1.7 Minutes of taking of evidence 

Minutes of the taking of evidence must be drawn up as described in E‑III, 10, subject to the following qualifications.

Besides the essentials of the taking of evidence, the minutes must also record the testimony of the parties, witnesses or experts as comprehensively as possible (almost verbatim as far as the main points are concerned).

The minutes will normally be taken by a member of the competent department carrying out the taking of evidence. The most efficient way tof recordnoting testimony is by way of dictationto dictate it ion to a dictationg machine, in the process of whichor using the recording functionality on the videoconferencing tool as follows: the person hearing the testimony will summarise it in small sections, taking into account any objections raised by the persons being heard, and dictate it in this form ion to a dictationg machine or using the recording functionality on the videoconferencing tool. If the dictated passage does not fully correspond to their testimony, the persons being heard must object immediately, as must be pointed out to them at the beginning of their testimony. At the end of their testimony, they will be asked to approve the dictated minutes, which they will have listened to as they were dictated. Their approval or any objections are to be included in the dictated text. The dictated minutes are typed out and the parties are provided with a copy as soon as possible. It is not necessary to play back the minutes or to obtain approval of them if the testimony has been recorded verbatim and directly by technical means.

Where the taking of evidence includes an inspection, the minutes must record, in addition to the essentials of the proceedings, the results of the inspection.

The taking of evidence may be recorded on sound recording apparatus in the same way as oral proceedings (see E‑III, 10.1).