The County Court (Amendment No. 4) Rules 1991

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Rules)

These Rules amend the County Court Rules 1981 so as to—

(a) convert references to imperial units into approximate metric equivalents (rule 2);

(b) revoke provisions which are now contained in the Family Proceedings Rules 1991 (S.I. 1991/1247) (rule 3) which (together with section 40 of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, which is the provision under which those rules are made) will come into force on 14th October 1991;

(c) revise the arrangements for the closing of court offices during the Christmas period providing for all offices to be closed on Christmas Eve (rule 4);

(d) remove the requirement to file the plaint note (rules 5 and 9);

(e) make it clear (following the increase in the arbitration limit) that interim payments are not available in small claims (rule 6);

(f) make a number of miscellaneous amendments with respect to the provisions relating to cases transferred down from the High Court (rule 7), appeals (rule 11) and change of solicitor (rule 13) and to correct a wrong cross-reference in Order 25, rule 5(3) (rule 10) and errors in the County Court (Amendment No. 2) Rules 1991 (rule 8) and the County Court (Amendment No. 3) Rules 1991 (rule 12).