Small Claims Tribunals Act 1984 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Establishment and Jurisdiction of Tribunals
12. Functions of tribunal
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A tribunal's main job is to help the parties reach an agreed settlement. If they settle, the tribunal may make orders within its powers. If settlement is not possible in a reasonable time, the tribunal must decide the dispute. It must decide fairly on the merits, considering the law but not bound by legal technicalities.
Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.
The primary function of a tribunal is to attempt to bring the parties to a dispute to an agreed settlement.
tribunal
“tribunal” means a Small Claims Tribunal constituted under section 4 of the State Courts Act 1970;
Where an agreed settlement is reached, a tribunal may make one or more of the orders which it is empowered to make under section 35.
If it appears to a tribunal that it is impossible to reach a settlement under subsection (1) within a reasonable time, the tribunal must proceed to determine the dispute.
A tribunal must determine the dispute according to the substantial merits and justice of the case, and in doing so must have regard to the law but is not bound to give effect to strict legal forms or technicalities.