Section 43 – Review of decisions
174.Section 43 provides powers for the First-tier and Upper Tribunals to review their own decisions without the need for a full onward appeal. The power is discretionary and it will be for each Tribunal to decide whether or not it should review one of its own decisions.
175.Under section 43(2), a decision may be reviewed at the Tribunal’s own instance or, with the Tribunal’s agreement, at the request of a party in the case.
176.Under section 43(3), no decision may be the subject of a review if it is an excluded decision (see sections 51 to 54 on excluded decisions). Tribunal Rules (see commentary on section 68) made under section 43(3)(b) may also make provision excluding other decisions from being reviewed or otherwise restricting the powers of the Scottish Tribunals to review their own decisions.
177.A decision to review or not to review a prior decision of the Tribunal may not, itself, be reviewed or appealed (section 43(4)) and the fact that a decision has been reviewed does not affect a party’s rights of appeal under the Act (section 43(5)).