Labour Court upholds time-limit decision in Rebecca Forde’s discrimination appeal

The Labour Court upheld the decision that Rebecca Forde’s gender discrimination complaint against the Health Service Executive was outside the time limit. The determination was dated 22 December 2022; the merits were not decided. Forde complained after the HSE initially refused financial assistance for her law degree in 2016. She argued that the grievance process and later events brought her complaint within time. The HSE said the relevant refusal was in 2016 and later correspondence did not extend the time limit. The Court found the refusal occurred outside the period it could consider, and that later correspondence was neither discriminatory nor part of a continuing pattern. It concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to consider the substantive case and upheld the Adjudication Officer’s decision.