Part VII Finance
Accounts and audit
F1103C Hearings on special reports
(1)
Subject to subsections (2) to (12) below, the procedure at a hearing held under section 103B(1)(b) of this Act shall be such as the Commission determines.
(2)
The Commission may, at any one hearing, consider—
(a)
allegations of blame, in connection with an item of account being contrary to law, against; and
(b)
failures, negligence or misconduct by,
more than one officer or member of a local authority.
(3)
A hearing shall be conducted by not fewer than three members of the Commission selected by the chairman of the Commission.
(4)
Notwithstanding paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 8 to this Act, for the purposes of this section, the quorum for a meeting of the Commission shall be three.
(5)
The following—
(a)
an officer or member—
(i)
as to whom the question of blame in connection with an item of account being contrary to law is; or
(ii)
whose alleged failure, negligence or misconduct is being considered by a hearing, is; and
(b)
the local authority are,
entitled to be heard at the hearing.
(6)
An officer or member entitled to be heard at a hearing shall be entitled to be heard either in person or represented by counsel or a solicitor or any other person.
(7)
The members of the Commission conducting a hearing may—
(a)
require any person, including officers or members or former officers or members of any local authority, to attend the hearing, give evidence and produce documents;
(b)
administer oaths.
(8)
A person shall not, however, be compelled to give any evidence or produce any documents which that person could not be compelled to give or produce in civil proceedings in the Court of Session.
(9)
A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a requirement imposed under subsection (7)(a) above is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(10)
The Commission may pay persons appearing at a hearing or attending it for the purpose of giving evidence or producing documents such expenses or allowances as it thinks fit.
(11)
A hearing shall be held in public unless the members of the Commission conducting it determine that it is in the public interest that it, or such part of it as they specify for the purposes of this subsection, be not so held.
(12)
In this section, “documents” includes information held by means of a computer or in any other electronic form.