Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Period within which proceedings must be broughtE+W+S

F113(1)A county court or a sheriff court shall not consider a claim under section 28V unless proceedings in respect of the claim are instituted before the end of the period of six months beginning when the act complained of was done.

[F2(2)If, in relation to proceedings or prospective proceedings under section 28V—

(a)the dispute concerned is referred for conciliation in pursuance of arrangements under section 31B before the end of the period of six months mentioned in sub-paragraph (1), or

(b)in England and Wales, in a case not falling within paragraph (a), the dispute concerned relates to the act or omission of a qualifying institution and is referred as a complaint under the student complaints scheme before the end of that period,

the period of six months allowed by sub-paragraph (1) shall be extended by two months.

(2A)In sub-paragraph (2)(b)—

  • “qualifying institution” has the meaning given by section 11 of the Higher Education Act 2004;

  • “the student complaints scheme” means a scheme for the review of qualifying complaints, as defined by section 12 of that Act, that is provided by the designated operator, as defined by section 13(5)(b) of that Act.]

(3)A court may consider any claim under section 28V which is out of time if, in all the circumstances of the case, it considers that it is just and equitable to do so.

(4)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)—

(a)if an unlawful act F3. . . is attributable to a term in a contract, that act is to be treated as extending throughout the duration of the contract;

(b)any act extending over a period shall be treated as done at the end of that period; and

(c)a deliberate omission shall be treated as done when the person in question decided upon it.

(5)In the absence of evidence establishing the contrary, a person shall be taken for the purposes of this paragraph to decide upon an omission—

(a)when he does an act inconsistent with doing the omitted act; or

(b)if he has done no such inconsistent act, when the period expires within which he might reasonably have been expected to do the omitted act if it was to be done.

Textual Amendments

F1Sch. 3 Pt. 4 (paras. 12-15) inserted (E.W.S.) (1.9.2002) by 2001 c. 10, s. 30(2), (with s. 43(13)); S.I. 2002/2217, art. 3, Sch. 1 Pt. I

F2Sch. 3 para. 13(2)(2A) substituted for Sch. 3 para. 13(2) (1.11.2004) by Higher Education Act 2004 (c. 8), ss. 19(3), 52; S.I. 2004/2781, art. 3