32. For regulation 55 (trade: application of information powers in CEMA) substitute—
“Trade: information powers
55.—(1) An authorised officer may request a person who is concerned (in whatever capacity) in a relevant activity to provide such information as the authorised officer may reasonably require about the relevant activity.
(2) The authorised officer may specify the way in which, and the period within which, information is to be provided.
(3) If no such period is specified, the information which has been requested must be provided within a reasonable time.
(4) A request under paragraph (1) may include a request to produce specified documents or documents of a specified description.
(5) Where the authorised officer requests that documents be produced, the authorised officer may—
(a)take copies or extracts from any document so produced,
(b)request any person producing a document to give an explanation of it,
(c)where that person is a body corporate, partnership or unincorporated body other than a partnership, request any person who is—
(i)in the case of a partnership, a present or past partner or employee of the partnership, or
(ii)in any other case, a present or past officer or employee of the body concerned,
to give such an explanation, and
(d)remove, at a reasonable time and for a reasonable period, any document so produced if the authorised officer considers it is necessary to do so.
(6) Where a document has been removed by an authorised officer under paragraph (5)(d)—
(a)the authorised officer must, on request, provide a receipt for the document;
(b)if the document is reasonably required for the proper conduct of a business, the authorised officer must, as soon as practicable and free of charge, provide a copy of the document to the person who produced it.
(7) Where a document requested to be produced under paragraph (4) is subject to a lien, the production or removal of the document in accordance with this regulation does not affect, and is not to be regarded as breaking, the lien.
(8) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a “relevant activity” means an activity—
(a)which would, unless done under the authority of a trade licence, constitute a contravention of any prohibition in Chapters 2 to 5 of Part 5 (Trade), or
(b)which would constitute a contravention of the prohibition in regulation 39 (circumventing etc. prohibitions).”