PART 7Powers, procedure and administration

CHAPTER 2Practice and procedure

Particular matters

72Hearings in cases

(1)

Tribunal Rules may make provision about hearings in a case before the Scottish Tribunals.

(2)

Rules making provision as described in subsection (1) may (in particular)—

(a)

provide for certain matters to be dealt with—

(i)

without a hearing,

(ii)

at a private hearing,

(iii)

at a public hearing,

(b)

require notice to be given of a hearing (and for the timing of such notice),

(c)

specify persons who may—

(i)

appear on behalf of a party in a case,

(ii)

attend a hearing in order to provide support to a party or witness in a case,

(d)

specify circumstances in which particular persons may appear or be represented at a hearing,

(e)

specify circumstances in which a hearing may go ahead—

(i)

at the request of a party in a case despite no notice of it having been given to another party in the case,

(ii)

in the absence of a particular member chosen to exercise the function of deciding any matter in a case,

(f)

enable two or more sets of proceedings to be taken concurrently at a hearing in certain circumstances,

(g)

allow for an adjournment of a hearing for the purpose of giving the parties in a case an opportunity to use a process of negotiation, mediation, arbitration or adjudication for resolving a dispute to which the case relates,

(h)

allow for the imposition of reporting restrictions for particular reasons arising in a case.