Guidance notes for departments/agencies
[
Previous page: Arranging the hearing |
Next page: After the hearing]
The hearing
The hearing is informal. The Department’s/Agency’s representatives should
bring with them all relevant papers relating to the appellant, including
any that are held locally. The Chairman will begin by outlining the Board’s
procedures. Then the appellant or their representative will be invited to
make a brief statement; any questions they may have for the
department/agency will be put through the Board as there can be no
cross-questioning between the two parties. The Board will then put any
questions to the appellant and his/her representative. The
department/agency will then state their case adding any comments they may
have on the written and oral statement made by the appellant or his
representative. Questions will then be put to the department/agency by the
Board.
Once this is over the appellant and his/her representative will be invited
to sum up their case. When the hearing is over, all parties will be asked
to leave.
If, on the day of the hearing, the appellant does not arrive within 30
minutes after the time the hearing was scheduled to start and the Board
have been given no indication of delay or the reason for non-attendance the
hearing will go ahead as a paperboard.
You may wish to note that you will not be able to ask the appellant or
their representative questions during the hearing. Nor will they be able to
ask you questions. No witnesses can be called and the Board does not
consider visual or audio evidence (e.g. video recordings).
On the day of the hearing it is essential that representatives arrive on
time as all parties are thoroughly briefed before the hearing begins. In
order to do this and to prevent the start of the hearing being delayed we
require you to arrive 45 minutes before the start of the hearing. The
appellant will be asked during their briefing the remedy that they are
seeking and you will be told the chosen remedy during your briefing.
