The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order is the second Commencement Order to be made under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (“the Act”). The Act extensively amends the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (“the 1995 Act”).

Article 2 commences section 21F of the 1995 Act, which is inserted by section 12 of the Act, for the purpose only of exercising any power to make regulations, and paragraph 34(6) of Schedule 1 (definition of regulations), on 10th October 2005.

Articles 3 and 4 bring the majority of the Act’s provisions into force on two dates.

Article 3 brings the following provisions of the Act into force on 5th December 2005:

Section 1 (councillors and members of the Greater London Authority), partially, so far as it inserts sections 15A and 15B into the 1995 Act, section 3 (duties of public authorities), partially, for specific purposes, section 4 (police), section 6 (rail vehicles: application of accessibility regulations), partially to the extent that it refers to rail vehicle exemption orders, sections 10 to 12 (discriminatory advertisements, group insurance and private clubs), section 17 (generalisation of section 56 of the 1995 Act), save for provisions which refer to section 21B claims, section 18 (meaning of disability), specified paragraphs of Schedule 1 (minor and consequential amendments), and specified entries in Schedule 2 (repeals and revocations).

Article 4 brings the following provisions of the Act into force on 4th December 2006 so far as they are not already in force:

Sections 1 to 3 (councillors and public authorities), section 13 (discrimination in relation to premises), section 14 (small dwellings exemptions), section 16 (improvements to let dwellings), section 17, specified paragraphs of Schedule 1, and specified entries in Schedule 2.