The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Procedure) Rules 2005

Directions

45.—(1) The Tribunal may give directions to the parties relating to the conduct of any appeal or application.

(2) The power to give directions is to be exercised subject to any specific provision of these Rules.

(3) Directions must be given orally or in writing to every party.

(4) Directions of the Tribunal may, in particular—

(a) relate to any matter concerning the preparation for a hearing;

(b) specify the length of time allowed for anything to be done;

(c) vary any time limit in these Rules or in directions previously given by the Tribunal for anything to be done by a party;

(d) provide for—

(i) a particular matter to be dealt with as a preliminary issue;

(ii) a case management review hearing to be held;

(iii) a party to provide further details of his case, or any other information which appears to be necessary for the determination of the appeal;

(iv) the witnesses, if any, to be heard;

(v) the manner in which any evidence is to be given (for example, by directing that witness statements are to stand as evidence in chief);

(e) require any party to file and serve—

(i) statements of the evidence which will be called at the hearing;

(ii) a paginated and indexed bundle of all the documents which will be relied on at the hearing;

(iii) a skeleton argument which summarises succinctly the submissions which will be made at the hearing and cites all the authorities which will be relied on, identifying any particular passages to be relied on;

(iv) a time estimate for the hearing;

(v) a list of witnesses whom any party wishes to call to give evidence;

(vi) a chronology of events; and

(vii) details of whether an interpreter will be required at the hearing, and in respect of what language and dialect;

(f) limit—

(i) the number or length of documents upon which a party may rely at a hearing;

(ii) the length of oral submissions;

(iii) the time allowed for the examination and cross-examination of witnesses; and

(iv) the issues which are to be addressed at a hearing; and

(g) require the parties to take any steps to enable two or more appeals to be heard together under rule 20.

(h) provide for a hearing to be conducted or evidence given or representations made by video link or by other electronic means; and

(i) make provision to secure the anonymity of a party or a witness.

(5) The Tribunal must not direct an unrepresented party to do something unless it is satisfied that he is able to comply with the direction.

(6) The President may direct that, in individual cases or in such classes of case as he shall specify, any time period in these Rules for the Tribunal to do anything shall be extended by such period as he shall specify.