PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement
1.   This Act may be cited as the Inquiries Act 2007 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation
2.   In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

"appointing authority" , in relation to a commission of inquiry, means the President and, in relation to a committee of inquiry, means the Minister who appointed the committee of inquiry under section 9 and includes his successor in office;

“commission” or “commission of inquiry” means any commission of inquiry appointed by the President under section 3, and includes the members of the commission, or a quorum thereof, or the sole member, sitting for the purposes of the inquiry;

“committee” or “committee of inquiry” means any committee of inquiry appointed by the Minister under section 9, and includes the members of the committee, or a quorum thereof, or the sole member, sitting for the purposes of the inquiry;

"inquiry body" means a commission of inquiry or a committee of inquiry, and includes the members of such commission of inquiry or committee of inquiry, or a quorum thereof, or the sole member, sitting for the purposes of the inquiry;

"member" means a member of any commission of inquiry or committee of inquiry, as the case may be, and includes the chairman of such commission or committee;

"Minister" , in relation to a committee of inquiry, means the Minister who appointed the committee of inquiry under section 9 and includes his successor in office;

"terms of reference" , in relation to an inquiry body, means the terms of reference issued to the inquiry body under section 3 (2) or 9 (2), as the case may be, and includes any modification made thereto under section 3 (3) or 9 (3).