Commission in United Kingdom

Definition of Commission

In accordance with the work A Dictionary of Law, this is a description of Commission :

1. Authority to exercise a power or a direction to perform a duty; for example, a commission of a *justice of the peace.

2. A body directed to perform a particular duty. Examples are the *Charity Commissioners and the *Law Commission

3. A sum payable to an *agent in return for his performing a particular service. This may, for example, be a percentage of the sum for which he has secured a contract of sale of his principal’s property. The circumstances in which a commission is payable depend on the terms of the contract between principal and agent. The terms on which commission is paid to a *commercial agent are set down in the EU directive 86/653.

4. Authorization by a court or a judge for a witness to be examined on oath by a court, judge, or other authorized person, to provide evidence for use in court proceedings. The procedure is used when the witness is unlikely to be able to attend the hearing (e.g. because of illness). If the witness is still unable to attend when the court hearing takes place the written evidence is read by the court.