375.This section sets out what types of claims under the Act a county court or (in Scotland) the sheriff court has jurisdiction to hear. These are claims related to provision of services, the exercise of public functions, disposal and management of premises, education (other than in relation to disability), and associations.
376.There is a presumption that a judge or sheriff will appoint an assessor to assist the court when hearing discrimination cases. However, an assessor need not be appointed where there are good reasons not to (for example, after an assessment of the judge’s own level of experience, the nature of the case and the wishes of the claimant).
377.This section is designed to replicate the effect of provisions in previous legislation. However, for the first time the Act enables disability discrimination in schools cases in Scotland to be heard in the Additional Support Needs Tribunals (Scotland) rather than the sheriff courts, where they were previously heard.
378.Previously, two assessors would sit with judges in cases involving race and sex discrimination only. This section extends the requirement to have assessors for cases of discrimination based on any protected characteristic, such as sexual orientation or religion or belief, but reduces the number of assessors used in each case to one.
A woman has joined a golf club but because she is a woman she is allowed to play golf only on Tuesday afternoons and is not allowed access to the club bar. She could bring a discrimination claim in the county or (if the golf course is in Scotland) sheriff court.
A gay man applies for residential housing in a local authority area, but is told that he can choose from only three housing blocks because all homosexual people are housed together. He could bring a discrimination claim in the county or sheriff court.