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Powers of the Advisory Committee.
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65.—(1) Where any matter is referred to the Advisory Committee by the Minister under this Act, the Advisory Committee may, before considering, reporting to and advising the Minister on, that matter hold such inquiry as they may think fit.
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(2) Before holding any inquiry the Advisory Committee shall give public notice of the date and place at which the inquiry will be held and of the subject matter thereof, and any person affected may make representations to the Advisory Committee and unless in their discretion the Advisory Committee consider it unnecessary, any such person shall be heard at the inquiry.
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(3) The Advisory Committee may for the purposes of any inquiry do all or any of the following things, that is to say:—
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(a) summon witnesses to attend before them at such inquiry;
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(b) examine on oath (which any member or the Secretary of the Advisory Committee is hereby authorised to administer) the witnesses attending before them at such inquiry;
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(c) require any such witness to produce any document in his power or control which the Advisory Committee consider necessary for the purposes of such inquiry.
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(4) A witness before the Advisory Committee shall be entitled to the same immunities and privileges as if he were a witness before the High Court.
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(5) If any person—
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(a) on being duly summoned as a witness before the Advisory Committee makes default in attending, or
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(b) being in attendance as a witness refuses to take an oath legally required by the Advisory Committee to be taken, or to produce any document in his power or control legally required by the Advisory Committee to be produced by him, or to answer any question to which the Advisory Committee may legally 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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(6) Where a witness attends before the Advisory Committee in pursuance of a summons under subsection (3) of this section, the Minister may, if he so thinks proper, pay to him such sum in respect of expenses incurred by him in connection with his attendance as the Minister, with the sanction of the Minister for Finance, may determine.
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