About us
The Tribunals Service was created on 3 April 2006 as an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
The Tribunals Service provides administrative support for the tribunals' judiciary who hear cases and decide appeals.
Not all types of appeals are administered by the Tribunals Service. The drop down menu on our home page lists those we cover.
The Senior President of Tribunals, is the judicial head of the tribunals´ judiciary. All judges are independent of Government.
The administration and the judiciary work in partnership with one another to ensure that the public at large have an opportunity to exercise their rights and to seek effective redress against Government decisions. We also help to settle disputes between empolyers and employees.
The need to reform the Tribunals system was initially set out in a review conducted by Sir Andrew Leggatt - "Tribunals for Users – One system One Service". The Government is committed to providing better court and tribunal public services and, as such, the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement (TCE) Act 2007 puts in place a flexible tribunals´ structure which will allow tribunals currently ouside the Minstry of Justice to transfer into the new system, as well as allow new jurisdictions to be added. The primary objective in making these changes is to improve the Tribunal Services provided to our customers by:
- Making clear the complete independence of the judiciary, and their decisions making, from Government.
- speeding up the delivery of justice;
- making processes easier for the public to understand;
- bringing together the expertise from each Tribunal.
Implementation of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007
The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 received Royal Assent on 9 July 2007. The Act provides a new judicial and legal framework, bringing together individual tribunals into a new, unified tribunals structure.
Most of the changes resulting from the Act affect the organisation of the tribunals rather than what happens at individual hearings. Where there are changes to how individual appeals are processed these are explained under the respective jurisdictional area of this website. The TCE Act framework creates a new two-tier Tribunal system: A First–tier Tribunal and an Upper Tribunal, both of which are split into Chambers. Each Chamber comprises similar jurisdictions or jurisdictions which bring together similar types of experts to hear appeals. Each Chamber operates under rules and procedures tailored to the needs of individual jurisdictions within the Chamber.
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act operational framework
The Upper Tribunal will primarily, but not exclusively, review and decide appeals arising from the First–tier Tribunal. The new Tribunals are adaptable structures able to take on other jurisdictions in the future.
Changes made on 3 November
The Act will be implemented in phases to ease tribunals into the new two tier Tribunal system. The first phase started on 3 November 2008 and includes the following jurisdictions:
- Asylum Support
- Care Standards
- Criminal Injuries Compensation
- Mental Health
- Social Security and Child Support
- Special Education Needs and Disability
- War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation (previously known as Pensions Appeals)
A second phase of change, to include the tax jurisidictions, is still being scoped and is planned for implementation in 2009. Specific dates are yet to be confirmed for the remaining jurisidictions administered by the Tribunals Service.
The new Tribunals structure
Each Tribunal is made up of Chambers, and each Chamber is made up of 'jurisdictions'. The title of each broadly indicates the type of work within it.
Details of first phase, First–tier Tribunal Chambers and jurisdictions are as follows:
Health, Education and Social Care Chamber
War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Chamber
Details of first phase, Upper Tribunal Chambers are as follows:
- Administrative Appeals;
- Finance and Tax (planned for 2009); and
- Lands (planned for 2009)
