The Civil Procedure Rules 1998

RSC ORDER 48 EXAMINATION OF JUDGMENT DEBTOR, ETC.

Order for examination of judgment debtor

Rule 1—(1) Where a person has obtained a judgment or order for the payment by some other person (hereinafter referred to as “ the judgment debtor”) of money, the Court may, on an application made without notice being served on any other party by the person entitled to enforce the judgment or order, order the judgment debtor or, if the judgment debtor is a body corporate, an officer thereof, to attend before such Master, Registrar, District Judge or nominated officer as the Court may appoint and be orally examined on the questions—

(a) whether any and, if so, what debts are owing to the judgment debtor; and

(b) whether the judgment debtor has any and, if so, what other property or means of satisfying the judgment or order;

and the Court may also order the judgment debtor or officer to produce any books or documents in the possession of the judgment debtor relevant to the questions aforesaid at the time and place appointed for the examination.

• In this paragraph “district judge” includes the district judge of a district registry or county court, and where the Court appoints such a district judge without specifying him personally, the examination may, if he thinks fit, be conducted on his behalf by a nominated officer of that registry or county court.

(2) An order under this rule must be served personally on the judgment debtor and on any officer of a body corporate ordered to attend for examination.

(3) Any difficulty arising in the course of an examination under this rule before a nominated officer, including any dispute with respect to the obligation of the person being examined to answer any question put to him, may be referred to the Senior Master or Practice Master (or, in the case of an examination at the principal registry of the Family Division, a district registry or a county court, a district judge of that registry, district registry or county court respectively) and he may determine it or give such directions for determining it as he thinks fit.

(4) In this rule “nominated officer” in relation to an examination which is to take place at the Central Office of the Supreme Court, the principal registry of the Family Division, a district registry or a county court means such of the officers of that Office, registry or county court of a grade not lower than that of higher executive officer as may be nominated for the purposes of this rule by the Senior Master, the Senior District Judge of the Family Division or the district judge of that district registry or county court respectively.

Examination of party liable to satisfy other judgment

Rule 2  Where any difficulty arises in or in connection with the enforcement of any judgment or order, other than such a judgment or order as is mentioned in rule 1, the Court may make an order under that rule for the attendance of the party liable to satisfy the judgment or order and for his examination on such questions as may be specified in the order, and that rule shall apply accordingly with the necessary modifications.

Examiner to make record of debtor’s statement

Rule 3  The officer conducting the examination shall take down, or cause to be taken down, in writing the statement made by the judgment debtor or other person at the examination, read it to him and ask him to sign it; and if he refuses the officer shall sign the statement.