This pilot was established in December 2014 with a new approach being adopted in the case of appeals in unfair dismissal matters and a small number of other appeal matters. The aim of the pilot was to ensure that these matters were dealt with more efficiently and effectively.
A review of the pilot was conducted and published in December 2015. The review shows a significant improvement in the time between the permission to appeal hearing and the decision being handed down under the pilot compared with the normal appeals process.
In addition to the improvement in timeliness, the pilot has reduced costs for parties and provided efficiencies for the Commission while maintaining access to procedural fairness for the parties involved in these proceedings.
The permission to appeal process will continue in 2016 as a permanent feature of the Commission.