TRIBUNALSby Lisa Incledon

TRIBUNALS Limited jurisdiction to deal with a particular area

of the law

Decisions usually by a panel of Legally qualified chairman Two lay people with specialist knowledge of the area

Unified Tribunals Service provides administrative support for tribunals and aims to ensure: Clear independence from Government Quicker delivery of justice Processes are easier for the public to understand

STRUCTURE OF TRIBUNALS Six Chambers in the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT):

Social Entitlement General Regulatory War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Health, Education and Social Care Taxation Immigration and Asylum

Appeals may be made to the Upper Tribunal (UT), which has four Chambers: Administrative Appeals Tax and Chancery Lands Immigration and Asylum

APPEALS FROM TRIBUNALS It is possible to further appeal from the Upper

Tribunal to the Court of Appeal but only on points of law.

It is then possible to appeal from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

You will need permission to appeal to both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS One common use of tribunals is dealing with

disputes relating to employment e.g. claims of unfair dismissal or discrimination.

These claims will be heard by Employment Tribunals (which are not part of the FTT and UT structure)

Appeals from the Employment Tribunal, on points of law, may be made to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

It is possible to further appeal to the Court of Appeal.

TRIBUNALS

Quicker and cheaper than court

More flexible More informal than

court proceedings Members of the

panel contribute specialist knowledge in the relevant area

Costs are not usually awarded

Public funding for legal costs is not available

Still quite formal (like courts) but often without lawyers to assist

Delays due to number of cases

Advantages Disadvantages