Equality impact assessment results: regulations amending Housing and Property Chamber Rules of Procedure 2016

Assessment of rules and procedures relating to the amendment of housing and property tribunal appeals.


Equality Impact Assessment – Results

Title of Policy Regulations amending the Housing and Property Chamber Rules of Procedure 2016.
Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy The policy aim of these regulations is to avoid elongating timescales in the review and permission to appeal procedures.
Directorate: Division: team Justice Directorate, Civil Law and Legal System, Tribunals & Admininistrative Justice.

Executive summary

This EQIA relates to regulations that amend the Housing and Property Chamber Rules of Procedure 2016.

Background

The Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014 (the 2014 Act) creates two new tribunals, the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (generally speaking hearing cases at first instance) and the Upper Tribunal for Scotland (primarily for appeals) known collectively as the Scottish Tribunals. Existing tribunals will transfer into the Scottish Tribunals in a phased process which commenced on 1 December 2016.

The policy aim of these regulations is to revise the review and seeking permission to appeal provisions in the Housing and Property Chamber Rules of Procedure 2016 to ensure that timescales are not elongated.

These regulations revise the procedure for reviewing and seeking permission to appeal set out in the Housing and Property Chamber Rules of Procedure 2016. The First-tier Tribunal may now at any time correct clerical mistakes, accidental slips or omissions.

The regulations limit the time period for parties to request a review to 14 days from the date on which the decision of the tribunal was made or the date that the written reasons were sent to the parties. The regulations also set out that requesting a review does not affect the time limit of 30 days for seeking permission to appeal a decision.

These regulations contribute to the Scottish Government's Safer and Stronger Objective, through the following national outcome:

  • Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people's needs.

The Scope of the EQIA

The Scottish Government consulted with tribunal presidents and the President of Tribunals on the draft Regulations.

Key Findings

No equality issues were raised as a result of the consultation.

Recommendations and Conclusion

Our assessment is that the Regulations do not give rise to any equality issues.

Contact

Email: Tribunals and Administrative Justice Policy

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