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About us

The Council on Tribunals and its Scottish Committee are permanent standing advisory bodies operating under the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992. There are some 80 or so tribunals under our oversight, and we must be consulted on the procedural rules for those tribunals.

The aims of the Council

The Council seeks to ensure that tribunals and inquiries (which differ from ordinary Courts of law to some extent):

  • Are accessible to all;
  • Are quick, informal, and as cheap as possible;
  • Provide the right to an oral hearing in public;
  • Give reasons for their decisions;
  • Are seen to be independent, impartial and fair to all.

The focus of the Council's work:

  • Common performance standards for all tribunals;
  • Fair, open and straightforward procedures;
  • Adequate training for judiciary and administrators;
  • Efficient, user-friendly administration;
  • Promoting and sharing best practice among tribunals.

How the Council works

The members of the Council meet on a monthly basis. Presidents and Chairmen of tribunals, and officials from government departments with an interest in tribunals, sometimes attend these meetings. Much business is also conducted by sub-committees.

The Council's publications include a statutory Annual Report to the Lord Chancellor and the Scottish Ministers, and Special Reports and guidance on important matters. The Scottish Committee makes its own publications.

The Council holds an annual conference for Presidents and Heads, and topical workshop events when the need arises.

Visits

Council members visit tribunals and inquiries and attend training seminars and conferences. These visits and attendances enable Council members to:

  • see the tribunals at work;
  • talk to members and staff of tribunals;
  • develop a knowledge and understanding of the problems facing tribunals and inquiries;
  • explain the Council's work.

We encourage tribunals to contact our Visits Officer with details of forthcoming appeal hearings so that we may arrange for a Council member to attend.

The future

The Department for Constitutional Affairs' 2004 White Paper "Transforming Public Services: Complaints Redress and Tribunals" proposed the evolution of the Council on Tribunals into an Administrative Justice Council, with the following additional functions:

  • keeping under review the performance of the administrative justice system as a whole, drawing attention to matters of particular importance or concern;
  • reviewing the relationships between the various components of the system (in particular ombudsmen, tribunals and the courts) to ensure that these are clear, complementary and flexible;
  • identifying priorities for, and encouraging the conduct of, research;
  • providing advice and making recommendations to government on changes to legislation, practice and procedure which will improve the workings of the administrative justice system.

The Courts and Tribunals Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions to enact the White Paper's proposals, and the Council on Tribunals will evolve into an Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council in due course.

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