The Parole Board (Scotland) Rules 2001

Procedure at hearing

27.—(1) At the beginning of the hearing, the chairman of the tribunal shall explain the order of proceeding which the tribunal proposes to adopt at the hearing.

(2) Subject to this rule, the tribunal shall conduct the hearing in such manner as it considers most suitable to the clarification of the issues before it and generally to the just handling of the proceedings; it shall, so far as appears to it appropriate, seek to avoid formality in the proceedings.

(3) The parties shall be heard in such order as the tribunal may determine and shall be entitled at the hearing–

(a) to be heard either in person or through their representative;

(b) to hear each other’s evidence and to put questions to each other (or in the case of the Scottish Ministers, their official or officials attending the hearing) and to any person called by the other party;

(c) to call any person whom the tribunal has authorised to give evidence or to produce any document in accordance with rule 23; and

(d) to make submissions to the tribunal,

and any member of the tribunal shall be entitled to put questions to any party or representative or any person giving evidence.

(4) Without prejudice to any other powers it may have, the tribunal may exclude from the hearing, or any part of it, any person whose conduct has disrupted or is likely, in the opinion of the tribunal, to disrupt the hearing.

(5) The tribunal may consider any document or information notwithstanding that such document or information would be inadmissible in proceedings before a court of law but no person shall by virtue of these Rules be compelled to give any evidence or to produce any document which he or she could not be compelled to give or produce in proceedings before a court of law.