Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972

267 Local inquiries

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Minister may cause a local inquiry to be held for the purposes of the exercise of any of his functions under any of the provisions of this Act.

(2) The Minister shall appoint a person to hold the inquiry and to report thereon to him.

(3) Notification of the time when and the place where the inquiry is to be held shall be sent to any person who has lodged and has not withdrawn objections in relation to any matter in question at the inquiry, and shall be published in such newspaper or newspapers as the Minister may direct.

(4) The person appointed to hold the inquiry may, on the motion of any party thereto or of his own motion, serve a notice in writing on.any person requiring him to attend at the time and place set forth in the notice to give evidence or to produce any books or documents in his custody or under his control which relate to any matter in question at the inquiry:

Provided that—

(i) no person shall be required in obedience to such a notice to attend at any place which is more than ten miles from the place where he resides unless the necessary expenses are paid or tendered to him; and

(ii) nothing in this subsection shall empower the person appointed to hold the inquiry to require any person to produce any book or document or to answer any question which he would be entitled, on the ground of privilege or confidentiality, to refuse to produce or to answer if the inquiry were a proceeding in a court of law.

(5) The person appointed to hold the inquiry may administer oaths and examine witnesses on oath and may accept, in lieu of evidence on oath by any person, a statement in writing by that person.

(6) Any person who refuses or wilfully neglects to attend in obedience to a notice under subsection (4) of this section or to give evidence or who wilfully alters, suppresses, conceals, destroys, or refuses to produce, any book or document which he may be required to produce by any such notice shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months.

(7) The Minister may make orders as to the expenses incurred by the Minister in relation to the inquiry (including such reasonable sum as the Minister may determine for the services of the person appointed to hold the inquiry) and as to the expenses incurred by the parties to the inquiry and as to the parties by whom such expenses shall be paid.

(8) Any order of the Minister under subsection (7) of this section requiring any party to pay expenses may be enforced in like manner as a recorded decree arbitral.

(9) In this section the expression "Minister" means the Secretary of State, or any other Minister authorised under this Act to hold a local inquiry.