Fair Employment Tribunal (Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

The hearing

8.—(1) Any hearing of or in connection with an originating application shall be heard by a tribunal composed in accordance with regulation 4.

(2) Any hearing of or in connection with an originating application shall take place in public.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), a tribunal may sit in private for the purposes of –

(a) hearing evidence which in the opinion of the tribunal relates to matters of such a nature that it would be against the interests of national security, public safety or public order to allow the evidence to be given in public;

(b) hearing evidence from any person which in the opinion of the tribunal is likely to consist of –

(i) information which he could not disclose without contravening a prohibition imposed by or under any statutory provision;

(ii) information which has been communicated to him in confidence, or which he has otherwise obtained in consequence of the confidence reposed in him by another person;

(iii) information the disclosure of which would, for reasons other than its effect on negotiations with respect to any of the matters mentioned in Article 96(1) of the Order of 1992, cause substantial injury to any undertaking of his or any undertaking in which he works; or

(iv) information the disclosure of which would create a substantial risk that he or another individual would be subject to physical attack or sectarian harassment.

(4) If a party wishes to submit representations in writing for consideration by the tribunal at the hearing of the originating application he shall present his representations to the Secretary not less than 7 days before the hearing and shall at the same time send a copy to each other party.

(5) The tribunal may, if it considers it appropriate, consider representations in writing which have been submitted to the Secretary less than 7 days before the hearing.

(6) Subject to rule 3(4), at any hearing of or in connection with an originating application a party may appear before a tribunal and may be heard in person or be represented by counsel or by a solicitor or by any other person whom he desires to represent him.