The Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005

Made: 17th March 2005

To be laid before Parliament

Coming into operation: 18th April 2005

We, the Family Proceedings Rules Committee, in exercise of the powers conferred on us by Article 12 of the Family Law (Northern Ireland) Order 1993[^f00001] hereby with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor, make the following Rules:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Rules may be cited as the Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 18th April 2005.

• (2) In these Rules “the principal Rules” means the Family Proceedings Rules (Northern Ireland) 1996[^f00002].

Amendment of the Principal Rules

2

The Principal Rules shall be amended as follows:

• (a) in rule 1.3 for the definition of “Master” there shall be substituted the following definition –

• “Master” means in relation to proceedings in the High Court, the Master (High Court) or the Master (Care and Protection) as the case may be; and in relation to proceedings in a county court a district judge;

; and

• (b) in rule 4.17 after paragraph (6) add the following new paragraph –

(7) The court may hold a directions appointment by telephone or by using any other method of direct oral communication.

Signed

Brian Kerr — Patrick Markey — John Gillen — R. McLaughlin — Dated 15th March 2005

Signed by the authority of the Lord Chancellor

I concur

Baroness Ashton of Upholland — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, — Department for Constitutional Affairs — Dated 17th March 2005

Explanatory note

(This Note is not part of the Rules)

These Rules amend the Family Proceedings Rules (Northern Ireland) 1996 to: –

• amend the definition of Master so that in relation to proceedings in the High Court it means Master (High Court) rather than Master (Probate and Matrimonial); and

• enable the court to hold a directions appointment by telephone or by using any other method of direct oral communication.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 1993/1576 (N.I. 6)

[^f00002]: S.R. 1996 No. 322