1531Referee—referral of question etc

1531 Referee—referral of question etc (1) The court may, at any stage of a proceeding— (a) refer a question to a referee for the referee to give an opinion on, or hear and decide, the question; or (b) refer the proceeding to a referee for the referee to give an opinion on, or hear and decide, the proceeding. (2) The court may make an order on application by a party to the proceeding or on its own initiative. (3) If the court makes an order under subrule (1), it may give directions about the conduct of the reference. (4) Directions may be given in the reference or from time to time on application by a party or on the court’s own initiative.