18E. — F124[(1) Where, in the opinion of the Authority, it is necessary to do so for the purposes referred to in section 18F(1)(a), the Authority may appoint, in writing—

(a) any of its officers or employees, or

(b) consultants or advisers engaged under section 23 who, in the opinion of the Authority, have qualifications and experience suitable to satisfactorily exercise the powers conferred upon authorised officers by or under this Act,

to be authorised officers to exercise the powers conferred upon authorised officers by or under this Act.]

(2) Every authorised officer appointed under this section shall be furnished with a warrant of appointment and shall, when exercising any power conferred on him or her by or under this Act, if requested by a person affected, produce the warrant of appointment or copy of it to that person F125[together with a form of personal identification].

F124[(3) A person’s appointment under subsection (1) as an authorised officer shall cease upon—

(a) the revocation by the Authority of the appointment,

(b) if the appointment was for a fixed period, the expiration of that period, or

(c) if the person’s appointment was in his or her capacity as an officer or employee of the Authority, or as a consultant or adviser engaged under section 23, his or her ceasing, for whatever reason, to be such officer or employee, or such consultant or adviser, as the case may be,

whichever first occurs.]]

F125[(4) Whenever requested to do so by the Authority, an authorised officer shall, as soon as is practicable after being so requested, give to the Authority a report on the exercise by the officer of all or any of the powers conferred upon authorised officers by or under this Act.

(5) A person who is an authorised officer immediately before the commencement of section 4 of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Act 2022 shall, on that commencement, be deemed to be appointed under subsection (1) as an authorised officer on the same terms and conditions that applied to him or her immediately before that commencement (and, in the case of an appointment for a fixed period made before that commencement, for the unexpired portion of that period left to run after that commencement), and the other provisions of this section shall, with all necessary modifications, be construed accordingly.]