The Certification Officer shall maintain a list of trade unions and a list of employers' associations containing the names of those organisations which are entitled to have their names entered therein under the following provisions of this Article.

The Certification Officer shall enter in the list of trade unions or employers' associations, as the case may be, the name of every organisation of workers or of employers which immediately before the appointed day was registered (whether by that or any other name) in Northern Ireland as a trade union under the Trade Union Acts (Northern Ireland) 1871 to 1965, except an organisation which appears to him not to be a trade union or, as the case may be, employers' association within the meaning of this Order.

Any organisation of workers or of employers, whenever formed, whose name is not entered in the relevant list may apply to the Certification Officer to have its name so entered and, subject to paragraph (5), the Certification Officer shall, if satisfied that the organisation is a trade union or employers' association and that paragraph (4) has been complied with, enter the name of that organisation in the relevant list.

If it appears to the Certification Officer, whether on application made to him or otherwise, that an organisation whose name is entered in the relevant list is not a trade union or employers' association he may remove its name from the relevant list, but shall not do so without giving the organisation notice of his intention to do so and without considering any representations made to him by the organisation during a period specified in the notice (being not less than 28 days beginning with the date of the notice).

An organisation aggrieved by the refusal of the Certification Officer to enter its name in the relevant list, or by a decision of his to remove its name from that list, may appeal to the High Court on any question of law arising in the proceedings before, or arising from the decision of, the Certification Officer.

The Certification Officer shall at all reasonable hours keep available for public inspection (free of charge) copies of the lists of trade unions and employers' associations, as for the time being in force, and a copy of each list shall be included in the annual report made by the Certification Officer under Article 69(7).

The fact that the name of an organisation is included in the list of trade unions or employers' associations maintained under this Article shall be evidence that the organisation is a trade union or, as the case may be, an employers' association, and on the application of the organisation the Certification Officer shall issue it with a certificate that its name is included in the relevant list; and any document purporting to be such a certificate shall be evidence that the name of the organisation is entered in the relevant list.

The fact that the name of an organisation is included in the list of trade unionsF1 or the list of employers' associations kept under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 shall be evidence that the organisation is a trade union or, as the case may be, an employers' association; and any document purporting to be a certificate issued underF1 section 2(5) or 123(5) of that Act shall be evidence that the name of the organisation is entered in the relevant list.

Subject to paragraph (12), a trade union whose name is entered on the list of trade unions maintained under Article 5 may apply to the Certification Officer for a certificate that it is independent.

An application under paragraph (1) shall be made in such form and manner as the Certification Officer may require and shall be accompanied by a fee of £305 or such other fee as may be prescribed by regulations.

The Certification Officer shall maintain a record showing details of all applications made under paragraph (1) and shall keep it available for public inspection (free of charge) at all reasonable hours.

If an application is made, or by virtue of paragraph (13) is treated as being made, by a trade union whose name is not entered on the list of trade unions maintained under Article 5, the Certification Officer shall refuse a certificate of independence and shall enter that refusal on the record maintained in accordance with paragraph (3).

The Certification Officer shall not make any determination under paragraph (5) whether a trade union is independent until one month after the application has been entered on the record in accordance with paragraph (3), and before making such a determination he shall make such inquiries as he thinks fit and shall take into account any relevant information submitted to him by any person.

The Certification Officer may at any time withdraw a certificate, in accordance with paragraph (8), if he is of the opinion that the trade union in question is no longer independent.

A trade union aggrieved by the refusal of the Certification Officer to issue it with a certificate of independence or by a decision of his to withdraw its certificate may appeal to the High Court on any question of law arising in the proceedings before, or arising from the decision of, the Cerification Officer.

Where the name of an organisation is removed from the list of trade unions maintained under Article 5, the Certification Officer shall cancel any certificate of independence in force in respect of that organisation by entering on the record the fact that the organisation's name has been removed from the said list and that the certificate is accordingly cancelled.

A certificate of independence which is in force, or, as the case may be, a refusal, withdrawal or cancellation of a certificate entered on the record, shall be conclusive evidence for all purposes that the trade union in question is, or, as the case may be, is not, independent; and a document purporting to be such a certificate or a certified copy of such an entry on the record, and to be signed by the Certification Officer or by any person authorised to act on his behalf, shall be taken to be such a certificate or a true copy of such an entry unless the contrary is proved.

The preceding provisions of this Article do not apply to a trade union which has its head or main office in Great Britain, but a certificate of independence which is in force underF4 section 6 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, or, as the case may be, a refusal, withdrawal or cancellation of a certificate entered on the record maintained under that section shall, in relation to such a trade union, be conclusive evidence for all purposes that the trade union in question is, or, as the case may be, is not, independent; and a document purporting to be such a certificate or a certified copy of such an entry on that record, and to be signed by the Certification Officer appointed underF5 section 254 of that Act or by any person authorised to act on his behalf, shall be taken to be such a certificate or a true copy of such an entry unless the contrary is proved.