The Fair Employment Tribunal (Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Acceptance of claim procedure

What the tribunal does after receiving the claim

2.—(1) On receiving the claim the Secretary shall consider whether the claim or part of it should be accepted in accordance with rule 3. If a claim or part of one is not accepted the tribunal shall not proceed to deal with any part which has not been accepted (unless it is accepted at a later date). If no part of a claim is accepted the claim shall not be copied to the respondent.

(2) If the Secretary accepts the claim or part of it, he shall –

(a) send a copy of the claim to each respondent and record in writing the date on which it was sent;

(b) inform the parties in writing of the case number of the claim (which must from then on be referred to in all correspondence relating to the claim) and the address to which notices and other communications to the Office of the Tribunals must be sent;

(c) inform the respondent in writing about how to present a response to the claim, the time limit for doing so, what may happen if a response is not entered within the time limit and that the respondent has a right to receive a copy of any decision disposing of the claim;

(d) notify the parties that the services of a conciliation officer are available to them;

(e) if only part of the claim has been accepted, inform the claimant and any respondent which parts of the claim have not been accepted and that the tribunal shall not proceed to deal with those parts unless they are accepted at a later date;

(f) enter the following details of the claim in the Register –

(i) the case number;

(ii) the date the Secretary received the claim (on this occasion);

(iii) the name of each claimant;

(iv) the name of each respondent;

(v) the type of claim brought in general terms without reference to detail.

When the claim will not be accepted by the Secretary

3.—(1) The Secretary shall not accept or register the claim (or a relevant part of it) if it is clear to him that one or more of the following circumstances applies –

(a) the claim does not include all the relevant required information;

(b) the tribunal does not have power to consider the claim (or that relevant part of it); or

(c) Article 20 of the Employment Order (complaints about grievances: Fair Employment Tribunal) applies to the claim or part of it and the claim has been presented to the tribunal in breach of paragraphs (1) to (3) of that Article.

(2) If the Secretary decides not to accept a claim or part of one for any of the reasons in paragraph (1), he shall refer the claim together with a statement of his reasons for not accepting it to a chairman. The chairman shall decide in accordance with the criteria in paragraph (1) whether the claim or part of it should be accepted and allowed to proceed.

(3) If the chairman decides that the claim or part of it should be accepted he shall inform the Secretary in writing and the Secretary shall accept the relevant part of the claim and then proceed to deal with it in accordance with rule 2(2).

(4) If the chairman decides that the claim or part of it should not be accepted he shall record his decision together with the reasons for it in writing in a document signed by him. The Secretary shall as soon as is reasonably practicable inform the claimant of that decision and the reasons for it in writing together with information on how that decision may be reviewed or appealed.

(5) Where a claim or part of one has been presented to the tribunal in breach of paragraphs (1) to (3) of Article 20 of the Employment Order, the Secretary shall notify the claimant of the time limit which applies to the claim or the part of it concerned and shall inform the claimant of the consequences of not complying with Article 20 of that Order.

(6) Except for the purposes of paragraph (5) and (7) or any appeal, where a chairman has decided that a claim or part of one should not be accepted such a claim (or the relevant part of it) is to be treated as if it had not been received by the Secretary on that occasion.

(7) Any decision by a chairman not to accept a claim or part of one may be reviewed in accordance with rules 30 to 32. If the result of such review is that any parts of the claim should have been accepted, then paragraph (6) shall not apply to the relevant parts of that claim and the Secretary shall then accept such parts and proceed to deal with it in accordance with rule 2(2).

(8) A decision to accept or not to accept a claim or part of one shall not bind any future tribunal or chairman where any of the issues listed in paragraph (1) fall to be determined later in the proceedings.

(9) Except in rule 30 (review of other decisions), all references to a claim in the remainder of these Rules are to be read as references to only the part of the claim which has been accepted.