Decision of tribunal
12.—(1) Where a tribunal is composed of three members its decision may be taken by a majority; and if a tribunal is composed of two members only, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
(2) The decision of a tribunal, which may be given orally at the end of a hearing or reserved, shall be recorded in a document signed by the chairman.
(3) The tribunal shall give reasons for its decision in a document signed by the chairman. That document shall contain a statement as to whether the reasons are given in summary or extended form and where the tribunal –
(a)makes an award of compensation; or
(b)comes to any other determination by virtue of which one party is required to pay a sum to another (excluding an award of costs or allowances),
the document shall also contain a statement of the amount of compensation awarded, or of the sum required to be paid, followed either by a table showing how the amount or sum has been calculated or by a description of the manner in which it has been calculated.
(4) The reasons for the decision of the tribunal shall be given in summary form except where –
(a)the proceedings involved the determination of an issue arising under or relating to the Act of 1970, the Order of 1976, the Order of 1988, the Act of 1995, the Order of 1997, or the Regulations of 2003;
(b)a request that the reasons be given in extended form is made orally at the hearing by a party;
(c)such a request is made in writing by a party after the hearing either –
(i)before any document recording the reasons in summary form is sent to the parties; or
(ii)within 21 days of the date on which that document was sent to the parties; or
(d)the tribunal considers that reasons given in summary form would not sufficiently explain the grounds for its decision,
and in those circumstances the reasons shall be given in extended form.
(5) The clerk shall transmit the documents referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) to the Secretary who shall enter them in the Register and shall send a copy of the entry to each of the parties and, where the proceedings were referred to the tribunal by a court, to that court.
(6) The document referred to in paragraph (3) shall be omitted from the Register in any case in which evidence has been heard in private and the tribunal so directs. In such a case the Secretary shall send that document to each of the parties; and where there are proceedings before a superior court relating to the decision in question, he shall send the document to that court, together with a copy of the entry in the Register of the document referred to in paragraph (2).
(7) In any case appearing to involve allegations of a sexual offence, the document referred to in paragraph (3) shall be entered on the Register with such deletions or amendments as have been made in accordance with rule 15(6).
(8) Clerical mistakes in the documents referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) or errors arising in those documents from an accidental slip or omission, may at any time be corrected by the chairman by certificate.
(9) If a document is corrected by certificate under paragraph (8), or if a decision is –
(a)revoked or varied under rule 13; or
(b)altered in any way by order of a superior court,
the Secretary shall alter any entry in the Register which is affected to conform with the certificate or order and send a copy of any entry so altered to each of the parties and, where the proceedings were referred to the tribunal by a court, to that court.
(10) Where a document omitted from the Register pursuant to paragraph (6) is corrected by certificate under paragraph (8), the Secretary shall send a copy of the corrected document to the parties; and where there are proceedings before any superior court relating to the decision in question, he shall send a copy to that court together with a copy of the entry in the Register of the document referred to in paragraph (2), if it has been altered under paragraph (9).
(11) Where this rule requires a document to be signed by the chairman of a tribunal composed of three or two persons, but by reason of death or incapacity the chairman is unable to sign it, the document shall be signed by the other members or member of the tribunal, who shall certify that the chairman is unable to sign.