T RIBUNALS by Lisa Incledon

T RIBUNALS 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

S TRUCTURE OF T RIBUNALS 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

A PPEALS FROM T RIBUNALS 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.

E MPLOYMENT T RIBUNALS 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.

T RIBUNALS 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 AdvantagesDisadvantages