47Provisions as to inquiries and hearings
(1)Subsections (2) to (5) of section 290 of the Local Government Act 1933 (which provides for the holding of inquiries for the purposes of that Act)—
(a)shall apply to an inquiry caused by the Minister or the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to be held in England or Wales under any provision of this Act as they apply to an inquiry held under the said section 290, subject to the following modifications, namely.—
(i)for references to a department, there shall be substituted references to the Minister or, as the case may be, to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food;
(ii)subsection (4) shall have effect as if references therein to the payment of costs by a local authority not being a party to the inquiry had been omitted; and
(b)shall apply to an inquiry caused by the Council to be held in England or Wales under section 31 of this Act as they apply to an inquiry held under the said section 290, subject to the following modifications, namely.—
(i)for references to a department, there shall be substituted references to the Council;
(ii)subsection (4) shall have effect as if references to the payment of costs by a local authority not being a party to the inquiry and to the recovery of an amount as a debt to the Crown had been omitted;
and subsections (4) and (5) of the said section 290 shall, with the like modifications as those specified in paragraph (a)(i) and (ii) above, apply to any hearing caused by the Minister or the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to take place in England or Wales in pursuance of any provision of this Act (otherwise than by way of inquiry) as if the hearing were an inquiry caused by him to be held as aforesaid.
(2)Subsections (3) to (9) of section 355 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (provisions as to local inquiries) shall, subject to the provisions of the next following subsection, apply to an inquiry caused by the Minister or the Secretary of State to be held in Scotland under any provision of this Act as they apply in relation to local inquiries under that section, and shall so apply to an inquiry caused by the Council to be held in Scotland under section 31 of this Act subject to the following modifications, namely—
(a)for references to the Minister or to a government department there shall be substituted references to the Council;
(b)subsection (8) shall have effect as if references to the payment of expenses by a local authority not being a party to the inquiry and to the recovery of an amount as a debt to the Crown, had been omitted ;
and subsections (8) and (9) of the said section 355 shall, with the like modification in the case of subsection (8) as is specified in paragraph (b) above, apply to any hearing caused by the Minister or the Secretary of State to take place in Scotland in pursuance of any provision of this Act (otherwise than by way of inquiry) as if the hearing were an inquiry caused by him to be held as aforesaid.
(3)In relation to Scotland, any inquiry required by paragraph 4(3) or paragraph 8(3) of Schedule 3 or paragraph 3(3) of Schedule 4 to this Act shall, if the Minister or the Secretary of State so directs, be held by Commissioners under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act 1936; and where any direction is so given—
(a)it shall be deemed to have been given under section 2 as read with section 10 of the Statutory Orders (Special Procedure) Act 1945;
(b)the publication and service of the proper notice required in connection with the making of the order or, as the case may be, the confirmation of the scheme which is the subject of the inquiry shall be deemed to be sufficient compliance with the requirements of the said section 2 with regard to the giving of notice by advertisement;
(c)the last foregoing subsection shall not apply to such an inquiry; and
(d)the said paragraphs shall have effect as if for any references therein to an inquiry and to the person who held the inquiry there were substituted references to an inquiry by the Commissioners and to the Commissioners.