diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml
index 406a521ff0..87bec50fd5 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml,v 1.87 2009/06/17 21:58:49 tgl Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ddl.sgml,v 1.88 2009/10/23 05:24:52 petere Exp $ -->
 
 <chapter id="ddl">
  <title>Data Definition</title>
@@ -2124,20 +2124,20 @@ VALUES ('New York', NULL, NULL, 'NY');
    and rejection that apply during <command>CREATE TABLE</command>.
   </para>
 
+  <para>
+   Note how table access permissions are handled.  Querying a parent
+   table can automatically access data in child tables without further
+   access privilege checking.  This preserves the appearance that the
+   data is (also) in the parent table.  Accessing the child tables
+   directly is, however, not automatically allowed and would require
+   further privileges to be granted.
+  </para>
+
  <sect2 id="ddl-inherit-caveats">
   <title>Caveats</title>
 
   <para>
-   Table access permissions are not automatically inherited.  Therefore,
-   a user attempting to access a parent table must either have permissions
-   to do the same operation on all its child tables as well, or must use the
-   <literal>ONLY</literal> notation.  When adding a new child table to
-   an existing inheritance hierarchy, be careful to grant all the needed
-   permissions on it.
-  </para>
-
-  <para>
-   More generally, note that not all SQL commands are able to work on
+   Note that not all SQL commands are able to work on
    inheritance hierarchies.  Commands that are used for data querying,
    data modification, or schema modification
    (e.g., <literal>SELECT</literal>, <literal>UPDATE</literal>, <literal>DELETE</literal>,
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c b/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c
index 2f43e32738..e4fe0db547 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c,v 1.176 2009/10/12 18:10:48 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepunion.c,v 1.177 2009/10/23 05:24:52 petere Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -1244,6 +1244,7 @@ expand_inherited_rtentry(PlannerInfo *root, RangeTblEntry *rte, Index rti)
 		childrte = copyObject(rte);
 		childrte->relid = childOID;
 		childrte->inh = false;
+		childrte->requiredPerms = 0; /* do not require permissions on child tables */
 		parse->rtable = lappend(parse->rtable, childrte);
 		childRTindex = list_length(parse->rtable);
 
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/privileges.out b/src/test/regress/expected/privileges.out
index 16b5581316..4decb2b07a 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/privileges.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/privileges.out
@@ -406,11 +406,22 @@ SELECT fx FROM atestp2; -- ok
 ----
 (0 rows)
 
-SELECT fy FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.fy
-ERROR:  permission denied for relation atestc
-SELECT atestp2 FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.fy
-ERROR:  permission denied for relation atestc
-SELECT oid FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.oid
+SELECT fy FROM atestp2; -- ok
+ fy 
+----
+(0 rows)
+
+SELECT atestp2 FROM atestp2; -- ok
+ atestp2 
+---------
+(0 rows)
+
+SELECT oid FROM atestp2; -- ok
+ oid 
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+SELECT fy FROM atestc; -- fail
 ERROR:  permission denied for relation atestc
 SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION regressuser1;
 GRANT SELECT(fy,oid) ON atestc TO regressuser2;
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/privileges.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/privileges.sql
index 943fe364b7..d4f728205f 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/privileges.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/privileges.sql
@@ -277,9 +277,10 @@ GRANT SELECT(fx) ON atestc TO regressuser2;
 
 SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION regressuser2;
 SELECT fx FROM atestp2; -- ok
-SELECT fy FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.fy
-SELECT atestp2 FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.fy
-SELECT oid FROM atestp2; -- fail, no privilege on atestc.oid
+SELECT fy FROM atestp2; -- ok
+SELECT atestp2 FROM atestp2; -- ok
+SELECT oid FROM atestp2; -- ok
+SELECT fy FROM atestc; -- fail
 
 SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION regressuser1;
 GRANT SELECT(fy,oid) ON atestc TO regressuser2;