ABSTRACT
Tribunals and inquiries (the main type of public hearing) are commonly bracketed together, not least because they formed the subject matter of the Franks Committee Report of 1957 which resulted in the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1958.1 They are, however, quite distinct creations, fulfilling different functions and with separate powers one from the other. More confusingly, there are significant differences amongst tribunals and inquiries themselves, to the extent that it may not be possible to enunciate a precise definition of either institution. It is also important to recognise that not all ‘tribunals’ match the common features of a tribunal, and may not indeed be ‘tribunals’; equally, other redress mechanisms may, in some individual cases, be more appropriately regarded as tribunals, even though they have not been so designated.2
