LegalizeThe County Courts (Financial Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 1992
Made: 21st August 1992
Coming into operation: 1st November 1992
The Lord Chancellor, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Article 22(1) of the County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980[^f00001], after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, hereby makes the following Order:—
Citation and commencement
1
This Order may be cited as the County Courts (Financial Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 1992 and shall come into operation on 1st November 1992.
Increase of financial limits of civil jurisdiction of county courts
2
In the statutory provisions set out in column 1 of the Schedule (which prescribe financial limits relating to the jurisdiction of county courts) for the figures set out in column 2 of that Schedule (wherever they occur) there shall be substituted the figures set out in column 3 of that Schedule.
Revocation
3
The County Courts (Financial Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 1982[^f00002] is hereby revoked.
SCHEDULE — Increase of Financial Limits of Civil Jurisdiction of County Courts
| Statutory Provisions | Existing Limit of Jurisdiction | New Limit of Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| The Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1836 (c. 116) | ||
| section 168 (contracts for public work) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| The Landed Property Improvements (Ireland) Act 1847 (c. 32) | ||
| section 40 (recovery of rent-charge) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| The Landlord and Tenant Law Amendment (Ireland) Act 1860 (c. 154) | ||
| section 45 (action for rent in arrear) | £ 500 | £ 1,000 |
| section 46 (action for use and occupation) | £ 500 | £ 1,000 |
| section 52 (ejectment for year’s rent unpaid) | £ 500 | £ 1,000 |
| section 72 (ejectment for overholding) | £ 500 | £ 1,000 |
| The Administration of Estates Act (Northern Ireland) 1955 (c. 24) | ||
| section 43(2) (jurisdiction of county court) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| £ 2,000 | £ 4,000 | |
| The Land Development Values (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 (c. 23) | ||
| section 22(5)(a) and (b) (payment into court) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| The Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (c. 35) | ||
| section 38(7)(a) and (b) (payment into court) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| The Registration of Deeds Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 (c. 25) | ||
| section 17(1)(a) and (b) (breach of statutory duty by registry officials) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| The Consumer Credit Act 1974 (c. 39) | ||
| section 139(7)(b) (re-opening of extortionate agreements) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (S.I. 1979/924 (N.I. 8)) | ||
| Article 24(1) (jurisdiction of county courts) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| The County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980 (S.I. 1980/397 (N.I. 3)) | ||
| Article 10(1) (general civil jurisdiction) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| Article 10(2) (libel and slander) | £ 1,000 | £ 2,000 |
| Article 10(6) (recovery of rent) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| Article 11(2)(a) (gross value of estate) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 11(2)(b) (legacies and annuities) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| Article 11(2)(c) (legacies etc. charged on land) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
| Article 11(3) (charitable donations) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(a) (equity:administration of estates) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(b) (equity:administration of trusts) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(d) (equity:specific performance) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(e) (equity:relief against fraud, mistake) | £15,000 | £ 30,000 |
| Article 14(f) (equity:partnerships) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(i) (equity:proceedings under Settled Land Acts) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(k) (equity:Trustee Act (Northern Ireland) 1958) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(l) (equity:infants) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 14(m) (equity:construction of deeds, wills, etc.) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 16(1)(b) (administration pendente lite) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 17(1) (representatives to lodge accounts if required) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 19 (payment into court by trustees) | £15,000 | £30,000 |
| Article 30(1) (general civil jurisdiction exercisable by District Judges) | £ 1,000 | £ 2,000 |
| Article 30(3) (civil jurisdiction exercisable by District Judges:arbitration) | £ 500 | £ 1,000 |
| The Judgments Enforcement (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/226 (N.I. 6)) | ||
| Article 107(2)(a)(i) (committal for default) | £ 5,000 | £10,000 |
Signed
Mackay of Clashfern, C. — Dated 21st August 1992
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Order.)
This Order increases the financial limits of civil jurisdiction of county courts in Northern Ireland.
In particular the limits are increased:—
- (a) from £5,000 to £10,000 in actions founded on tort or contract and in actions for money recoverable by statute;
- (b) from £15,000 to £30,000 in equity matters;
- (c) from £500 to £1,000 in respect of arbitrations (small claims);
- (d) from £1,000 to £2,000 in actions for libel or slander;
- (e) from £5,000 to £10,000 in respect of extortionate credit agreements under section 139 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974; and
- (f) from £500 to £1,000, the annual value of lands in respect of which actions may be brought in the county court under sections 45, 46, 52 and 72 of the Landlord and Tenant Law Amendment (Ireland) Act 1860.
Footnotes
[^f00001]: S.I. 1980/397 (N.I. 3)
[^f00002]: S.R. 1982 No. 122
Reading this document does not replace reading the official text published on legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies arising from the conversion of the original CLML XML to this format.