Section 216: Consultation for regulations.

1 The Commission and Authority shall consult with stakeholders prior to finalising
any regulations or amendments to regulations.

2 The stakeholders to be consulted for any particular regulation shall be lessees, licensees and permit holders that may be impacted by the regulations and such other persons that may be interested in the subject matter of the proposed regulation.

3 The Authority or Commission, as the case may be, may, in finalising any regulation under this section, take into consideration any submission made during the stakeholders' consultation under subsection (1).

4 Prior to holding the stakeholders' consultation under subsection (1), the Commission or Authority, as the case may be, shall publish in at least two national newspapers with wide coverage and on its website, notice of -
a the stakeholders' consultation;
b its invitation to lessees, licensees, permit holders and other stakeholders to participate in the stakeholders' consultation;
c the venue and period during which the stakeholders' consultation is to be held;
d the nature of the matter to which the stakeholders' consultation relates;
e Commission or Authority, as the case may be, would require submissions;
f the form in which stakeholders are to make submissions on the subject matter of the stakeholders' consultation;
g the period of notice for the commencement of the stakeholders' consultation, which shall not be less than 21 days; and
h the address or addresses to which the submissions may be sent.

5 Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), the Commission or Authority may, in national interest and exigency of the situation, issue a regulation without conducting a stakeholders' consultation.

6 A regulation made under subsection (5) shall be valid for not more than one year with effect from its commencement date, except it is confirmed following a stakeholders' consultation conducted in accordance with subsection (3).

7 The Commission or Authority, as the case may be, shall fix a date upon which the confirmed regulation under subsection (6) shall come into effect and cause the notice of that commencement date to be published in at least two national newspapers with wide coverage and on its website.