Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Special cases: procedural and other consequences U.K.

5 Criminal investigations and proceedings. U.K.

(1) After section 57(4) of the 1976 Act (enforcement of Part III of that Act) there is inserted—

“(4A) As respects an act which is done, or by virtue of section 32 or 33 is treated as done, by a person in carrying out public investigator functions or functions as a public prosecutor and which is unlawful by virtue of section 19B, no remedy other than—

(a) damages; or

(b) a declaration or, in Scotland, a declarator;

shall be obtainable unless the court is satisfied that the remedy concerned would not prejudice a criminal investigation, a decision to institute criminal proceedings or any criminal proceedings.

(4B) In this section—

• “criminal investigation” means—

  (a)

  any investigation which a person in carrying out functions to which section 19B applies has a duty to conduct with a view to it being ascertained whether a person should be charged with, or in Scotland prosecuted for, an offence, or whether a person charged with or prosecuted for an offence is guilty of it;

  (b)

  any investigation which is conducted by a person in carrying out functions to which section 19B applies and which in the circumstances may lead to a decision by that person to institute criminal proceedings which the person has power to conduct; or

  (c)

  any investigation which is conducted by a person in carrying out functions to which section 19B applies and which in the circumstances may lead to a decision by that person to make a report to the procurator fiscal for the purpose of enabling him to determine whether criminal proceedings should be instituted; and

• “public investigator functions” means functions of conducting criminal investigations or charging offenders;

and in this subsection “offence” includes any offence under the M1 Army Act 1955, the M2 Air Force Act 1955 or the M3 Naval Discipline Act 1957 (and “offender” shall be construed accordingly).

(4C) Subsection (4D) applies where a party to proceedings under subsection (1) which have arisen by virtue of section 19B has applied for a stay or sist of those proceedings on the grounds of prejudice to—

(a) particular criminal proceedings;

(b) a criminal investigation; or

(c) a decision to institute criminal proceedings.

(4D) The court shall grant the stay or sist unless it is satisfied that the continuance of the proceedings under subsection (1) would not result in the prejudice alleged.”

(2) After section 65(4) of the 1976 Act (help for aggrieved persons in obtaining information etc.) there is inserted—

“(4A) In section 19B proceedings, subsection (2)(b) does not apply in relation to a failure to reply, or a particular reply, if the conditions specified in subsection (4B) are satisfied.

(4B) Those conditions are that—

(a) at the time of doing any relevant act, the respondent was carrying out public investigator functions or was a public prosecutor; and

(b) he reasonably believes that a reply or (as the case may be) a different reply would be likely to prejudice any criminal investigation, any decision to institute criminal proceedings or any criminal proceedings or would reveal the reasons behind a decision not to institute, or a decision not to continue, criminal proceedings.

(4C) For the purposes of subsections (4A) and (4B)—

• “public investigator functions” has the same meaning as in section 57;

• “section 19B proceedings” means proceedings in respect of a claim under section 57 which has arisen by virtue of section 19B.”

Marginal Citations

M1 1955 c. 18.

M2 1955 c. 19.

M3 1957 c. 53.

6 Immigration and asylum appeals. U.K.

(1) After section 57(6) of the 1976 Act (enforcement of Part III of that Act) there is added—

“(7) This section has effect subject to section 57A.”

(2) After section 57 of that Act there is inserted—

“57A Claims under section 19B in immigration cases.

(1) No proceedings may be brought by a claimant under section 57(1) in respect of an immigration claim if—

(a) the act to which the claim relates was done in the taking by an immigration authority of a relevant decision and the question whether that act was unlawful by virtue of section 19B has been or could be raised in proceedings on an appeal which is pending, or could be brought, under the 1997 Act or Part IV of the 1999 Act; or

(b) it has been decided in relevant immigration proceedings that that act was not unlawful by virtue of that section.

(2) For the purposes of this section an immigration claim is a claim that a person—

(a) has committed a relevant act of discrimination against the claimant which is unlawful by virtue of section 19B; or

(b) is by virtue of section 32 or 33 to be treated as having committed such an act of discrimination against the claimant.

(3) Where it has been decided in relevant immigration proceedings that an act to which an immigration claim relates was unlawful by virtue of section 19B, any court hearing that claim under section 57 shall treat that act as an act which is unlawful by virtue of section 19B for the purposes of the proceedings before it.

(4) No relevant decision of an immigration authority involving an act to which an immigration claim relates and no relevant decision of an immigration appellate body in relation to such a decision shall be subject to challenge or otherwise affected by virtue of a decision of a court hearing the immigration claim under section 57.

(5) In this section—

• “the Immigration Acts” has the same meaning as in the 1999 Act;

• “immigration appellate body” means an adjudicator appointed for the purposes of the 1999 Act, the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, the Court of Appeal, the Court of Session or the House of Lords;

• “immigration authority” means an authority within the meaning of section 65 of the 1999 Act (human rights and racial discrimination cases);

• “immigration claim” has the meaning given by subsection (2) above;

• “pending” has the same meaning as in the 1997 Act or, as the case may be, Part IV of the 1999 Act;

• “relevant act of discrimination” means an act of discrimination done by an immigration authority in taking any relevant decision;

• “relevant decision” means—

  (a)

  in relation to an immigration authority, any decision under the Immigration Acts relating to the entitlement of the claimant to enter or remain in the United Kingdom; and

  (b)

  in relation to an immigration appellate body, any decision on an appeal under the 1997 Act or Part IV of the 1999 Act in relation to a decision falling within paragraph (a);

• “relevant immigration proceedings” means proceedings on an appeal under the 1997 Act or Part IV of the 1999 Act;

• “the 1997 Act” means the M4 Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997;

• “the 1999 Act” means the M5 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;

and, for the purposes of subsection (1)(a), any power to grant leave to appeal out of time shall be disregarded.”

(3) In section 65(1) of the M6 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (acts made unlawful by section 6(1) of the M7 Human Rights Act 1998) after “United Kingdom,” there is inserted “ racially discriminated against him or ”.

(4) In section 65(2) of that Act, after “Part” there is inserted “—

(a) an authority racially discriminates against a person if he acts, or fails to act, in relation to that other person in a way which is unlawful by virtue of section 19B of the M8 Race Relations Act 1976; and

(b)”.

Marginal Citations

M4 1997 c. 68.

M5 1999 c. 33.

M6 1999 c. 33.

M7 1998 c. 42.

M8 1976 c. 74.