Northern Ireland civil procedure
When must a Northern Ireland tribunal respondent present a response?
28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
- Period
- 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent
- Trigger
- The tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim
- Rule
- Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)
Current official revised XML accessed October 9, 2026, with retained amendment comparison. The June 2021 and February 2021 court PDFs are historical consolidation aids.
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When must a Northern Ireland tribunal respondent present a response?
28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
Responsible actor. The respondent defending an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal claim.
The tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim.
Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. The result must identify tribunal response presentation for the respondent defending an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal claim. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)How does this provision count time?
- Establish the tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim.
- Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal.
- 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Rule 5 excludes the source sending or receipt day from the 28-day procedural interval. The required act reaches the tribunal before midnight unless an actual order provides otherwise.
- Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Procedural rule 5 carries a final nonworking day to the next working day, before midnight unless otherwise ordered. It does not waive presentation, copy service or a case-specific direction.
28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Rule 5 excludes the source sending or receipt day from the 28-day procedural interval. The required act reaches the tribunal before midnight unless an actual order provides otherwise.
Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Procedural rule 5 carries a final nonworking day to the next working day, before midnight unless otherwise ordered. It does not waive presentation, copy service or a case-specific direction.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Rule 5 excludes the source sending or receipt day from the 28-day procedural interval. The required act reaches the tribunal before midnight unless an actual order provides otherwise. The independent ordinary endpoint is Tuesday, February 10, 2026 for tribunal-response-presentation, not a different filing, service or entitlement date. | Tuesday, February 10, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Fictitious boundary event on Friday, March 6, 2026. The source-specific completion is present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Procedural rule 5 carries a final nonworking day to the next working day, before midnight unless otherwise ordered. It does not waive presentation, copy service or a case-specific direction. | Tuesday, April 7, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | The tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim is not established. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. | The tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim is not established. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Applicable event and branch
- Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
- Counting and boundary
- 28 days of the date the copy claim was sent. Rule 5 excludes the source sending or receipt day from the 28-day procedural interval. The required act reaches the tribunal before midnight unless an actual order provides otherwise.
- Required completion
- Present the prescribed response form to the tribunal. Procedural rule 5 carries a final nonworking day to the next working day, before midnight unless otherwise ordered. It does not waive presentation, copy service or a case-specific direction.
- Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form. The result must identify tribunal response presentation for the respondent defending an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal claim. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
- This procedure concerns the respondent defending an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal claim. Its controlling event is the tribunal's actual date of sending the copy claim. Receipt does not replace sending as the anchor. An extension application requires the actual rule 18 facts. The 2024 multiple-response amendments do not make every response a single consolidated form.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must a Northern Ireland tribunal respondent present a response?
Does receipt of the claim start twenty-eight days?
No. Rule 15 uses the date the tribunal sent the copy claim.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Is a prescribed response form required?
Yes. The respondent must present the required form, subject to the actual multiple-response provisions and extensions.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Can an extension be requested?
Rule 18 supplies the stated application procedure. A request alone does not establish that an extension was granted.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Does a reply sent only to the claimant complete response?
No. The source requires presentation to the tribunal. Service on another party is a different act.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Can an ungranted extension request make the response timely?
No. Establish the actual rule 18 decision and any revised date.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Does the claim's original tribunal presentation start respondent time?
No. The respondent period follows the tribunal's actual sending of the copy claim.
Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b)Official sources and review
Provisions used (2)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (SR 2020/3), Schedule 1, rule 15(1)(b) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal Rules 2020, Schedule 1 rule 5 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |