Page:The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.pdf/6

 (5) Where the person outside the place where they are living without reasonable excuse is a child accompanied by an individual who has responsibility for the child—

(a) the relevant person may direct that individual to take the child to the place where they are living, and

(b) that individual must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure that the child complies with any direction or instruction given by the relevant person to the child.

(6) Where a relevant person has reasonable grounds to believe that a child is repeatedly failing to comply with the restriction in regulation 6(1), the relevant person may direct any individual who has responsibility for the child to secure, so far as reasonably practicable, that the child complies with that restriction.

(7) For the purposes of this regulation, an individual has responsibility for a child if the individual—

(a) has custody or charge of the child for the time being, or

(b) has parental responsibility for the child (within the meaning of the Children Act 1989 ).

(8) A relevant person may only exercise the power in paragraph (3), (5) or (6) if the relevant person considers that it is a necessary and proportionate means of ensuring compliance with the requirement.

(9) Where a relevant person considers that three or more people are gathered together in contravention of regulation 7, the relevant person may—

(a) direct the gathering to disperse;

(b) direct any person in the gathering to return to the place where they are living;

(c) remove any person in the gathering to the place where they are living.

(10) Paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) of this regulation apply to the exercise of a power under paragraph (9), as they apply to the exercise of a power under paragraph (3).

(11) A relevant person exercising a power under paragraph (3), (5), (6) or (9) may give the person concerned any reasonable instructions they consider to be necessary.

(12) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a) a "relevant person" means—

(i) a constable,

(ii) a police community support officer,

(iii) subject to paragraph (13), a person designated by a local authority for the purposes of this regulation, or

(iv) a person designated by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this regulation;

(b) references to a requirement include references to a restriction.

(13) A local authority may only designate a person for the purposes of this regulation in relation to a requirement in regulation 4 or 5.

Offences and penalties

9.—(1) A person who—

(a) without reasonable excuse contravenes a requirement in regulation 4, 5, 7 or 8, or

(b) contravenes a requirement in regulation 6, commits an offence.

(2) A person who obstructs, without reasonable excuse, any person carrying out a function under these Regulations commits an offence.