Tribunals in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a tribunal is a specialist court with jurisdiction over a certain area of civil law.

They form part of the national system of administrative justice, with tribunals classed as non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).

Though it has grown up on an ad hoc basis since the beginning of the twentieth century, from 2007 reforms were put in place to build a unified system with recognised judicial authority, routes of appeal and regulatory supervision.

[3] The earliest extant tribunal is the General Commissioners of Income Tax created in 1799.

During the twentieth century, UK government ministers acquired more and more power and were vested with decisions that affected the day-to-day life of citizens.

[5] In 1954, the government was embarrassed by the Crichel Down affair which focused public fears about maladministration and the abuse of executive authority.

[6] The Franks Report was published in July 1957 and its principal effect was to move tribunals from an executive and administrative model towards a judicial footing.

How can a citizen be satisfied unless he feels that those who decide his case come to their decisions with open minds?

[7] The Council had no authority to deal with any matter over which the Parliament of Northern Ireland had power to make laws.

[9][10] In 1988 there were calls for an Administrative Review Council to provide independent scrutiny on the Australian model but such ideas were rejected.

Tribunals have limited powers (depending on the jurisdiction of the case) to impose fines and penalties or to award compensation and costs.

Other types of tribunal decisions might result in the allowance or disallowance of a benefit, leave or refusal to stay in the UK, or about the provision of special educational help for school-age children.

There are organisations offering Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, often with specialised adjudicators and formal procedures.