(1)Subject to subsections (2), (4) and (5) of this section, every dispute between a registered society or an officer thereof and—
(a)a member of the society; or
(b)any person aggrieved who has ceased to be a member of the society not more than six months previously; or
(c)any person claiming through a member of the society or any such person aggrieved ; or
(d)any person claiming under the rules of the society,
shall, if the society's rules give directions as to the manner in which such disputes are to be decided, be decided in that manner.
(2)Unless the rules of the society expressly forbid it, the parties to a dispute in a registered society may by consent refer the dispute to the chief registrar or to the assistant registrar for Scotland who shall either by himself or by some other registrar hear and determine the dispute.
(3)A decision made under subsection (1) or (2) of this section on any dispute shall be binding and conclusive on all parties without appeal; and—
(a)the decision shall not be removable into any court of law or restrainable by injunction; and
(b)application for the enforcement of the decision may be made to the county court.
(4)Subject to subsection (5) of this section, any dispute directed by the rules of a registered society to be referred to justices shall be determined by a magistrates' court.
(5)Where, whether by virtue of subsection (4) of this section or otherwise, a dispute is cognisable under the rules of a registered society by a magistrates' court, the parties to the dispute may by agreement refer the dispute to the county court, who may hear and determine it.
(6)Where the rules of a registered society contain no direction as to disputes, or where no decision is made on a dispute within forty days after application to the society for a reference under its rules, any person such as is mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (d) of this section who is a party to the dispute may apply either to the county court or to a magistrates' court, who may hear and determine the matter in dispute.
(7)In the application of the foregoing provisions of this section to Scotland—
(a)in subsection (3), paragraph (a) shall be omitted and in paragraph (b) for the words " county court " there shall be substituted the word " sheriff ";
(b)subsections (4) to (6) shall not apply, but in Scotland—
(i)any dispute directed by the rules of a registered society to be referred to justices, a justice of the peace court, or a court of summary jurisdiction, shall be determined by the sheriff;
(ii)where the rules of a registered society contain no direction as to disputes, or where no decision is made on a dispute within forty days after application to the society for a reference under its rules, any person such as is mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (d) of this section who is a party to the dispute may apply to the sheriff, who may hear and determine the matter in dispute.
(8)For the purposes of the hearing or determination of a dispute under this section—
(a)without prejudice to any powers exercisable in England or Wales by virtue of the [1950 c. 27.] Arbitration Act 1950, a registrar may administer oaths and require the attendance of all parties concerned and of witnesses and the production of all books and documents relating to the matter in question, and shall have power to order the expenses of determining the dispute to be paid either out of the funds of the society or by such parties to the dispute as he shall think fit; and any person refusing to attend, or to produce any documents, or to give evidence, before the registrar shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds;
(b)in England and Wales, a magistrates' court may grant to either party such discovery as to documents and otherwise, or such inspection of documents, being, in the case of discovery to be made on behalf of the society, discovery by such officer of the society as the court may determine, as might have been granted by virtue of section 12 of the said Act of 1950 by a registrar to whom the dispute had been referred;
(c)in Scotland, a registrar may grant such warrant for the recovery of documents and examination of havers as might be granted by the sheriff.
(9)Section 21 of the [1950 c. 27.] Arbitration Act 1950 shall not apply to any dispute referred under subsections (2) to (7) of this section and, notwithstanding anything in any other Act, the court or registrar to whom any dispute is so referred shall not be compelled to state a case on any question of law arising in the dispute but may at the request of either party state such a case for the opinion of the High Court or, as the case may be, the Court of Session.