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Powers of authorised officer to inspect premises, obtain information, etc.
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7.—(1) In this section “authorised officer” means a person appointed by the Minister by warrant of appointment to be an authorised officer for the purposes of this section.
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(2) An authorised officer, on production of his warrant of appointment if so requested by any person affected, may—
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(a) at all reasonable times enter and inspect any premises or place,
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(b) require the occupant or any person whom the authorised officer has reasonable cause to believe to be employed in or at the premises or place to furnish such information as the authorised officer may reasonably request or to produce to him any records or other documents specified by him,
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(c) examine or inspect any such records or documents and take copies of them or of any entries in them.
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(3) Any person who—
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(a) obstructs or impedes an authorised officer in the exercise of any of the powers conferred on him by this section,
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(b) refuses to produce any record or document which an authorised officer lawfully requires him to produce,
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(c) produces or causes to be produced or knowingly allows to be produced, to an authorised officer any record or document which is false in any material respect knowing it to be false, or
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(d) wilfully fails or refuses to comply with any lawful requirement of an authorised officer under subsection (1) (b) of this section,
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shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £500 or, at the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
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(4) In any prosecution for an offence under this section it shall be presumed until the contrary is shown that a person who produced a warrant of appointment as an authorised officer was at all material times an authorised officer.
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(5) A document purporting to be a warrant of appointment of an authorised officer shall be presumed to be such warrant until the contrary is shown.
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