Summary proceedings for any offence under this Act may, without prejudice to any jurisdiction exercisable apart from this subsection, be taken against an institution, including an unincorporated institution, at any place at which it has a place of business, and against an individual at any place at which he is for the time being.

Notwithstanding anything in section 127(1) of the M1Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, any information relating to an offence under this Act which is triable by a magistrates’ court in England and Wales may be so tried if it is laid at any time within three years after the commission of the offence and within six months after the relevant date.

Notwithstanding anything in F2section 136 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, summary proceedings for such an offence may be commenced in Scotland at any time within three years after the commission of the offence and within six months after the relevant date; and subsection (3) of that section shall apply for the purposes of this subsection as it applies for the purposes of that section.

Notwithstanding anything in Article 19(1) of the Magistrates’ M2Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, a complaint relating to such an offence which is triable by a court of summary jurisdiction in Northern Ireland may be so tried if it is made at any time within three years after the commission of the offence and within six months after the relevant date.

In this section—

• “the relevant date” means the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the prosecuting authority to justify proceedings comes to its knowledge; and

• “the prosecuting authority” means the authority by or with whose consent the proceedings are instituted in accordance with section 96 above or, in Scotland, the Lord Advocate.

For the purposes of subsection (5) above, a certificate of any prosecuting authority as to the date on which such evidence as is there mentioned came to its knowledge shall be conclusive evidence of that fact.