When this is done, we turn to the meaning of a fair and public hearing. Broadly, a hearing must be by a tribunal established under law. The tribunal has judicial functions and is capable of taking decisions that go beyond, say, making a recommendation. It must be capable of taking binding decisions. As I am informed, independence means independent of the executive and the parties - this bears heavily on the method of appointment and terms of office of the tribunal, guarantees against outside pressures, and whether there is the appearance of independence.
Impartiality requires an absence of actual or apparent bias.
In ss 202-208 university commissioners were appointed to amend the statutes of every old university to conform to the Act. A detailed 'model statute' covering these provisions was adopted with minor variations with the approval for each university of the Privy Council. And, in practice, in most universities this covers researchers, librarians, computer staff and administrators above the lowest grades. This is all reflected in the model statute and the abolition of the role of the Visitor in employment matters means that staff members are also free to sue for breach of contract, even where the dispute requires interpretation of the university's statutes. And staff are free to seek to enforce statutory employment rights in courts and tribunals.