This provision sets out the Act’s title and defines key terms used in it, including “Community Mediation Centre,” “Director,” “functions,” “mediation,” “mediation session,” and “mediator.”
Community Mediation Centres Act 1997 2020 REVISED EDITION This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 An Act to provide for the establishment and operation of Community Mediation Centres to provide mediation services connected with certain disputes. [9 January 1998] PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act is the Community Mediation Centres Act 1997. Interpretation 2.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “Community Mediation Centre” means a Community Mediation Centre established under section 3; “Director” means a person holding office or duly acting as Director of a Community Mediation Centre; “functions” includes powers, authorities and duties; “mediation” includes — (a) the undertaking of any activity for the purpose of promoting the discussion and settlement of disputes; (b) the bringing together of the parties to any dispute for that purpose, either at the request of one of the parties to the dispute or on the initiative of a Director; and (c) the follow-up of any matter that is the subject of any such discussion or settlement; “mediation session” means a meeting in accordance with this Act between 2 or more parties who are in dispute on any matter; “mediator”, in relation to a Community Mediation Centre, means — (a) the Director of the Centre; or (b) any person for the time being appointed under section 8 as a mediator for the Centre. (2) A reference in this Act to the exercise of a function includes, where the function is a duty, a reference to the performance of the duty. (3) A reference in this Act to the parties to a mediation session includes a reference to the parties to a dispute in respect of which an application for a mediation session is duly made, but does not include a reference to the mediator conducting the mediation session. (4) A reference in this Act to the conduct of a mediation session by a mediator includes a reference to the conduct of a mediation session in the presence, or under the supervision, of the mediator.