Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991

Number 18 of 1991

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT 1991

REVISED

Updated to 1 October 2020

This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.

All Acts up to and including the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (15/2020), enacted 2 October 2020, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Designated Body - Agriculture) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 411 of 2020), made 1 October 2020, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.

Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to

revisedacts@lawreform.ie.


Number 18 of 1991


STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT 1991

REVISED

Updated to 1 October 2020


ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS



Number 18 of 1991


STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT 1991

REVISED

Updated to 1 October 2020


AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, 1957, BY MAKING NEW PROVISIONS AS REGARDS THE DATE FROM WHICH THE PERIOD OF LIMITATION IS TO RUN IN RESPECT OF ACTIONS FOR CERTAIN PERSONAL INJURIES, AND TO AMEND RELATED PROVISIONS IN OTHER STATUTES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH. [10th July, 1991]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

Annotations

Modifications (not altering text):

C1

Application of Act restricted (1.06.2004) by Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 (46/2003), ss. 12 and 50, S.I. No. 252 of 2004, as substituted (2.08.2011) by Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 (23/2011), s. 56(1)(c) and (d), commenced on enactment.

[Bar on bringing proceedings unless certain conditions are satisfied.

12.— ...

(5) The issuing of a notice of motion or the moving of a motion for the purposes of an application referred to in subsection (4) shall not be regarded as the commencement of proceedings in respect of the relevant claim for the purposes of any applicable limitation period in relation to such claim (including any limitation period under the Statute of Limitations 1957, section 9(2) of the Civil Liability Act 1961, the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 and an international agreement or convention by which the State is bound). ]

...

[ Reckoning of time for purpose of Statute of Limitations, etc.

50.— In reckoning any period of time for the purpose of any applicable limitation period in relation to a relevant claim (including any limitation period under the Statute of Limitations 1957, section 9(2) of the Civil Liability Act 1961, the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 and an international agreement or convention by which the State is bound), the period beginning on the making of an application under section 11 in relation to the claim and ending 6 months from the date of issue of an authorisation under, as appropriate, section 14, 17, 32, or 36, rules under section 46(3) or section 49 shall be disregarded.]

C2

Application of Act restricted (18.05.2011) by European Communities (Mediation) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 209 of 2011), reg. 6(1), in effect as per reg. 1(2).

Effect of mediation on limitation and prescription periods

6. (1) In reckoning any period of time for the purposes of any limitation period specified by the Statute of Limitations 1957 (No. 6 of 1957) or the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 (No. 18 of 1991), the period beginning on the day on which the relevant dispute is referred to mediation and ending on the day which is 30 days after the mediation process is concluded shall be disregarded.

(2) A mediator shall inform the parties in writing of the date on which a mediation concludes.

C3

Application of collectively cited Statutes of Limitations restricted (1.04.2009) by European Communities (Environmental Liability) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 547 of 2008), reg. 19.

Limitation of actions

19. Notwithstanding any provisions of the Statutes of Limitations, an action by the Agency under these Regulations against an operator for recovery of costs, shall not be brought after the expiration of 5 years from the date on which the preventive or remedial measures required pursuant to these Regulations have been completed or the date (if later) on which the Agency became aware of the identity of the operator as appropriate.

C4

Application of Act restricted (12.12.2008) by European Communities (European Order for Payment) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 525 of 2008), reg. 8(2), in effect as per reg. 1(2).

Application for European order for payment not to prejudice position of claimant

8. ...

(2) Without prejudice to paragraph (1), in reckoning any period of time for the purposes of any limitation period specified by the Statute of Limitations 1957 or the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991, the period beginning on the day of the receipt by the High Court of an application for a European order for payment and ending on the day which is 30 days after—

(a) in a case where the claimant has requested that the European order for payment proceedings be terminated in the event of a statement of opposition being lodged, the day on which a notice is issued by the High Court informing the claimant that the European order for payment proceedings have been terminated,

(b) in a case where the claimant has accepted the proposal of the High Court that the application for a European order for payment should proceed only as respects that part of the claim specified by the High Court, as respects the remaining part of the claim, the day on which the claimant accepts the proposal of the Court,

(c) in the case of a claim which is rejected by the Court pursuant to Article 11(1) the day on which a notice is issued by the High Court informing the claimant that the application for a European order for payment has been rejected,

shall be disregarded.

...

C5

Application of collectively cited Statutes of Limitations restricted (10.04.2002) by Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (13/2002), s. 13(10), commenced on enactment.

Award of Board.

13.— ...

(10) Where an applicant does not accept an award within the time and in the manner provided for in this section and proceeds with any right of action that he or she may have arising out of the same, or substantially the same, acts complained of in an application, the Minister, a public body or any other person, will not in such proceedings to which it is a party rely for the purposes of the Statutes of Limitations, on the period between—

(a) the date of the application to the Board by that applicant, and

(b) the date on which the applicant—

(i) abandoned his or her application,

(ii) was adjudged not entitled to an award under this Act,

(iii) rejected an award in accordance with subsection (4)(a) or subsection (5), or

(iv) rejected a decision of the Review Committee in accordance with section 15 (7) or section 15 (8),

whichever of such dates is the later, in bar of any right of recovery under such proceedings.

C6

Act adapted and applied (28.03.1996) by Domestic Violence Act 1996 (1/1996), s. 22, commenced as per s. 25.

Saving provisions.

22.(1) Where, by reason only of an interim barring order or a barring order, a person is not residing at a place during any period, that person shall be deemed, for the purposes of any rights under the Statutes of Limitation, 1957 and 1991, the Landlord and Tenant Acts, 1967 to 1994, and the Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Acts, 1982 and 1983, to be residing at that place during that period.

...

C7

Application of Act restricted (16.12.1991) by Liability for Defective Products Act 1991 (28/1991), s. 7, S.I. No. 316 of 1991.

Limitation of actions.

7.(1) An action for the recovery of damages under this Act shall not be brought after the expiration of three years from the date on which the cause of action accrued or the date (if later) on which the plaintiff became aware, or should reasonably have become aware, of the damage, the defect and the identity of the producer.

...

(4) The Statutes of Limitation, 1957 and 1991, shall apply to an action under this Act subject to the provisions of this section.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (4)

(a) subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to be a provision of the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act, 1991, of the kind referred to in section 2 (1) of that Act,

(b) injury” where it occurs in that Act except in section 2 (1) (b) thereof includes damage to property, and “person injured” and, “injured” shall be construed accordingly, and

(c) the reference in subsection (1) of this section to the date when the plaintiff became aware, or should reasonably have become aware, of the damage, the defect and the identity of the producer shall be construed in accordance with section 2 of that Act, but nothing in this paragraph shall prejudice the application of section 1 (3) of this Act.