The Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999

4.  After Article 9 there shall be inserted—

“Offences: extension of time limit

9A.— (1) For the purposes of paragraph (2) a relevant offence is an offence under Article 5B, 6(3), 7(2) or 9(2) for which proceedings are instituted by the Department.

(2) Notwithstanding Article 19(1)(a) of the Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (complaint to be made within 6 months of offence) a complaint relating to a relevant offence may be made at any time—

(a) within 3 years after the date of the commission of the offence, and

(b) within 6 months after the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the Department to justify the proceedings came to its knowledge.

(3) For the purposes of this Article, a certificate of the Department as to the date on which evidence came to its knowledge is conclusive evidence.

Offences: cost of investigation

9B.   The court in which a person is convicted of an offence under this Order may order him to pay to the Department a sum which appears to the court not to exceed the costs of the investigation which resulted in the conviction.”.