24. If a person registered in respect of an establishment or agency fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any condition for the time being in force by virtue of this Part in respect of the establishment or agency, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
25.—(1) Regulations under this Part may provide that a contravention of any specified provision of the regulations shall be an offence.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under the regulations shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
26.—(1) A person who, with intent to deceive any person—
(a)applies any name to premises; or
(b)in any way describes such premises or holds such premises out,
so as to indicate, or reasonably be understood to indicate, that the premises are an establishment, or an agency, of a particular description shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale unless registration has been effected under this Part in respect of the premises as an establishment or agency of that description.
(2) References to premises in paragraph (1) shall be taken to include references to an undertaking or organisation.
(3) No person shall, with intent to deceive any person, in any way describe or hold out an establishment or agency as able to provide any service or do any thing the provision or doing of which would contravene a condition in force by virtue of this Part in respect of the establishment or agency.
(4) A person who contravenes paragraph (3) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
27.—(1) Any person who, in an application for registration under this Part or for the variation of any condition in force in relation to his registration, knowingly makes a statement which is false or misleading in a material respect shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this Article shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
28.—(1) A certificate of registration issued under this Part in respect of any establishment or agency shall be kept affixed in a conspicuous place in the establishment or at the agency.
(2) If default is made in complying with paragraph (1), any person registered in respect of the establishment or agency shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.
29.—(1) Proceedings in respect of an offence under this Part or regulations made under it shall not, without the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, be taken by any person other than the [F1RQIA] .
(2) Proceedings for an offence under this Part or regulations made under it may be brought within a period of six months from the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the prosecution to warrant the proceedings came to its knowledge; but no such proceedings shall be brought by virtue of this paragraph more than three years after the commission of the offence.
(3) Until the commencement of section 41(2) of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 26) the reference in paragraph (1) to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland shall be construed as a reference to the Attorney General for Northern Ireland.
F1Words in Order substituted (11.4.2014) by Health and Social Care (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 (c. 5), Sch. para. 1(1)(b) (with Sch. para. 1(2))