Government of Wales Act 1998

74 Power to require attendance and production of documents

(1) The Assembly may require any person to whom subsection (2) applies—

(a) to attend proceedings of the Assembly for the purpose of giving evidence, or

(b) to produce to the Assembly documents in his possession or under his control.

(2) This subsection applies to—

(a) any person who is a member, or a member of the staff, of a body specified in Schedule 5, and

(b) any person who holds, or is a member of the staff of a person who holds, an office so specified.

(3) A requirement imposed on a person under subsection (1)—

(a) if imposed under paragraph (a) of that subsection, is to attend to give evidence in connection with the affairs of the body or office in question so far as relating to Wales, and

(b) if imposed under paragraph (b) of that subsection, is to produce documents which relate to those affairs.

(4) The powers conferred by subsection (1) may be exercised by and for the purposes of the Audit Committee.

(5) Those powers may be exercised by and for the purposes of—

(a) any other committee of the Assembly, apart from the executive committee, or

(b) any sub-committee of any such committee, apart from a sub-committee of the executive committee,

if the committee or sub-committee is expressly authorised to exercise those powers by the standing orders (but may not be exercised by any individual Assembly member or by any member of the Assembly’s staff).

(6) In order to impose a requirement on a person under subsection (1) the presiding officer or deputy presiding officer must give him notice in writing specifying the body or office in question and—

(a) the time and place at which he is to attend, or

(b) the documents, or types of documents, which he is to produce and the date by which he is to produce them.

(7) A notice required by subsection (6) to be given to a person must be given at least two weeks before the day on which the proceedings are to take place, or by which the documents are to be produced, unless he waives that requirement.

(8) If a notice required by subsection (6) to be given to a person is sent to him, by registered post or the recorded delivery service, addressed to his usual or last known address or, where he has given an address for service of the notice, to that address, it shall be taken to be given to him.