{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-assistance-act-1948/section-52",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-assistance-act-1948/section-52.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/11-12/29",
  "legislation_title": "National Assistance Act 1948",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-assistance-act-1948",
  "path": "section/52",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "52",
  "heading": "False statements.",
  "text": "(1) If any person—\n(a) for the purpose of obtaining, either for himself or for another person, any benefit under ... Part III of this Act; or\n(b) for the purpose of avoiding or reducing any liability under this Act,\nmakes any statement or representation which he knows to be false, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both such imprisonment and such fine.\n(2) Notwithstanding anything in any enactment, proceedings for an offence under this section may be begun at any time within three months from the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of ... the local authority concerned to justify a prosecution for the offence comes to the knowledge of the ... local authority, or within twelve months from the commission of the offence, whichever period is the longer.\n(3) For the purposes of the last foregoing subsection, a certificate ... of the local authority as to the date on which such evidence as aforesaid came to the knowledge of ... the local authority, as the case may be, shall be conclusive proof thereof.\n(4) In the application of this section to Scotland, for the references to evidence sufficient to justify a prosecution there shall be substituted references to evidence sufficient to justify a report to the Lord Advocate with a view to consideration of the question of prosecution.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 4 omitted (except ss. 49, 68) (W.) (6.4.2016) by virtue of The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/413), regs. 2(1), 9(1) [Editorial note: This Act no longer applies in relation to England (1.4.2015) as a consequence of the Care Act 2014 (c. 23), Pt. 1 and the amendments made by The Care Act 2014 and Children and Families Act 2014 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/914), Sch. paras. 1-10]"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words repealed by Ministry of Social Security Act 1966 (c. 20), Sch. 8"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words substituted (E.W.) by virtue of Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), ss. 289F, 289G"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 52 amended by Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 (c. 46), s. 45(5)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2003/44",
      "affecting_title": "Criminal Justice Act 2003"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/11-12/29/section/52",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:23:20.245114+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}