The Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales Regulations 2012

Procedure at hearing

45.—(1) At the beginning of the hearing the Chair must explain the order of proceedings which the tribunal panel proposes to adopt.

(2) The tribunal panel must conduct the hearing in a manner it considers appropriate to clarify the issues and to handle the proceedings fairly and justly avoiding, as far as it considers appropriate, unnecessary formality in its proceedings.

(3) The tribunal panel must determine the order in which the parties are heard and the issues determined.

(4) The tribunal panel may, if it is satisfied that it is fair and just to do so, permit—

(a) the appellant or the claimant to rely on grounds not stated in the appeal application or the claim application or the case statement and to produce evidence not presented to the local authority or the responsible body before or at the time it took the disputed decision;

(b) the local authority or the responsible body to rely on grounds not specified in its case statement.

(5) If, at or after the beginning of a hearing a member of the tribunal panel other than the Chair is absent—

(a) the hearing may, with the consent of the parties, be conducted by the other two members and in that event the tribunal panel is to be regarded as properly constituted and the decision of the tribunal panel may be taken by those two members;

(b) the absent member must not rejoin the hearing.