# Consumer Protection Act 1987, Section 18: Power to obtain information.


(1) If the Secretary of State considers that, for the purpose of deciding whether—
(a) to make, vary or revoke any safety regulations; or
(b) to serve, vary or revoke a prohibition notice; or
(c) to serve or revoke a notice to warn,
he requires information which another person is likely to be able to furnish, the Secretary of State may serve on the other person a notice under this section.
(2) A notice served on any person under this section may require that person—
(a) to furnish to the Secretary of State, within a period specified in the notice, such information as is so specified;
(b) to produce such records as are specified in the notice at a time and place so specified and to permit a person appointed by the Secretary of State for the purpose to take copies of the records at that time and place.
(3) A person shall be guilty of an offence if he—
(a) fails, without reasonable cause, to comply with a notice served on him under this section; or
(b) in purporting to comply with a requirement which by virtue of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above is contained in such a notice—
(i) furnishes information which he knows is false in a material particular; or
(ii) recklessly furnishes information which is false in a material particular.
(4) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) above shall—
(a) in the case of an offence under paragraph (a) of that subsection, be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale; and
(b) in the case of an offence under paragraph (b) of that subsection be liable—
(i) on conviction on indictment, to a fine;
(ii) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/43/section/18 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/consumer-protection-act-1987/section-18
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.