The Gazette 1958-61

(a) a communication made by him in the execution of his duties under this Part of this Act, (V) the disclosure of information for the purpose of legal proceedings under this Part of this Act. By section 11 a person who contravenes (whether by act or omission) any provision of an order under this Part of this Act for the time being in force shall be guilty of an offence ; this also applies to every person who aids, abets, or assists another person, or conspires with another person, to commit an offence ; section 12 provides that authorised officials of companies and unincorporated bodies may be liable to penalties. By section 13 every person who commits an offence under this Part of this Act shall on summary conviction thereof be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for six months or to both such fine and imprisonment. By section 14 proceedings in relation to an offence under this Part of this Act may be brought and prosecuted by the Minister for Industry and Commerce, and summary proceedings for an offence under this Part of this Act may be instituted within twelve months from the date of the offence. Section 15 makes further provisions relating to postponed orders for specific delivery of goods to and to consequent execution orders when varied. By section 16 notwithstanding section 6 of the 1946 Act, a provision in an agreement made hence forth whereby an owner of a motor vehicle which has been let under a hire-purchase agreement or a person acting on his behalf is (a) authorised to enter' premises (other than a house used as a dwelling or any building within the curtilage thereof) for the purpose of taking possession of the motor vehicle, or (H) relieved from liability for any such entry shall be valid. In this section " motor vehicle" means any mechanically propelled vehicle constructed for use on roads for the carriage of persons or goods and includes a tractor. Section 17 states that, where, (a) goods are let under a hire-purchase agreement, (b) the owner recover possession thereof or an order is made by the court under paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 13 of the Principal Act for the specific delivery thereof to the owner, then, the liability of a guarantor under a contract of guarantee in relation to the agreement shall not exceed the amount, if any, which the hirer would have been liable to pay under section 5 of the 1946 Act if he had determined the agreement under that section at the time of the recovery or the making of the order, as the case may be, and shall then cease.

The Minister may by order amend or revoke an order under this section. Section 7 requires any person who carries on, or is employed in connection with, the business of letting goods, whether under hire-purchase agree ments or otherwise, or selling goods by credit-sale agreements whenever so required by the Minister, to furnish to the Minister any books, documents, records, particulars, or information in that person's power or control which the Minister may require for enabling him to exercise his functions under this Part of this Act. Sections 8 and 9, dealing with authorised officers, state that the Minister may appoint such and so many of his officers as he thinks fit to be authorised officers. An authorised officer may, for the purpose of obtaining any information which the Minister may require for enabling him to exercise his functions under this Part of this Act, at all reasonable times enter premises at which the business of letting goods, whether under hire-purchase agreements or other wise, or selling goods by credit-sale agreements is carried on and subject to the production of his warrant of appointment, do any one or more of the following things :— (a) inspect the business, (V) require the person who carries on such business and any person employed in connec tion therewith to produce to him any books, documents or records relating to such business which are in that person's power or control and to give him such information as he may reasonably require in regard to any entries in such books. (c) inspect any copy or take extracts from such books, documents or records, (d) require such person to give to him any information he may reasonably require in regard to the persons carrying on such business (including, in particular, in the case of an unincorporated body of persons, information in regard to the membership thereof and of its committee of management or other controlling authority) or employed in connection therewith, and in regard to the business. No one shall be required to answer any question or to give any evidence tending to criminate himself. Any person who obstructs or impedes an author ised officer in the exercise of his powers under this section or does not comply with any requirement shall be guilty of an offence. Under section 10 no authorised officer shall disclose information available to him by virtue of the powers of obtaining information conferred on him by this Part of this Act; save