Employment Premium Act, 1975

Inspectors.

6.—(1) In this section “inspector” means a person appointed by the Minister to be an inspector for the purposes of this Act.

(2) An inspector may—

(a) enter at all reasonable times any premises or place occupied by an employer who has applied for an employment premium,

(b) make therein any examination or enquiry necessary for the purpose of the effective administration of the Scheme,

(c) require an employer or his representative to produce any records and inspect and take copies of entries in the records,

(d) examine with regard to any matter under the Scheme any person whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be or to have been an employer or employee and require him to answer such questions (other than questions tending to incriminate him) as the inspector may put relative to such a matter and to sign a declaration of the truth of the answers.

(3) The powers conferred on an inspector by subsection (2) (a) of this section shall not be exercisable in respect of a private dwelling house unless the Minister (or an officer of the Minister appointed by the Minister for the purpose) certifies that he has reasonable grounds for believing that an offence under this Act in relation to an employee employed in the house has been committed by the employer, and the inspector in applying for admission to the house produces the certificate.

(4) Any person who—

(a) obstructs or impedes an inspector in the exercise of any power conferred by this section,

(b) refuses to produce any record which an inspector lawfully requires him to produce,

(c) produces, or causes to be produced or knowingly allows to be produced, to an inspector any record which to his knowledge is false in any material respect,

(d) prevents, or attempts to prevent, any person from appearing before or being questioned by an inspector, or

(e) wilfully fails or refuses to comply with any lawful requirement of an inspector under subsection (2) (d) of this section,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £300 or, in the case of a second or subsequent such offence, £400.

(5) An inspector shall be furnished with a certificate of his appointment and, on applying for admission to any premises or place, shall, if so required, produce the certificate to the occupier and to any person being examined by the inspector.