It is of course important to obtain as wide a cross section of the community as possible, and this the Lord Chancellor s Department attempts to attain. An interesting recent development has seen the establishing of a panel of full time adjudicators who sit also as Chairmen on the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. This initiative, similar in some ways to Circuit Judges sitting on the Court of Criminal Appeal, enables a cross fertilisation of experience between the two tiers, and of course provides a career structure which is clearly of some importance. The Tribunal sits as a panel of three, always with at least one legal member as Chairman. It is important to describe in brief the procedure.
Adjudicators hear oral evidence relating to the appeal.
Appellants have the opportunity of a hearing in public and the oral evidence is tested by cross examination. The strict rules of evidence which apply in Courts do not apply in immigration and asylum appeals. Much of the evidence is given through an interpreter which obviously adds to the length and complexity of many cases. The adjudicator can take account of his knowledge of a particular country but he must ensure that both parties, that is the appellant s representative and the Home Office Presenting Officer, are informed about the source of this knowledge so that they can submit arguments on the issue concerned. Appellants are often represented at the hearing by a legally qualified member of the Refugee Legal Centre or the Immigration Advisory Service.