PART 1Introduction

Citation, commencement, application and interpretation1.

(1)

These Rules may be cited as the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Social Entitlement Chamber) Rules 2008 and come into force on 3rd November 2008.

F1(2)

These Rules apply to proceedings before the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal.

(3)

In these Rules—

“the 2007 Act” means the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007;

“appeal” includes an application under section 19(9) of the Tax Credits Act 2002 M1;

“appellant” means a person who makes an appeal to the Tribunal, or a person substituted as an appellant under rule 9(1) (substitution of parties);

“asylum support case” means proceedings concerning the provision of support for an asylum seekerF2, a failed asylum seeker or a person designated under section 130 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (designation), or the dependants of any such person;

“criminal injuries compensation case” means proceedings concerning the payment of compensation under a scheme made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 M2 F3or section 47 of the Crime and Security Act 2010;

“decision maker” means the maker of a decision against which an appeal has been brought;

“dispose of proceedings” includes, unless indicated otherwise, disposing of a part of the proceedings;

“document” means anything in which information is recorded in any form, and an obligation under these Rules to provide or allow access to a document or a copy of a document for any purpose means, unless the Tribunal directs otherwise, an obligation to provide or allow access to such document or copy in a legible form or in a form which can be readily made into a legible form;

“hearing” means an oral hearing and includes a hearing conducted in whole or in part by video link, telephone or other means of instantaneous two-way electronic communication;

“legal representative” means F4a person who, for the purposes of the Legal Services Act 2007, is an authorised person in relation to an activity which constitutes the exercise of a right of audience or the conduct of litigation within the meaning of that Act, an advocate or solicitor in Scotland or a barrister or solicitor in Northern Ireland;

“party” means—

(a)

a person who is an appellant or respondent in proceedings before the Tribunal;

(b)

a person who makes a reference to the Tribunal under section 28D of the Child Support Act 1991 M3;

(c)

a person who starts proceedings before the Tribunal under paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 to the Tax Credits Act 2002; or

(d)

if the proceedings have been concluded, a person who was a party under paragraph (a), (b) or (c) when the Tribunal finally disposed of all issues in the proceedings;

“practice direction” means a direction given under section 23 of the 2007 Act;

“respondent” means—

(a)

in an appeal against a decision, the decision maker and any person other than the appellant who had a right of appeal against the decision;

(b)

in a reference under section 28D of the Child Support Act 1991—

  1. (i)

    the absent parent or non-resident parent;

  2. (ii)

    the person with care; and

  3. (iii)

    in Scotland, the child if the child made the application for a departure direction or a variation;

(c)

in proceedings under paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 to the Tax Credits Act 2002, a person on whom it is proposed that a penalty be imposed; F5...

(d)

F6an affected party within the meaning of section 61(5) of the Childcare Payments Act 2014, other than an appellant; or

(e)

a person substituted or added as a respondent under rule 9 (substitution and addition of parties);

F7...

“social security and child support case” means any case allocated to the Social Entitlement Chamber F8of the First-tier Tribunal except an asylum support case or a criminal injuries compensation case;

“Tribunal” means the First-tier Tribunal.