of the Ministers may authorise—

(a) persons (in this Act referred to as " investigating officers ") to conduct investigations for the purpose of determining—

(i) whether any of the powers conferred by this Part of this Act should be exercised ; and

(ii) the manner in which any such power should be exercised;

(b) persons (in this Act referred to as " enforcement officers ") to enforce—

(i) emergency orders ; and

(ii) directions under section 2 above.

(2) Either of the Ministers may authorise an investigating officer or an enforcement officer who is not an officer of his department to perform any of the Minister's functions under this Part of this Act which he could perform if he were an officer of the department; and an officer performing such functions in pursuance of such an authorisation is to be treated in relation to their performance as if he were an officer of the department.

(3) An authorisation under subsection (1) or (2) above may be given subject to such limitations as may be specified in the instrument containing it; and this Act shall be construed, in reference to a person whose authorisation has been given subject to limitations, as subject to those limitations.

(4) The functions of an investigating officer and of an enforcement officer may also be performed by a British sea-fishery officer, and accordingly any reference to an investigating officer or an enforcement officer in the following provisions of this Act includes a reference to a British sea-fishery officer.