Tribunal decision-making

Tribunals play a vital role in the administrative justice system, resolving over one million disputes a year between individuals and the state, yet little is known about what influences tribunal decision-making. To coincide with the establishment of the new Tribunals Service, the UCL Judicial Institute has developed a new programme of research on tribunal decision-making. A crucial issue of concern in recent years has been the value of oral hearings and whether the type of hearing affects a claimant’s chance of a positive outcome.

The Foundation has awarded Professor Genn and Professor Thomas a major research grant to examine tribunal decision-making in the Social Entitlement Chamber. The research project uses an innovative and rigorous methodology to tackle the problem of determining what the use and value of oral hearings are in tribunal proceedings.