440P   Expenses to be borne by council

(1)  The Director-General may recover the reasonable expenses incurred by or in respect of the Department in considering and dealing with a request made by a council under section 440H from the council, including the expenses of any departmental investigation and departmental report into the matters raised by or connected with the request.

(2)  The Director-General may make a determination of the amount of the expenses referred to in subsection (1) and serve a notice on the council requiring the amount so determined be paid in recovery of the Department’s expenses.

(3)  An amount equal to the expenses as so determined is payable to the Department as a debt by the council concerned, except as determined by the Director-General.

(4)  The council may apply to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal for a review of whether any part of the expenses so determined are not reasonable expenses.

(5)  The Director-General must give effect to any decision of the Tribunal on a review of the determination of the amount of the expenses.

(6)  A reference in this section to expenses incurred includes a reference to remuneration paid to departmental staff.