Factories Act 1937

128 Provisions as to county and district councils.

(1) The expenses of the London County Council under this Act shall be defrayed as expenses for general county purposes.

(2) The expenses under this Act of the common council of the City of London and of the council of a metropolitan borough shall be defrayed as part of their general expenses.

(3) The medical officer of health of every district council shall—

(a) in his annual report to the council report specifically on the administration of, and furnish the prescribed particulars with respect to, the matters under Part I and Part VIII of this Act which are administered by the district council, and shall send a copy of his annual report or so much of it as deals with those matters to the Secretary of State; and

(b) give written notice to the inspector for the district of any factory coming to his knowledge in which no abstract of this Act is affixed in accordance with this Act.

(4) An officer of any district council appointed for the purpose of inspection of factories shall give a written notice to the inspector for the district of any factory coming to his knowledge in which no abstract of this Act is affixed in accordance with this Act.

(5) For the purpose of their duties under this Act, a county council and a district council and their officers shall, without prejudice to their other powers, have all such powers of entry, inspection, taking legal proceedings, or otherwise, as an inspector has, and accordingly in relation to their said duties the provisions of this Act as to furnishing means required by an inspector, and delaying or obstructing an inspector, shall be construed as including references to such officers; but no such powers of entry or inspection shall be exercised except by officers of the council authorised by them in writing in that behalf, either generally or specially, and any such officer shall if so required produce his authority to the occupier or other person holding a responsible position of management at the factory.

(6) If any person who, in pursuance of powers conferred by the last foregoing subsection, is admitted into any factory or place discloses to any person any information obtained by him in the factory or place with regard to any manufacturing process or trade secret, he shall, unless such disclosure was made in the performance of his duty, be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.