Page v Hull University Visitor [1993] 1 WLR 898

House of Lords

Facts: Page was dismissed from his university lecturing post and sought judicial review of the university visitor's decision (The Queen) regarding his dismissal. The visitor upheld the dismissal, and Page challenged this decision on the grounds of statutory misinterpretation.

Issue: Did the High Court have jurisdiction to review the decisions of a university visitor?/If so, had the visitor made an error in interpreting the statutes?

Held: The House of Lords ruled that university visitor decisions were not subject to judicial review for errors of law regarding the interpretation of statutes that laid down domestic law. The majority held that decisions made under such statutes were not reviewable for errors of law, while the minority believed they should be.

Judicial Statement: Lord Brown-Wilkinson noted that administrative tribunals or inferior courts could be reviewed for legal errors, but university visitors acting under domestic law statutes were exceptions, as their decisions were final and non-reviewable on legal grounds.