Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992

[F1 3 (1) If the Certification Officer has reasonable grounds to suspect that a trade union has failed to comply with a relevant obligation, the Officer may appoint one or more members of the Officer's staff or other persons as an inspector or inspectors— U.K.

(a) to investigate whether the union has failed to comply with such an obligation, and

(b) to report to the Officer in such manner as the Officer may direct.

(2) Where any person appears to the inspector or inspectors to be in possession of information relating to a matter considered by the inspector or inspectors to be relevant to the investigation, the inspector or inspectors may require the person—

(a) to produce to the inspector or inspectors any relevant documents relating to that matter,

(b) to attend before the inspector or inspectors, and

(c) otherwise to give the inspector or inspectors all assistance in connection with the investigation which the person is reasonably able to give.

(3) “Relevant documents” means documents that in the opinion of the inspector or inspectors may be relevant to whether the trade union has failed to comply with a relevant obligation.

(4) Where a person who is not a member of the Certification Officer's staff is appointed as an inspector under this paragraph, there is incorporated in the appointment the duty of confidentiality as respects the register of the names and addresses of the trade union's members.

(5) The duty of confidentiality as respects that register is a duty which the inspector owes to the Certification Officer—

(a) not to disclose any name or address in the register of the names and addresses of the union's members except in permitted circumstances, and

(b) to take all reasonable steps to secure that there is no disclosure of any such name or address by another person except in permitted circumstances.

(6) The circumstances in which disclosure of a member's name or address is permitted are—

(a) where the member consents,

(b) where it is required or requested by the Certification Officer for the purposes of the discharge of any of the Officer's functions,

(c) where it is required for the purposes of the discharge of any of the functions of the inspector or any other inspector appointed by the Officer,

(d) where it is required for the purposes of the discharge of any of the functions of an assurer appointed under section 24ZB, or

(e) where it is required for the purposes of the investigation of crime or criminal proceedings.

(7) For supplementary provision, see paragraph 6.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. A3 inserted (8.12.2021 for specified purposes, 1.4.2022 in so far as not already in force) by Trade Union Act 2016 (c. 15), s. 25(1), Sch. 1; S.I. 2021/1373, regs. 3(a), 4(b) (with regs. 5, 6)