An employment tribunal in Northern Ireland has struck out a claim of age discrimination brought by Gareth Doherty against four public bodies. The decision, issued on 28 October 2026, was made on the grounds that the claimant had not actively pursued the case.

The respondents in the case were the Western Health and Social Care Trust, the Department of Finance, the Department of Health, and the HSC Pension Service. The claim was filed under case reference 41558/22IT.

The tribunal's judgment, dated 16 October 2025 but only issued to the parties on 28 October 2026, states that the claim is struck out because it has not been actively pursued by the claimant.

Employment Judge Kelly presided over the case. No further details of the alleged discrimination or the reasons for the lack of pursuit were provided in the published decision.

The strike out means the claim will not proceed to a full hearing. In employment tribunal proceedings, a case can be struck out if a claimant fails to actively pursue it, which can include missing deadlines or failing to respond to correspondence.

The Department of Finance and Department of Health are Northern Ireland government departments. The HSC Pension Service administers pension schemes for health and social care staff, and the Western Health and Social Care Trust is one of five health trusts in the region.