Industrial Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Miscellaneous powers

15.—(1) Subject to the provisions of these Rules, a tribunal may regulate its own procedure.

(2) A tribunal may –

(a) if the applicant at any time gives notice of the withdrawal of his originating application, dismiss the proceedings;

(b) if both or all the parties agree in writing upon the terms of a decision to be made by the tribunal, decide accordingly;

(c) subject to paragraph (3), at any stage of the proceedings, order to be struck out or amended any originating application or notice of appearance, or anything in such application or notice of appearance, on the grounds that it is misconceived, vexatious, abusive or otherwise unreasonable;

(d) subject to paragraph (3), at any stage of the proceedings, order to be struck out any originating application or notice of appearance on the grounds that the manner in which the proceedings have been conducted by or on behalf of the applicant or, as the case may be, respondent has been vexatious, abusive, disruptive or otherwise unreasonable; and

(e) subject to paragraph (3), on the application of the respondent, or of its own motion, order an originating application to be struck out for want of prosecution.

(3) Before making an order under sub-paragraph (c), (d) or (e) of paragraph (2) the tribunal shall send notice to the party against whom it is proposed that the order should be made giving him an opportunity to show cause why the order should not be made; but this paragraph shall not be taken to require the tribunal to send such notice to that party if the party has been given an opportunity to show cause orally why the order should not be made.

(4) Where a notice required by paragraph (3) is sent in relation to an order to strike out an originating application for want of prosecution, service of the notice shall be treated as having been effected if it has been sent by post or delivered in accordance with rule 22(3) and the tribunal may strike out the originating application (notwithstanding that there has been no direction for substituted service in accordance with rule 22(6)) if the party does not avail himself of the opportunity given by the notice.

(5) A tribunal may, before determining an application under rule 4 or rule 19, require the party making the application to give notice of it to every other party. The notice shall give particulars of the application and indicate the address to which and the time within which any objection to the application shall be made, being an address and time specified for the purposes of the application by the tribunal.

(6) In any case appearing to involve the allegations of the commission of a sexual offence, the tribunal or the Secretary shall omit from the Register, or delete from the Register or any decision, document or record of the proceedings, which is available to the public, any identifying matter which is likely to lead members of the public to identify any person affected by or making such an allegation.

(7) A chairman may postpone the day or time fixed for, or adjourn, any hearing (particularly where a statutory provision provides for conciliation in relation to the case, for the purpose of giving an opportunity for the case to be settled by way of conciliation and withdrawn) and vary any such postponement or adjournment.

(8) Any act required or authorised by these Rules to be done by a tribunal may be done by the President, the Vice-President or by a chairman except –

(a) the hearing of an originating application under rule 10;

(b) an act required or authorised to be so done by rule 11 or 12 which the rule implies is to be done by the tribunal which is hearing or has heard the originating application; or

(c) the review of a decision under rule 13(1), and the confirmation, variation or revocation of a decision, and ordering of a re-hearing, under rule 13(7).

(9) Any act required or authorised by rule 17 and paragraph (7) to be done by a chairman may be done by a tribunal or on the direction of the President, the Vice-President or a chairman.

(10) Any function of the Secretary may be performed by a person acting with the authority of the Secretary.