Industrial Tribunals Act 1996

9 Pre-hearing reviews and preliminary matters

(1) Industrial tribunal procedure regulations may include provision—

(a) for authorising the carrying-out by an industrial tribunal of a preliminary consideration of any proceedings before it (a “pre-hearing review”), and

(b) for enabling such powers to be exercised in connection with a pre-hearing review as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(2) Such regulations may in particular include provision—

(a) for authorising any tribunal carrying out a pre-hearing review under the regulations to make, in circumstances specified in the regulations, an order requiring a party to the proceedings in question, if he wishes to continue to participate in those proceedings, to pay a deposit of an amount not exceeding £150, and

(b) for prescribing—

(i) the manner in which the amount of any such deposit is to be determined in any particular case,

(ii) the consequences of non-payment of any such deposit, and

(iii) the circumstances in which any such deposit, or any part of it, may be refunded to the party who paid it or be paid over to another party to the proceedings.

(3) The Secretary of State may from time to time by order substitute for the sum specified in subsection (2)(a) such other sum as is specified in the order.

(4) Industrial tribunal procedure regulations may also include provision for authorising an industrial tribunal to hear and determine any issue relating to the entitlement of any party to proceedings to bring or contest the proceedings in advance of the hearing and determination of the proceedings by that or any other industrial tribunal.