{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/infrastructure-consent-examination-and-decision-procedure-wales-regulations-2025/regulation-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/infrastructure-consent-examination-and-decision-procedure-wales-regulations-2025/regulation-20.json",
  "legislation": "wsi/2025/692",
  "legislation_title": "The Infrastructure Consent (Examination and Decision) (Procedure) (Wales) Regulations 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/infrastructure-consent-examination-and-decision-procedure-wales-regulations-2025",
  "path": "regulation/20",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Conduct of a hearing",
  "text": "(1) This regulation applies where the examining authority determines that an application is to be examined, in whole or in part, at a hearing.\n(2) The examining authority is to preside at the hearing and is to decide—\n(a) how to manage it;\n(b) the topics to be discussed;\n(c) the time allocated to those topics.\n(3) A hearing is to take the form of a discussion led by the examining authority.\n(4) At the opening of the hearing, the examining authority must—\n(a) summarise the topics that the hearing will examine, and\n(b) identify any further topics that the hearing will examine that were not identified in the timetable for the examination.\n(5) The examining authority may question a person who attends the hearing, but a person attending the hearing may not question another person who attends a hearing except where paragraph (6) applies.\n(6) The examining authority may allow a person who makes representations at the hearing (“P”) to question another person who makes representations at the hearing if the examining authority considers that it is necessary in order to ensure—\n(a) adequate testing of any representation, or\n(b) that P has a fair chance to make their case.\n(7) In the conduct of the hearing, the examining authority may in particular—\n(a) proceed with the hearing in the absence of a person invited to attend;\n(b) refuse to permit representations that it considers irrelevant or repetitious;\n(c) exclude a person who is disruptive;\n(d) refuse to permit a person who has been excluded for being disruptive to return;\n(e) permit a person who has been excluded for being disruptive to return, subject to specified conditions;\n(f) adjourn the hearing;\n(g) invite any person who makes representations at the hearing to submit closing submissions in writing.\n(8) A person making closing submissions under paragraph (7)(g) must give them to the examining authority within 7 days beginning with the day after the last day of the hearing.\n(9) If the examining authority adjourns a hearing, it must give reasonable notice of the date, time and place of the resumption of the adjourned hearing, unless paragraph (10) applies.\n(10) If the examining authority adjourns a hearing and announces at the hearing the date, time and place of the resumption of the adjourned hearing, no further notice is required.\n(11) In this regulation, “closing submissions” means a summary of the main factual points and the main arguments made by the person submitting them, in relation to an application.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Word in reg. 20(9) substituted (14.12.2025) by The Infrastructure Consent (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1091), regs. 1(2), 4(9)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 20 in force at 15.12.2025, see reg. 1(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2025/692/regulation/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T22:57:31.776229+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}