Commission For Racial Equality
Elliot House
10 / 12 Allington Street
London
SW1 5EH

TEL 020 7828 7022
MINICOM 020 7932 5419
FAX 020 7630 7605

www.cre.gov.uk

23 January 2001
Our Ref:LS/00/688/BA

Dear Mr Bryson

Re: YOUR COMPLAINT OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST:
Microtech Computer Services

As you know the Commission has been providing you with advice and assistance in your complaint of racial discrimination.

Your request for assistance was put to the Legal Committee of the Commission for a final decision on 22 January 2001. Having considered all of the facts and the relevant law most carefully, and acting in the exercise of its discretion under Section 66 of the Race Relations Act 1976,
the Committee has decided that the Commission cannot offer you any further assistance in your complaint.
This means that although you are free to pursue you complaint, the Commission will not be providing you with legal representation at the hearing of your complaint by the Employment Tribunal. Should you wish to continue with your complaint, you may need to seek assistance from elsewhere.

I know that you will be disappointed with this decision, but I hope you will understand that the Commission receives a large number of requests for assistance, and it can provide legal representation at Tribunals/Courts in a small proportion of cases. In deciding whether or not your case should receive support by way of legal representation, the Legal Committee was bound to follow the criteria laid down in Section 66(1) of the Act, and this included consideration of the merits and strength of your case.

Having examined your complaint, the Committee took the view that your complaint is out of time.
Complaints of Racial Discrimination have to be submitted to an Employment Tribunal within 3 months of the act of discrimination

The legal committee also felt that your case did not raise any issue of principle or special considerations and having examined the complexity of your case and your position in relation to the respondent, or other persons involved, the Committee did not consider it unreasonable to expect you to deal with your case without the assistance of the Commission.
( This paragraph sounds loaded with double meanings, what's it all about ???
Sean Bryson)

* If you have any queries with this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

KAY NORTH (MS)
Complaints Officer

* I did contact Ms North on Thursday afternoon 25.1.2001
But the explanations that I was given seemed very thin, and the conversation just went around in circles.