Section 62.

Offences: failure to comply with requirement imposed by direction

30

(1) A person who fails to comply with a requirement imposed by a direction under this Schedule commits an offence, subject to the following provisions.

(2) No offence is committed if the person took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to ensure that the requirement would be complied with.

(3) In deciding whether a person has committed an offence under this paragraph the court must consider whether the person followed any relevant guidance that was at the time -

(a) issued by a supervisory authority or any other appropriate body,

(b) approved by the Treasury, and

(c) published in a manner approved by the Treasury as suitable in their opinion to bring the guidance to the attention of persons likely to be affected by it.

(4) In sub-paragraph (3) "appropriate body" means a body that regulates or is representative of any trade, profession, business or employment carried on by the alleged offender.