Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972

8.—(1) Regulations shall make provision—

(a) for inquiries under this Schedule to be held in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by or determined under the regulations and, in particular—

(i) for any person who is the subject of any such inquiry to have an opportunity of appearing, either in person or by counsel or solicitor or such other representative as may be prescribed, before, and of being heard by, the Tribunal, and of calling witnesses and producing other evidence on his behalf; and

(ii) for the hearing by the Tribunal to be in public if the person who is the subject of the inquiry so requests;

(b) for conferring on the Tribunal such powers as appear to the Department to be necessary for the purpose of holding inquiries under this Schedule, including power to require the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents, and to administer oaths; and

(c) for the publication of the decisions of the Tribunal under this Schedule and of the imposition and removal of any disqualification or conditions imposed by virtue of paragraph 7.

(2) Regulations under sub-paragraph (1)(a) may in particular provide that, where (apart from the regulations) it would be the duty of the Tribunal to inquire into both an efficiency case and a fraud case in respect of the same person, it may inquire into one case before inquiring into the other and, after proceedings in the first case are finally disposed of may if it thinks it appropriate adjourn the other case indefinitely.