18Committee’s functions as to permitted areas, prohibited areas, and use of vehicles

18. Committee’s functions as to permitted areas, prohibited areas, and use of vehicles

(1) Except in so far as the provisions of section 13 apply, the Minister shall not declare any land to be a permitted area, or declare any land to be established as a prohibited area, until the recommendations of the Committee have been sought by him, and the Minister is required to have regard to, but not necessarily to give effect to, any recommendations the Committee may make in relation to the locality in question.

(2) The Committee may, and if the Minister so requires shall, prepare and submit to the Minister recommendations as to the declaration of permitted areas and prohibited areas, and in relation to the variation, temporary closure, or cancellation of such areas from time to time.

(3) The Minister shall refer to the Committee any question as to the declaration, variation or cancellation of a permitted area or a prohibited area which is not of a nature that falls within existing recommendations of the Committee or which does not relate only to a minor variation.

(4) Where the Minister is of the opinion that an investigation and recommendation of the Committee is necessary or expedient in relation to the use of any kind of vehicle the Minister may require the Committee to make such investigation and recommendation.

(5) The Committee shall not make any recommendation under this Act in relation to the declaration of any land as a permitted area or prohibited area or as to the cancellation of any such declaration without a prior investigation, notice of which the Committee shall cause to be published in a newspaper circulating throughout the State and in any newspaper circulating particularly in, or in the vicinity of, the locality of the land to be investigated.

(6) The notice to be published pursuant to subsection (5) shall —

(a) describe the land to be investigated sufficiently to enable it to be readily determined;

(b) state the general nature of the proposals;

(c) give an address where further details of the land and of the proposals may be obtained, and a plan of the land and its general location may be inspected;

(d) state that submissions sent to the Committee at the address and in the manner therein specified will be considered if they are received within 30 days of such notice.

(7) For the purposes of preparing a report on an investigation the Committee shall send a copy of the notice published under subsection (5) to, and have regard to the views of, —

(a) any local government —

(i) in the district of which the land, or any part of the land, to which the proposals relate is situated or is regarded as being situated for the purposes of this Act; or