7.— (1) For the purposes of this Act and for the purposes of section 496 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (as amended by section 29) arbitral proceedings shall be deemed to be commenced on—

(a) the date on which the parties to an arbitration agreement so provide as being the commencement date for the purposes of the commencement of arbitral proceedings under the agreement, or

(b) where no provision has been made by the parties as to commencement of proceedings as referred to in paragraph (a), the date on which a written communication containing a request for the dispute to be referred to arbitration is received by the respondent.

(2) The Statute of Limitations 1957 is amended by substituting the following section for section 74:

“74.— (1) For the purposes of this Act and for the purposes of any other limitation enactment, arbitral proceedings shall be deemed to be commenced on—

(a) the date on which the parties to an arbitration agreement so provide as being the commencement date for the purposes of the commencement of arbitral proceedings under the agreement, or

(b) where no provision has been made by the parties as to commencement as referred to in paragraph (a), the date on which a written communication containing a request for the dispute to be referred to arbitration is received by the respondent.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b), unless the parties otherwise agree, a written communication is deemed to have been received if it is served or given to the respondent in one or more of the following ways:

(a) by delivering it to the respondent personally;

(b) by delivering it to the respondent’s place of business, habitual residence or postal address;

(c) where none of the addresses referred to in paragraph (b) can be found after making reasonable inquiry, by sending it by pre-paid registered post or by any other form of recorded delivery service addressed to the respondent at his or her last known place of business, habitual residence or postal address.

(3) Unless the parties otherwise agree, where a written communication under this section has been delivered to a respondent in accordance with subsection (2), the communication is deemed to have been received on the day it was so delivered.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (2), a company registered under the Companies Acts shall be deemed to be habitually resident at its registered office in the State and every other body corporate (wherever it is incorporated) and every unincorporated body (wherever it carries out its activities) shall be deemed to be habitually resident at its principal office or place of business.”.