53A.—(1) The Council—

(a) may appoint persons (including any members of the staff of the Council other than the chief executive officer) to assist the preliminary proceedings committee, and

(b) shall determine the conditions of appointment of persons so appointed.

(2) Subject to subsection (4), the chairperson of the preliminary proceedings committee shall specify the functions to be performed by the persons appointed under subsection (1).

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2), the functions specified under that subsection may include one or more than one of the following:

(a) interviewing persons for the purposes of assessing the relevance or evidential value of information or documents they wish to give to the preliminary proceedings committee;

(b) interviewing persons as to the evidence they propose to give to the preliminary proceedings committee;

(c) recording, in writing or otherwise, the statements given and answers made by persons whilst being so interviewed;

(d) reporting to the preliminary proceedings committee on the results of those interviews;

(e) requesting persons to provide the preliminary proceedings committee with statements in writing concerning any matter relevant to the committee’s functions, examining statements given in response to the requests and reporting to the preliminary proceedings committee on the results of the examinations;

(f) providing the preliminary proceedings committee with any other advice or assistance required in relation to the preparation of its reports.

(4) A person appointed under subsection (1) shall not administer oaths but may, if authorised by the preliminary proceedings committee to do so, request a person interviewed as described in subsection (3) to sign a record of a statement made or answer given by the person during the interview.

(5) A person appointed under subsection (1) who makes a request referred to in subsection (4) shall inform the person to whom the request is made of the power under section 59 of a committee of inquiry to give a direction in relation to the statement or answer the subject of the request.

(6) The Council shall provide each person appointed under subsection (1) with a warrant—

(a) identifying the person, and

(b) specifying the functions that the person has the authority to perform by virtue of subsection (2) and, if applicable, subsections (4) and (5).

(7) Where a person appointed under subsection (1) performs a function specified in that person’s warrant provided under subsection (6), the person shall produce the warrant for inspection at the request of a person in respect of whom the function is performed.]