Finance Act 2000

Monitoring of compliance with training commitment

30 (1) The Secretary of State may make provision by regulations—

(a) requiring a return to be made to the Secretary of State or any prescribed person involved in the training of seafarers, at such intervals as may be prescribed, of such information as may be prescribed relating to—

(i) the training provided, and

(ii) any payments in lieu of training made,

by a tonnage tax company or tonnage tax group;

(b) authorising the Secretary of State to direct any person to provide such information as the Secretary of State may reasonably require for the purposes of ascertaining—

(i) what the minimum training obligation of a company or group should be,

(ii) whether the proposals in a training commitment are adequate to meet the minimum training obligation of a company or group, or

(iii) whether a company or group has complied with its training commitment;

(c) enabling an audit to be carried on on behalf of the Secretary of State of the accounts or other records—

(i) of a qualifying single company, or

(ii) of the qualifying companies in a group,

for the purpose of checking that any return or information provided to the Secretary of State is correct.

(2) A person commits an offence if without reasonable excuse—

(a) he fails to make a return that he is required to make by regulations under sub-paragraph (1)(a),

(b) having been directed under regulations under sub-paragraph (1)(b) to provide any information, he fails to comply with the direction, or

(c) he obstructs a person carrying out an audit under regulations under sub-paragraph (1)(c).