In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires–

• F1“the 1999 Regulations” means the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 1999;

• “the Act" means the Child Support Act 1991;

• “appeal tribunal" means an appeal tribunal constituted under Chapter 1 of Part I of the Social Security Act 1998 M1;

• “authorised officer" means an officer authorised by the Lord Chancellor, or in Scotland by the Secretary of State, in accordance with paragraph 4A of Schedule 4 to the Act M2;

• “the chairman" for the purposes of regulations 10, 11 and 12 means–

  1. i

     the person who was the chairman or sole member of the appeal tribunal which gave the decision against which leave to appeal is being sought; F2...

  2. ii

     F3...

• “Commissioner" means a Child Support Commissioner;

• F4“funding notice” means the notice or letter from the Legal Services Commission confirming that legal services are to be funded;

• “legal aid certificate” means the certificate issued by the Scottish Legal Aid Board confirming that legal services are to be funded;

• “legally qualified" means being a solicitor or barrister, or in Scotland, a solicitor or advocate;

• F5“Legal Services Commission” means the Legal Services Commission established under section 1 of the Access to Justice Act 1999;

• “live television link” means a television link or other audio and video facilities which allow a person who is not physically present at an oral hearing to see and hear proceedings and be seen and heard by all others who are present (whether physically present or otherwise);

• “month" means a calendar month;

• “office" means an Office of the Child Support Commissioners;

• F6“panel member” means a person appointed to the panel constituted under section 6 of the Social Security Act 1998 and who—

  1. i

     has a general qualification (construed in accordance with section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990);

  2. ii

     is a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland; or

  3. iii

     is an advocate or solicitor in Scotland.

• “party" means a party to the proceedings;

• “proceedings" means any proceedings before a Commissioner, whether by way of an application for leave to appeal to, or from, a Commissioner, by way of an appeal or otherwise;

• “respondent" means any person other than the applicant or appellant who was a party to the proceedings before the appeal tribunal and any other person who, pursuant to a direction given under regulation 18 is served with notice of the appeal; F7...

• F8“Scottish Legal Aid Board” means the Scottish Legal Aid Board established under section 1 of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986; and

“summons", in relation to Scotland, corresponds to “citation" and regulation 23 shall be construed accordingly.