SCHEDULE 2ACTS OF PARLIAMENT

PART 1 Public General Acts

374

1

Section 53 is amended as follows.

2

After subsection (1) insert—

1A

Without prejudice to any other provision of this Act or any other enactment by virtue of which an inquiry or other hearing is authorised or required to be held, the Welsh Ministers may cause an inquiry or other hearing to be held if it appears to them expedient to do so—

a

in connection with any of the relevant environmental functions of the Natural Resources Body for Wales; or

b

in connection with any of their functions in relation to the relevant environmental functions of that Body.

3

In subsection (2)—

a

in paragraph (a), after “Agency” insert “ or any of the relevant environmental functions of the Natural Resources Body for Wales ”;

b

in paragraph (b), after “Agency” insert “ or any functions of the Welsh Ministers in relation to the relevant environmental functions of the Natural Resources Body for Wales ”;

c

in the closing words, after “Agency” insert “ or, as the case may be, the Natural Resources Body for Wales ”.

4

After subsection (3) insert—

4

In this section, “relevant environmental functions” means—

a

pollution control functions (within the meaning of section 5); and

b

any functions relating to water resources, flood and coastal erosion risk management or fisheries.