Rules of Procedure
The Rules of the Network Court 2026 govern proceedings in the Network Court and in the five tribunals of the Velocity Interoperability Network. They were made by the Justice Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network on 6 September 2026. Parts 1 to 7 come into force on 14 September 2026, with the first sittings of the Court, and Part 8 comes into force on 1 October 2026.
The rules are written to be used by the members and departments of the Network without legal representation. They set out what a statement of the matter must contain, how documents are served, the periods within which each step must be taken, how evidence is given, who may represent a party, and how decisions are made and published. They are supplemented by five practice directions issued by the Registry, which may be revised without amending the rules themselves.
Where a rule and a practice direction conflict, the rule prevails. Where the rules are silent, the Court or the tribunal acts in the way that best gives effect to the overriding objective in Part 1, which is to decide matters justly and without unnecessary delay.
Parts of the rules
| Part | Title | What it covers | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Application and interpretation | The bodies the rules govern, the definitions used and the overriding objective of deciding matters justly and without delay. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 2 | Lodging a matter | What a statement of the matter must contain, the documents that accompany it and the Registry's acknowledgement. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 3 | Service of documents | How documents are served on a party or a department, and the day on which service takes effect. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 4 | Time limits and extensions | The periods that apply to each step, how they are reckoned and how an extension is applied for. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 5 | Evidence and disclosure | Written evidence, the production of records held by a member, and the treatment of commercially confidential material. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 6 | Hearings and representation | Listing, attendance, who may represent a party and when a matter is decided without a hearing. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 7 | Decisions, orders and costs | The form of a decision, the orders that may be made, publication in the register and orders as to costs. | 14 September 2026 |
| Part 8 | Appeals and review | Appeals from a tribunal to the Appeals Division, and review of a decision where a party was not served. | 1 October 2026 |
The rules in outline
Periods that apply to a matter
| Step | Period | Reckoned from |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging a statement of the matter | No fixed period | Except for an appeal, which must be lodged within 28 days of the decision appealed against |
| Acknowledgement by the Registry | 5 working days | From receipt of the statement of the matter |
| Service on the other parties | 5 working days | From acknowledgement |
| Response by a party served | 21 days | From the day service takes effect |
| Reply to a response | 14 days | From receipt of the response |
| Application for an extension of time | Before the period expires | An application made afterwards must explain the delay |
| Application to redact a decision | 5 working days | From the day the decision is given to the parties |
| Publication of a decision | 10 working days | From the day the decision is given, or from the determination of a redaction application |
Applying for an extension of time
Step 1: Check the period and how it is reckoned
Part 4 explains from which day each period runs. Periods expressed in working days exclude the day on which the step was taken.
Step 2: Ask the other parties first
Where every party agrees to an extension of no more than 14 days, the Registry records the agreement and no application is needed.
Step 3: Apply to the Registry in writing
State the period to be extended, the length of the extension sought, the reason for it and whether the other parties agree.
Step 4: Apply before the period expires
An application made after the period has expired must also explain the delay, and may be refused where the delay would prejudice another party.
Step 5: Await the decision
A single judge, or the chair of the tribunal, decides the application on the papers and the Registry notifies every party of the outcome.
Practice directions
- Practice Direction 1: Form of a statement of the matter
- Sets out the headings a statement must follow, the numbering of paragraphs and the way documents relied on are listed and referred to.
- Practice Direction 2: Electronic lodgement and service
- Provides that lodgement and service are effected by email, to the Registry and to the email address a party has given for service, and that a document is served on the working day after it is sent.
- Practice Direction 3: Commercially confidential material
- Explains how a party marks material as commercially confidential, what the Registry does with it, and how a division or tribunal decides whether to sit in closed session.
- Practice Direction 4: Mediation certificates
- Prescribes the form of the certificate issued by the Dispute Resolution Service and requires it to be lodged with any statement of the matter in a dispute between members.
- Practice Direction 5: Listing and urgent matters
- Sets out how matters are listed for each sitting day, the notice given to the parties, and how a party asks for a matter to be treated as urgent.
How the rules were made
10 August 2026
Draft circulated for comment
A draft of the rules was circulated to member organisations at the start of the transition period, together with the five draft practice directions.
28 August 2026
Comments closed
Forty-six written comments were received from nineteen members. Fourteen changes were made to the draft, principally to the periods for service of documents and to the treatment of commercially confidential material.
6 September 2026
Rules made and practice directions issued
The Rules of the Network Court 2026 were made by the Department and five practice directions were issued by the Registry.
14 September 2026
Parts 1 to 7 come into force
The rules take effect for every matter lodged on or after that day, and for the 41 matters transferred from the interim panels that remained open at establishment.
1 October 2026
Part 8 comes into force
Appeals from a tribunal to the Appeals Division, and applications for review, are governed by Part 8 from that day.
31 March 2027
First review
The Department will review the rules in the light of the first six months of sittings and will publish any proposed amendments in the Newsroom before they are made.
Copies and enquiries
A copy of the rules or of any practice direction is sent by the Registry on request. Write to contact@justice.gov.vin, stating which part or direction you need. The Department publishes any amendment in the Newsroom before it takes effect.
The bodies to which the rules apply are listed on the Courts and Tribunals page. For the steps before a dispute between members may be lodged, see Disputes; for the procedure in compliance matters, see Enforcement.