Commentary on Sections Miscellaneous Section 49: Amendments of the Private Security Industry Act 2001
119.This section makes technical changes to the 2001 Act to allow for differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, for example, subsection (2) amends section 11 of the 2001 Act (licensing appeals) so that in relation to Northern Ireland, a reference to the Crown Court means a reference to the county court.
120.Subsection (6) amends section 25 of the 2001 Act (interpretation) by clarifying that any reference to an Act that does not extend to Northern Ireland shall be taken as a reference to the equivalent (or nearest equivalent) legislation that applies to Northern Ireland.
121.Paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 2 to the 2001 Act defines the activities covered as surveillance, inquiries or investigations carried out for the purpose of obtaining information about a person or about a person’s activities or whereabouts. Subsection (7) amends that Schedule by inserting new paragraph 4B which exempts the activities of a barrister-at-law or a solicitor in Northern Ireland which are carried out for the purposes of the provision of legal services. This is to ensure that the activities of solicitors and barristers in Northern Ireland are not caught as designated, licensable activities.