BOARDS OF INQUIRY RELATIVE TO MAINTENANCE 
AND CONTROL OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES [ S.L.117.07 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 117.07
BOARDS OF INQUIRY RELATIVE TO 
MAINTENANCE AND CONTROL OF SUPPLIES 
AND SERVICES REGULATIONS
30th June, 1956
GOVERNMENT NOTICE 387 of 1956.
Title.
to Maintenance and Control of Supplies and Services Regulations.
Interpretation.
requires-
''Board'' means a Board of inquiry appointed under these
Regulations;
Cap. 117.
''essential supplies'' and ''essential services'' have the meanings
assigned to them in the Supplies and Services Act, and include in
particular the supply, importation, production, distribution, use or
consumption of wheat, flour, by-products of wheat including bread;
Cap. 117.
''undertaking'' has the same meaning assigned to it by the
Supplies and Services Act;
Appointment of 
Board of inquiry.
Cap. 117.
3. Where a Board of inquiry is appointed under the Supplies
and Services Act, for the purposes of ascertaining the facts and
circumstances relating to any essential supplies or services, the
provisions of these Regulations shall apply.
Composition of the 
Board.
4. The Board shall be composed of a magistrate who shall be
the chairman, of such number of other persons, as may be deemed
necessary, and of a Secretary.
Oath of office.
Board, every member (other than the Chairman) and the secretary
shall take an oath of office before the Chairman of the Board in the
form quoted in the Schedule to these Regulations.
Investigations.
shall regulate its own procedure as it deems fit and may likewise
form an opinion on any matter in any manner as it deems fit.
Powers of the 
Board.
7. The Board shall have the power -
( a ) to summon persons to appear and give information on
oath at such place, day and time as it may determine;
( b ) to require any person in possession of books, accounts
or documents that may have a bearing on its
investigations to produce to it such books, accounts or
other documents or to require any such person to
furnish to it such estimates, extracts or returns as it
may require;
( c ) to require any person in possession of goods or things
that may have a bearing on its investigations to
produce to it samples of such goods or things, and/or
2 [ S.L.117.07
BOARDS OF INQUIRY RELATIVE TO MAINTENANCE 
AND CONTROL OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES
specifications thereof, on payment of a fair and
reasonable compensation;
( d ) at all reasonable times to enter any place where any
business or undertaking relating to its investigations is
being carried out or where it has reason to believe that
any goods or things to which those terms refer are kept
or stored, or where it has reason to believe that any
books, accounts or documents which may be relevant
to the inquiry are kept; as well as any other place or
premises used by or under the control of the persons to
whom that business or undertaking appertains:
Provided that the Board shall not, unless it thinks
that it is necessary to do so, enter into any premises
used as a dwelling house without giving the occupiers
thereof at least twenty-four hours notice of its
intention of so doing;
( e ) to take samples of any of the goods or things referred
to in paragraph ( d ) of this regulation making a fair and
reasonable compensation;
( f ) to examine, test and analyse or cause to be examined,
tested and analysed any samples, goods or things
making where necessary a fair and reasonable
compensation;
( g ) to inspect in such manner and at such place as it may
determine and take extracts from any books, accounts
or documents referred to in paragraphs ( b ) and ( d ) of
this regulation;
Cap.12 .
( h ) to enforce in such manner as it deems fit the
attendance before it for the purposes of this regulation
of persons ordered to do so and the doing of anything
ordered under this regulation; for the purpose of such
enforcement, the Board shall have the same powers as
the Court of Magistrates (Malta) or the Court of
Magistrates (Gozo) as set out in the Code of
Organization and Civil Procedure except that it shall
not in any case have power to order the detention of
any person.
Order to be given 
in writing and 
signed by the 
chairman.
8. Any order to persons to appear before the Board to give
information and/or to produce books, accounts, documents,
samples and/or specifications of goods or things shall be given in
writing and shall be signed by the Chairman.
Fees.
Cap. 108.
9. The fees payable to persons appearing before the Board to
give information to it shall be equal to those provided for by the
Witnesses (Fees) Ordinance and where that Ordinance does not
provide for appropriate fees, the fees shall be those determined by
the chairman in each particular case.
Offences and 
penalties.
10. (1) Any person who, in connection with any matter under
these Regulations -
( a ) hinders or obstructs the Chairman, any member or the
Secretary in the execution of his duties; or
BOARDS OF INQUIRY RELATIVE TO MAINTENANCE 
AND CONTROL OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES [ S.L.117.07 3
( b ) furnishes any information which he knows to be false
in any material particular, or recklessly furnishes any
information which is false in any material particular;
or
( c ) with intent to deceive produces, furnishes, sells or
otherwise makes use of any book, account, document
or extract, which is false in any material particular; or
( d ) with intent to deceive produces, furnishes, shows,
sends or make use of goods, objects or samples which
are not genuine; or 
( e ) with intent to deceive withholds any material
information when required to give information
regarding any of the investigations of the Board,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to an fine ( multa ) of
not less than five liri but not exceeding one hundred liri in respect
of each such offence.
Cap. 9.
(2) The punishments provided in the preceding provision shall
apply unless the fact or omission constitutes a more serious offence
under the Criminal Code or some other law, in which case such
Code or law shall apply, but so that no person shall be punished
twice for the same offence.
SCHEDULE
Form of Oath to be taken by the members and by the Secretary of a 
Board of inquiry
I ........................... having been appointed to be a member/the
Secretary of a Board of inquiry to inquire and report on ..................
do swear that, so long as I am a member/the Secretary of that
Board, I will faithfully, fully, impartially and to the best of my
ability discharge the trust and perform the duties devolving upon
me by virtue of the said appointment.
So help me God
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