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Delegation of certain duties and powers under the Fisheries Acts.
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50.—(1) For the purposes of the duties and powers under the Fisheries Acts formerly imposed on and exercisable by the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries and now imposed on and exercisable by the Minister, the Minister may from time to time assign to any officer or officers of the Minister the performance of such of the said duties and the exercise of such of the said powers as the Minister thinks fit.
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(2) Any officer (in this section referred to as an authorised officer) of the Minister to whom there is assigned under this section the duty of holding a public inquiry may, in the performance of such duty, do all or any of the following things, that is to say:—
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(a) summon witnesses to attend before him at such inquiry,
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(b) examine on oath (which such officer is hereby authorised to administer) witnesses attending before him at such inquiry,
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(c) require any such witnesses to produce any documents in their power or control the production of which such officer considers necessary for the purposes of such inquiry.
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(3) A witness before an authorised officer holding a public inquiry shall be entitled to the same immunities and privileges as if he were a witness before the High Court.
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(4) If any person—
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(a) on being duly summoned to attend as a witness before an authorised officer holding a public inquiry makes default in attending, or
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(b) so being in attendance as a witness, refuses to take an oath legally required by such authorised officer to be taken, or to produce any document in his power or control legally required by such authorised officer to be produced by him, or to answer any question to which such authorised officer may require an answer,
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such person shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding twenty-five pounds.
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(5) An offence under this section may be prosecuted by the Minister.
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