Moved by
Baroness Drake
62: After Clause 7, insert the following new Clause—
“Offence of falsely claiming to be giving guidance and advice on behalf of the single financial guidance body
(1) It is an offence for a person who is not giving pensions guidance, money guidance or debt advice on behalf of the single financial guidance body—
(a) to describe themselves (in whatever terms) as a person who is doing so, or
(b) to behave, or otherwise hold themselves out, in a manner which indicates (or which is reasonably likely to be understood as indicating) that they are doing so.
(2) In proceedings for an offence under this section, it is a defence for the accused to show that the accused took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction—
(a) in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks or a fine, or both;
(b) in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both;
(c) in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both.”