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Investigations of the Authority — general provisions.
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31.—(1) The Authority may, for the purposes of its functions under this Act, do all or any of the following things:
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(a) summon witnesses to attend before it,
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(b) examine on oath (which the Authority, or any member of staff of the Authority duly authorised by the Authority, is by this section authorised to administer) the witnesses attending before it,
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(c) require any such witness to produce to the Authority any document in his or her power or control.
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(2) A witness before the Authority pursuant to subsection (1)(a), shall be entitled to the same immunities and privileges as if he or she were a witness before the High Court.
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(3) A summons to be issued for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) shall be signed by a member of the Authority.
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(4) Any person who—
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(a) on being duly summoned as a witness before the Authority makes default in attending, or
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(b) being in attendance as a witness refuses to take an oath legally required by the Authority to be taken, or to produce any document in his or her power or control legally required by the Authority to be produced by him or her, or to answer any question to which the Authority may legally require an answer, or
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(c) does any other thing which, if the Authority were a court having power to commit for contempt of court, would be contempt of such court,
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shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
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