Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997
203Power of authorised officers to require answers
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203 Power of authorised officers to require answers
203 Power of authorised officers to require answers
(1) An authorised officer may require a person whom the authorised officer suspects on reasonable grounds to have knowledge of matters in respect of which information is reasonably required for the purposes of this Act to answer questions in relation to those matters.
(2) The EPA or any other regulatory authority may, by notice in writing, require a corporation to nominate, in writing within the time specified in the notice, a director or officer of the corporation to be the corporation’s representative for the purpose of answering questions under this section.
(3) Answers given by a person nominated under subsection (2) bind the corporation.
(4) In the case of authorised officers appointed by the EPA, subsection (1) is not limited to matters in respect of which the EPA is the appropriate regulatory authority.
(5) An authorised officer may, by notice in writing, require a person to attend at a specified place and time to answer questions under this section if attendance at that place is reasonably required in order that the questions can be properly put and answered.
(6) The place and time at which a person may be required to attend under subsection (5) is to be—
(a) a place or time nominated by the person, or
(b) if the place and time nominated is not reasonable in the circumstances or a place and time is not nominated by the person, a place and time nominated by the authorised officer that is reasonable in the circumstances.
(7) The authorised officer may, in the notice under subsection (5) or in a subsequent notice, authorise the person to answer the questions using an audio link or audio visual link of a kind approved by the authorised officer.
(8) If the questions are to be answered by the person using an audio link or audio visual link—
(a) the place at which the person is required to attend is taken to be any place having adequate facilities for the answering of questions in that way at the time nominated under subsection (6), and
(b) the person must ensure the audio link or audio visual link is operated appropriately so that the answers given to the questions are clear to the authorised officer.