Establishment of Investigating Committees
3.—(1) The Council shall establish one or more committees to be known as Investigating Committees for the purposes of carrying out the functions referred to in paragraph (2).
(2) The functions of an Investigating Committee are—
(a)to carry out such investigations as they see fit in cases where—
(i)it is alleged that a registered teacher is guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or serious professional incompetence, or has been convicted (at any time) of a relevant offence, or
(ii)it appears to them that a registered teacher may be so guilty or have been so convicted; and
(b)to decide in the light of their investigations whether—
(i)a registered teacher has a case to answer in relation to unacceptable professional conduct or conviction of a relevant offence, and the case should be referred for determination by a Professional Conduct Committee,
(ii)a registered teacher has a case to answer in relation to serious professional incompetence, and the case should be referred for determination by a Professional Competence Committee,
(iii)a registered teacher has a case to answer both in relation to unacceptable professional conduct or conviction of a relevant offence and in relation to serious professional incompetence, and the case should be referred for determination by either a Professional Conduct Committee or a Professional Competence Committee, as they consider appropriate,
(iv)a registered teacher has no case to answer and the case against him or her should be discontinued, or
(v)the case against a registered teacher should be discontinued on other grounds.