Agriculture Act, 1931

Local inquiries by the Minister.

24.—(1) The Minister may at any time cause an inquiry (in this Act referred to as a local inquiry) to be held in relation to the performance by an officer or a servant of a committee of agriculture of his duties as such officer or servant and for that purpose may appoint an officer of the Minister to hold such local inquiry.

(2) Where the Minister causes a local inquiry to be held he may make an order directing the costs incurred in relation to such inquiry to be paid by the committee of agriculture concerned, and any such order shall certify the amount of such costs and the amount so certified shall be a debt due by such committee to the Minister and shall be recoverable by the Minister from such committee as a civil debt in a court of competent jurisdiction.

(3) For the purposes of this section the costs of any local inquiry shall be deemed to include such reasonable expenses of witnesses attending such inquiry as the Minister shall allow.