Highways Act 1980

Inquiries

302 Provisions as to inquiries

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, the Minister and the Secretary of State may each cause such inquiries to be held as he may consider necessary or desirable for the purposes of his functions under this Act, and subsections (2) to (5) of section 250 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 (giving of evidence at, and defraying of costs, of inquiries) apply, subject to subsection (2) below, in relation to any inquiry which either of the said Ministers may cause to be held under this section, or in compliance with any requirement of this Act, with the substitution in the case of an inquiry held by the Secretary of State, for references to a Minister, of references to the Secretary of State.

(2) Subsection (4) of the said section 250 (costs of the Minister holding the inquiry to be defrayed by the parties) does not apply in relation to—

(a) an inquiry caused to be held by the Minister for the purposes of his functions under section 93 above, or

(b) an inquiry held in compliance with paragraph 3 of Schedule 10 to this Act, or with paragraph 9 of Schedule 11 to this Act,

in so far as the Minister is of opinion, having regard to the object and result of the inquiry, that the Minister's costs should be defrayed by him.