Section 28 — Compliance notices

(1) If the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has failed to comply with a relevant duty, the Secretary of State may give a compliance notice to the person.

(2) A compliance notice is a notice under this section requiring the person to whom it is given to comply with the relevant duty specified in the notice within a specified period.

(3) A compliance notice given to a person must—

(a) set out the reasons for giving the compliance notice;

(b) explain what may happen if the person does not comply with it;

(c) explain how the person may appeal against it.

(4) A compliance notice given to a person may—

(a) require the person to take any specified steps within a specified period in order to comply with the relevant duty;

(b) require the person within a specified period to provide evidence to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State that the person has complied with, or is complying with, the relevant duty.

(5) Before giving a compliance notice to a person, the Secretary of State must—

(a) notify the person that the Secretary of State intends to give a compliance notice to the person, and

(b) give the person an opportunity to make representations about the giving of the notice.

(6) The Secretary of State may not give a compliance notice to the person until the end of the period of 10 days beginning with the day on which the notification required by subsection (5)(a) is given.

(7) A compliance notice may not be given to a person more than once in respect of the same act or omission.

(8) In this section— “relevant duty” means a duty imposed by or under Chapter 2; “specified” means specified in the compliance notice.