Power to require information, etc.N.I.
31.—(1) Where it appears to the Director that a licence holder may be contravening, or may have contravened, any relevant condition or requirement[F1 (as defined in Article 41 of the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003)], the Director may, for any purpose connected with such of his functions under ArticleF1. . . [F2F1. . . 45B] as are exercisable in relation to that matter, serve a notice under paragraph (2) on any person.
(2) A notice under this paragraph is a notice signed by the Director and—
(a)requiring the person on whom it is served to produce, at a time and place specified in the notice, to the Director or to any person appointed by the Director for the purpose, any documents which are specified or described in the notice and are in that person's custody or under his control; or
(b)requiring that person, if he is carrying on a business, to furnish, at a time and place and in the form and manner specified in the notice, to the Director such information as may be specified or described in the notice.
(3) No person shall be required under this Article to produce any documents which he could not be compelled to produce in civil proceedings in the High Court or, in complying with any requirement for the furnishing of information, to give any information which he could not be compelled to give in evidence in any such proceedings.
(4) A person who without reasonable excuse fails to do anything required of him by notice under paragraph (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
(5) A person who intentionally alters, suppresses or destroys any document which he has been required by any notice under paragraph (2) to produce shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;
(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine.
(6) If a person makes default in complying with a notice under paragraph (2), the High Court may, on the application of the Director, make such order as the Court thinks fit for requiring the default to be made good; and any such order may provide that all the costs of and incidental to the application shall be borne by the person in default or by any officers of a company or other body or association who are responsible for its default.