Frequently asked questions
Appeal hearing
Can I observe a hearing in advance of my own hearing?
To improve knowledge of hearing procedures, the CSAB offers the opportunity to
observe a hearing prior to presenting a case before the Board. If you wish
to make use of this facility, please contact Colin Bentley on 020 7276 3834
to arrange a suitable date.
The Board continues to encourage strongly people to observe a hearing
before attending, because this can be of great benefit in preparation for
their own appearance before the Board. You will need to consider whether
you object to observers being present at your hearing.
What happens at a hearing?
Having decided to appeal you should make every effort to attend the hearing
in person. If you do not attend the hearing the Appeal Board will consider
your case on the written statements sent in by you and your
department/agency. However, please remember that this will mean you miss
the opportunity to explain your case to the Board in detail and will also
prevent you from drawing the Board's attention to any disagreement you
might have with the department’s/agency’s written statement.
The hearing will be confidential to the parties concerned and is conducted
as informally as possible. The Chairman will firstly explain the procedures
which the Board will follow and then invite you or your representative to
make a statement on your behalf. This should briefly explain why you
consider the dismissal to have been unfair; there is however no need to go
through the written material in detail as the Board members will all have
read the papers in great depth.
The Board will then question you and your representative about your oral
and written submissions. After the questioning the department/agency will
be given the opportunity to respond and then will be questioned by the
Board. Finally you and your representative will be given the chance to make
your final submission to the Board. After that the Chairman of the Board
will ask all parties to leave and the Board will meet in private to make
its decision.
Who will pay my expenses for attending the hearing?
Your department/agency will meet your travelling and subsistence expenses.
Also, if appropriate, it will meet the loss of earnings by you and your
representative, unless he or she is a full-time trade union official,
solicitor or barrister. You should contact the department/agency directly
regarding expenses.
Who will hear my appeal?
Your Board will be made up of a Chair, (either the Board's Chair or one
of his two deputies), assisted by two Board members, one selected from the
Trade Union Side Panel and the other from the Management Side Panel.
All members of the CSAB, except the Chair, are retired
civil servants who have many years Human Resources Management experience
either through their positions in management or through their trade union
activism.
It has been the policy of the Cabinet Office, which sponsor the CSAB, since the early
1980's to appoint an experienced personnel practitioner from the
private sector as Chair of the Board as the best way to demonstrate the
independence of the Board.
All appointments to the CSAB are made in line with guidance
on public appointments to advisory non-departmental public bodies issued by
the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Prospective Board Members are selected for interview from those nominated
either by the Council of Civil Service Unions for the trade union side or
departments and agencies for the Management side.
Normally members will be appointed for a three-year term with the
opportunity for reappointment for a second three-year term making a maximum
of six years. The contribution of all members is assessed annually by the
Chairs and similarly the contribution of the Chairs is also assessed.
