After section 275 of the principal Act insert—

“275AFurther provision as regards regulations: inquiries etc.

(1)

Subject to any other provision made by this Act as regards the procedure to be followed in connection with inquiries, hearings, referrals or reviews conducted under or by virtue of the Act, the Scottish Ministers may under this subsection make regulations as regards such procedure.

(2)

Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), such regulations may relate to procedure in connection with matters preparatory to such inquiries, hearings, referrals or reviews and in connection with matters subsequent to them.”.

In section 9 of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992 (c. 53) (procedure in connection with statutory inquiries) at the end there is added—

“(5)

For the purposes of the application of this section to Scotland, the expression “statutory inquiry” in subsections (1) to (3) is not to be construed as including an inquiry held under section 265 of, or paragraph 6 of Schedule 4 to, the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (c. 8).”.