# The Gas (Underground Storage) (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1966, Article 7: Representatives of Government Departments at Inquiry


(1) Where a government department has expressed in writing to the applicants a view in support of the application and the applicants have set out such a view in the statement referred to in paragraph (1) of rule 5, any statutory objector may, not later than 14 days before the date of the inquiry, apply in writing to the Minister for a representative of the government department concerned to be made available at the inquiry.
(2) The Minister shall transmit any application made to him under the last foregoing paragraph to the government department concerned, who shall make a representative of the department available to attend the inquiry.
(3) The said representative shall at the inquiry state the reasons for the view expressed by his department and shall give evidence and be subject to cross-examination to the same extent as other witnesses:
Provided that the appointed person shall disallow any questions which in his opinion are directed to the merits of government policy.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1966/1375/article/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/gas-underground-storage-inquiries-procedure-rules-1966/article-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.