Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007

Employment Tribunals Act 1996 (c. 17)

40 After section 5 insert—

“5A Training etc.

The Senior President of Tribunals is responsible, within the resources made available by the Lord Chancellor, for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the training, guidance and welfare of members of panels of members of employment tribunals (in their capacities as members of such panels, whether or not panels of chairmen).

5B Members of employment tribunals: removal from office

(1) Any power by which the President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales) may be removed from that office may be exercised only with the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

(2) Any power by which the President of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland) may be removed from that office may be exercised only with the concurrence of the Lord President of the Court of Session.

(3) Any power by which a member of a panel may be removed from membership of the panel—

(a) may, if the person exercises functions wholly or mainly in Scotland, be exercised only with the concurrence of the Lord President of the Court of Session;

(b) may, if paragraph (a) does not apply, be exercised only with the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

(4) In subsection (3) “panel” means—

(a) a panel of chairmen of employment tribunals, or

(b) any other panel of members of employment tribunals,

which is appointed in accordance with regulations made under section 1(1).

(5) The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.

(6) The Lord President of the Court of Session may nominate a judge of the Court of Session who is a member of the First or Second Division of the Inner House of that Court to exercise his functions under this section.

5C Oaths

(1) Subsection (2) applies to a person (“the appointee”)—

(a) who is appointed—

(i) as President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales),

(ii) as President of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland), or

(iii) as a member of a panel (as defined in section 5B(4)), and

(b) who has not previously taken the required oaths after accepting another office.

(2) The appointee must take the required oaths before—

(a) the Senior President of Tribunals, or

(b) an eligible person who is nominated by the Senior President of Tribunals for the purpose of taking the oaths from the appointee.

(3) If the appointee is a President or panel member appointed before the coming into force of this section, the requirement in subsection (2) applies in relation to the appointee from the coming into force of this section.

(4) A person is eligible for the purposes of subsection (2)(b) if one or more of the following paragraphs applies to him—

(a) he holds high judicial office (as defined in section 60(2) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005);

(b) he holds judicial office (as defined in section 109(4) of that Act);

(c) he holds (in Scotland) the office of sheriff.

(5) In this section “the required oaths” means—

(a) the oath of allegiance, and

(b) the judicial oath,

as set out in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868.

5D Judicial assistance

(1) Subsection (2) applies where regulations under section 1(1) make provision for a relevant tribunal judge, or a relevant judge, to be able by virtue of his office to act as a member of a panel of members of employment tribunals.

(2) The provision has effect only if—

(a) the persons in relation to whom the provision operates have to be persons nominated for the purposes of the provision by the Senior President of Tribunals,

(b) its operation in relation to a panel established for England and Wales in any particular case requires the consent of the President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales),

(c) its operation in relation to a panel established for Scotland in any particular case requires the consent of the President of Employment Tribunals (Scotland),

(d) its operation as respects a particular relevant judge requires—

(i) the consent of the relevant judge, and

(ii) the appropriate consent (see subsection (3)), and

(e) it operates as respects a relevant tribunal judge or a relevant judge only for the purpose of enabling him to act as a member of a panel of chairmen of employment tribunals.

(3) In subsection (2)(d)(ii) “the appropriate consent” means—

(a) the consent of the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales where the relevant judge is—

(i) an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal in England and Wales,

(ii) a puisne judge of the High Court in England and Wales,

(iii) a circuit judge,

(iv) a district judge in England and Wales, or

(v) a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts);

(b) the consent of the Lord President of the Court of Session where the relevant judge is—

(i) a judge of the Court of Session, or

(ii) a sheriff;

(c) the consent of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland where the relevant judge is—

(i) a Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland,

(ii) a puisne judge of the High Court in Northern Ireland,

(iii) a county court judge in Northern Ireland, or

(iv) a district judge in Northern Ireland.

(4) In this section—

(a) “relevant tribunal judge” means—

(i) a person who is a judge of the First-tier Tribunal by virtue of appointment under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 2 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007,

(ii) a transferred-in judge of the First-tier Tribunal,

(iii) a person who is a judge of the Upper Tribunal by virtue of appointment under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 3 to that Act,

(iv) a transferred-in judge of the Upper Tribunal,

(v) a deputy judge of the Upper Tribunal, or

(vi) a person who is the Chamber President of a chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, or of a chamber of the Upper Tribunal, and does not fall within any of sub-paragraphs (i) to (v);

(b) “relevant judge” means a person who—

(i) is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal in England and Wales (including the vice-president, if any, of either division of that Court),

(ii) is a Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland,

(iii) is a judge of the Court of Session,

(iv) is a puisne judge of the High Court in England and Wales or Northern Ireland,

(v) is a circuit judge,

(vi) is a sheriff in Scotland,

(vii) is a county court judge in Northern Ireland,

(viii) is a district judge in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, or

(ix) is a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts).

(5) References in subsection (4)(b)(iii) to (ix) to office-holders do not include deputies or temporary office-holders.”