Registration of voluntary homes

24.-(1) After the expiration of three months from the date of the commencement of this Law no voluntary home shall be carried on unless it is registered under this Law in a register to be kept for this purpose by the Director.

(2) Application for registration under this section shall be made by the persons carrying on or intending to carry on the home to which the application relates and shall be made in such a manner and accompanied by such particulars as may be prescribed by Regulations.

(3) On an application duly made under subsection (2)-

(a) if the home to which the application relates was at the commencement of this Law open for the reception of children the application shall be granted;

(b) in any other case the Director may either grant or refuse the application as he thinks fit but where he refuses the application he shall give the applicant notice in writing of the refusal.

(4) Where at any time after the expiration of three months from the date of the commencement of this Law it appears to the Director that the conduct of any voluntary home is not in accordance with Regulations made or directions given under section 26 or is otherwise unsatisfactory he may, after giving to the persons carrying on the home not less than thirty days notice in writing of his proposal so to do, remove the home from the register.

(5) Any person who carries on a voluntary home in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding .250 and to a further fine not exceeding .25 in respect of each day during which the offence continues after conviction.

(6) Where-

(a) a voluntary home is carried on in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1); or

(b) notice of a proposal to remove a voluntary home from the register is given under subsection (4),

the Director may be required on the authority of the Governor to remove forthwith from the home and receive into his care under section 3 all or any of the children for whom accommodation is being provided in the home notwithstanding that the time for any appeal under section 25 has not expired or that such an appeal is pending.

For the purpose of carrying out the duty of the Director under this subsection any person authorized by him may enter any premises in which the home in question is being carried on.

(7) Any notice under this section required to be given by the Director to the persons carrying on or intending to carry on a voluntary home may be given to those persons by being delivered personally to any one of them or being sent by post in a registered letter to them or any one of them.