5.—(1) The Director has the following functions for the purposes of this Act:

(a) to keep under general review practices or proposed practices in relation to any of the obligations imposed on persons by or under the designated provisions;

(b) to carry out investigations of any such practices or proposed practices whenever the Director considers it in the public interest to do so or the Minister so requests;

(c) to request persons engaging in or proposing to engage in such practices as are, or are likely to be, contrary to the obligations imposed on them by any designated provision to discontinue or not engage in those practices;

(d) whenever a person in relation to whom such a request has been made engages in or is proposing to engage in any such practice, to bring civil proceedings in the High Court for an order requiring the person to discontinue or not to engage in the practice;

(e) to investigate complaints concerning possible breaches of any of the designated provisions, but at the same time having regard to the availability of other procedures for resolving those complaints;

(f) to publish codes of practice setting out conduct regarding agreements to which the designated provisions apply, in order to secure transparency and fair- ness in relation to the terms of those agreements and the conduct of agents dealing with consumers under those contracts;

(g) to perform or exercise such other functions as are imposed or conferred on the Director by this or any other Act.

(2) The Director may provide in response to complaints or otherwise, information or advice to consumers concerning agreements to which the designated provisions apply, and, in particular, on the obligations imposed on creditors or other persons by those provisions.]