Commentary on Sections Part Three: Civil Sanctions Section 55: Other provision
147.This section enables an order made under Part 3 to make consequential and other supplementary provisions.
148.Subsection (2) gives examples of what consequential provision might be made. Paragraph (a) may, for example, be used to allow the civil sanctions to be regarded as previous convictions for the purposes of other enactments. The power in paragraph (b) could be used to extend existing provisions in other legislation to apply to these civil sanctions. For example, the power could extend a provision that a convicted person must pay the clean up costs of the regulator, such as that under 33B Environmental Protection Act 1990, to apply to these civil sanctions as well.
149.Subsection (3) gives examples of how the supplementary power under subsection (1) might be used. The power might be used to grant a regulator powers to require information or extend a regulator’s existing information gathering powers in order to allow a regulator to investigate a matter that might lead to the use of the alternative sanctioning powers under this Act. The power may also be used in a similar way in relation to a regulator’s powers of entry, search, or seizure. Where the legislation setting out the relevant offence contains an authorisation to use certain evidence in criminal proceedings, e.g. an exception to the prohibition of collateral use of information, the power under subsection (1) might be used to allow that authorisation to also apply to the imposition of civil sanctions for that offence. This can only be done in relation to authorisations that exist currently. The power can be used in these ways only for the purpose of facilitating the use of the alternative sanctioning powers contained in this Act. It would be for the Minister to determine whether the use of the power in subsection (1) would, in any given case, be compatible with ECHR rights.