Clause 14 - Obstruction, etc. of officers
Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill
11:00 am
Ms Yvette Cooper (Parliamentary Secretary (Public Health), Department of Health; Pontefract and Castleford, Labour)
Again, this is a standard clause, which establishes an offence of intentionally obstructing
``a duly authorised officer of an enforcement authority''.
The clause is necessary to ensure that the enforcement authority has the proper powers to enforce the measures.
Clause 13 states:
``A duly authorised officer of an enforcement authority has the right, on producing, if so required, his written authority''
to enter the premises. The clause therefore contains that requirement.
The provisions are standard ones that equally apply to parallel legislation, such as the Consumer Protection Act 1987. There should not be a serious problem with the clauses to which the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire referred, as they operate in the same way as those in previous legislation. Clause 14 rightly uses the words ``intentionally obstructs'', because it would be wrong for the clause to cover unintentional obstruction, given that it establishes a criminal offence.