Adoption Act, 1998

Offences generally.

9.—The Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion of the following after section 43:

“44.—(1) A person who contravenes or fails to comply with—

(a) any rule made under section 5 or regulation made under section 7C, or

(b) any provision of section 7B, 7E or 7F,

shall be guilty of an offence and, without prejudice to any other penalty to which the person may be liable, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both.

(2) Where an offence under subsection (1) is committed by a body corporate or by a person purporting to act on behalf of a body corporate or an unincorporated body of persons and is proved to have been committed with the consent or approval of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, any person who, when the offence was committed, was director, member of the committee of management or other controlling authority of the body concerned, or the manager, secretary or other officer of the body, that person shall also be deemed to have committed the offence and may be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

45.—Notwithstanding section 10 (4) of the Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1851 , proceedings for an offence under this Act may be instituted within twelve months from the date of the offence.”.