84.Subsection 1 makes it a criminal offence to obstruct the Regulator, without reasonable excuse, in the course of investigating whether any of the offences in sections 7 or 11 have been committed. A reasonable excuse might be, for example, that the Regulator was mistakenly pursuing the wrong person. If a person or body refuses to provide information to the Regulator, or obstructs the Regulator when he attempts to enter premises, they could be prosecuted under this section. The offence of obstructing the Regulator would also extend to obstructing a person authorised by the Regulator. In addition, the offence may also be committed by obstructing the Regulator in the course of action taken by virtue of paragraph 14 of the Schedule (for the purpose of assessing compliance of authorised persons with the terms or conditions of authorisation (such as carrying out audits of authorised claims management companies to ensure they operate with the Regulator’s rules and code of practice)).
85.Subsection 2 specifies the penalty for the offence. On summary conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.