57B.— (1) For the purposes of ensuring compliance with this Part and the Eurocontrol Convention an authorised person may—

(a) enter any premises of an aircraft operator for the purpose of carrying out random checks and inspections,

(b) require the owner or any person employed at the premises or any person in charge of the premises to give to him or her such information in the person’s power or control that the authorised person may reasonably require and to produce to him or her any records (in whatever form kept) or books or documents found by or produced to the authorised person,

(c) at such premises, inspect and take copies of, or extracts from any books, records or other documents (including in the case of information in non-legible form a copy of or extract from such information in permanent legible form),

F40[(d) inspect, copy or extract information from any material (including information in any form) or thing found or produced to the authorised person.]

(e) require any person by or on whose behalf data equipment is or has been used on the premises in relation to the business of the aircraft operator concerned or any person having charge of, or otherwise concerned with the operation of, the data equipment or any associated apparatus or material, to afford the authorised person all reasonable assistance in relation to its use,

(f) secure for later inspection the premises or any records, books, documents or products found in the premises.

(2) Where an authorised person carries out any random check or inspection under this section, he or she shall, if requested by a person affected, produce his or her authorisation showing his or her identity and position.

(3) An authorised person shall not, in order to carry out a random check or inspection under this section, other than with the consent of the occupier, enter a private dwelling unless a warrant under this section has been obtained authorising such entry.

(4) An authorised person shall be accompanied by a member of the Garda Síochána where, in the course of carrying out or attempting to carry out a random check or inspection under this section a premises is required to be broken open for that check or inspection or the use of force is necessary.

(5) If a judge of the District Court is satisfied on the sworn information of an authorised person that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is information required by an authorised person held on any premises or any part of any premises or there is anything which an authorised person requires to inspect for purposes of enforcing this Part, the judge may issue a warrant authorising an authorised person, accompanied, if appropriate, by other authorised persons or by a member or members of the Garda Síochána, at any time or times, within one month from the date of issue of the warrant, on production if so requested of the warrant, to enter, if necessary by reasonable force, the premises and to carry out a random check or inspection under this section.

(6) An application under subsection (5) shall be made to the judge of the District Court in whose district court district the premises is situated.

(7) In this section—

"authorised person" means—

(a) an authorised officer,

(b) an authorised officer of the company, or

(c) an officer of Eurocontrol;

"premises" includes an aircraft.]