The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Local inquiries

303.—(1) The Department may cause a local inquiry to be held in any case where it is authorised by any provision of this Order to determine any difference, to make any order, to give any consent or to take any other action.

(2) Any power of the Department to cause a local inquiry to be held under this Order includes power to cause that inquiry to be held by the Appeals Commission.

(3) The Department may make rules regulating the procedure to be followed in connection with any local inquiry held under this Order other than by the Appeals Commission.

(4) Where—

(a) an inquiry is to be held under this Order in connection with any matter; and

(b) in the case of some other matter required or authorised (whether by this Order or by any other statutory provision) to be the subject of an inquiry (“the other inquiry”), it appears to the Department concerned that the matters are so far cognate that they should be considered together,

the Department concerned may direct that the inquiries be held concurrently or combined as one inquiry.

(5) In paragraph (4) “the Department concerned” means the Department, or where causing the other inquiry to be held is a function of some other Department, the Department and that other Department acting jointly.

(6) Schedule A1 to the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 (c. 33) applies in relation to a local inquiry held under this Order as it applies in relation to a local inquiry held under an enactment passed or made as mentioned in section 23 of that Act.