The Equality (Disability, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 2000

Enforcement of court orders

23.—(1) This paragraph applies to any order made by a county court under Article 7(8) or under any provision of this Schedule.

(2) Article 54 of the [1980 NI 3.] County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980 (penalty for refusal to appear, be sworn or give evidence) shall have effect in relation to a failure to comply with an order made by a county court to which this paragraph applies with the following modifications—

(a) for paragraphs (1) and (2) there shall be substituted—

“(1) Any person who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with an order made by a county court under Article 7(8) of or any provision of Schedule 1 to the Equality (Disability, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 shall be guilty of a contempt of the court.”;

(b) for paragraph (3) there shall be substituted—

“(3) Notwithstanding Article 55(2), where a person is guilty of contempt of court under this Article, the judge shall not commit the person to prison but may, if he thinks fit, impose on that person a fine of such amount as the judge may direct.”;

(c) in paragraph (4), for the words “the party injured by the refusal or neglect” there shall be substituted the words “the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for expenses incurred or wasted in consequence of the failure to comply with the order concerned”; and

(d) paragraphs (5) and (6) shall be omitted.

(3) If the Commission applies to a county court to enforce an order to which this paragraph applies, the court may modify the order.