{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/equal-pay-questions-and-replies-order-northern-ireland-2004/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/equal-pay-questions-and-replies-order-northern-ireland-2004/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2004/322",
  "legislation_title": "Equal Pay (Questions and Replies) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/equal-pay-questions-and-replies-order-northern-ireland-2004",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order.)\nArticle 2 of this Order prescribes the forms which may be used for the purposes mentioned in section 6B of the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 (“the Act”). The form set out in Schedule 1 is for use (if she so wishes) by a person (“the complainant”) who wishes to question another (“the respondent”) whom she considers may have discriminated against her, in contravention of the Act, as regards her terms and conditions of employment, including pay. The form set out in Schedule 2 is for use by the respondent (if he so wishes) when replying.\nArticle 3 relates to the period within which questions must be served on the respondent if they are to be admissible as evidence in proceedings before an industrial tribunal (in pursuance of subsections (3) and (5) of section 6B of the Act) and Article 4 relates to the period within which the respondent needs to reply, failing which the tribunal may draw an inference from a deliberate or unreasonable failure to reply (in accordance with subsections (4)(a) and (6)(a) of that section).\nArticle 5 relates to the manner of service of questions and replies.\nA Regulatory Impact Assessment in relation to the introduction of equal pay questionnaires and Article 30 of the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 was completed by the Department for Employment and Learning. Article 30 amended the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 by inserting new section 6B, which gives the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister power to make an Order to prescribe forms for a questionnaire procedure. A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment has been placed in the Library of the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is also available on the Department for Employment and Learning’s website at www.delni.gov.uk",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2004/322/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T01:56:49.502032+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}