County Courts Act 1984

147 Interpretation. E+W

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

• “action” means any proceedings in [F1 the county court] which may be commenced as prescribed by plaint;

• F2 ...

• [F3 “Admiralty proceedings” means proceedings which, if commenced in the High Court, would involve the exercise of the High Court's Admiralty jurisdiction;]

• F4 ...

• “the county court limit” means—

  (a)

  in relation to any enactment contained in this Act for which a limit is for the time being specified by an Order under section 145, that limit,

  (b)

  F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  (c)

  in relation to any enactment contained in this Act and not within paragraph (a) F5 . . ., the county court limit for the time being specified by any other Order In Council or order defining the limit of county court jurisdiction for the purposes of that enactment;

• F6 . . .

• [F7 “court” means the county court;]

• [F8 “ deposit-taking institution ” means a person who may, in the course of his business, lawfully accept deposits in the United Kingdom; ]

• F9 ...

• F10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• “hearing” includes trial, and “Hear” and “Heard” shall be construed accordingly;

• “hereditament” includes both a corporeal and an incorporeal hereditament;

• F11 ...

• “judgment summons” means a summons issued on the application of a person entitled to enforce a judgment or order under section 5 of the M1 Debtors Act 1869 requiring a person, or where two or more persons are liable under the judgment or order, requiring any one or more of them, [F12 to attend court];

• “landlord”, in relation to any land, means the person entitled to the immediate reversion or, if the property therein is held in joint tenancy, any of the persons entitled to the immediate reversion;

• [F13 “ legal representative ”means [F14 a person who, for the purposes of the Legal Services Act 2007, is an authorised person in relation to an activity which constitutes the exercise of a right of audience or the conduct of litigation (within the meaning of that Act); ]]

• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F15

• “matter” means every proceeding in [F1 the county court] which may be commenced as prescribed otherwise than by plaint;

• “officer”, [F16 in relation to the county court, means any clerk,] bailiff, usher or messenger in the service of that court;

• F17 ...

• “party” includes every person served with notice of, or attending, any proceeding, whether named as a party to that proceeding or not;

• “prescribed” means prescribed by [F18 rules of court];

• F19 ...

• F20 ...

  “proceedings” includes both actions and matters;

• F19 ...

• “return day” means the day appointed in any summons or proceeding for the appearance of the defendant or any other day fixed for the hearing of any proceedings;

• F6 . . .

• “ship” includes any description of vessel used in navigation;

• “solicitor” means solicitor of the [F21 Senior Courts];

• F22 . . .

• F22 . . .

[F23 (1A) The definition of “deposit-taking institution” in subsection (1) must be read with—

(a) section 22 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000;

(b) any relevant order under that section; and

(c) Schedule 2 to that Act.]

(2), (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F24

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in ss. 36-147 substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(1)(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F2 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(a); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F3 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F4 Words in s. 147(1) repealed (6.4.2014) by Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (c. 15), s. 148, Sch. 13 para. 82, Sch. 23 Pt. 3 (with s. 89); S.I. 2014/768, art. 2(1)(b)

F5 Words in s. 147(1) repealed by S.I. 1991/724, art. 2(8), Schedule Part I

F6 Definitions in s. 147(1) omitted (26.4.1999) by 1997 c. 12, s. 10, Sch. 2 para. 2(9); S.I. 1999/1009, art. 3(j)

F7 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(c); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F8 Definition of "deposit-taking institution" in s. 147(1) substituted (1.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3649, arts. 1, 296(2)

F9 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(d); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F10 S. 147(1): definition repealed (4.1.2005) by Courts Act 2003 (c. 39), ss. 109(1)(3), 110(1), Sch. 8 para. 277, Sch. 10; S.I. 2004/3123, art. 2(b)(iii)(c)(iii)

F11 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(e); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F12 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (25.3.2002) by The Civil Procedure (Modification of Enactments) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/439), art. 9

F13 Definition in s. 147(1) added (1.4.1991) by Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41, SIF 37,) s. 125(3), Sch. 18 para. 49(1); S.I. 1991/608, art. 2, Sch.

F14 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (1.1.2010) by Legal Services Act 2007 (c. 29), ss. 208(1), 211(2), Sch. 21 para. 61 (with ss. 29, 192, 193); S.I. 2009/3250, art. 2(h) (with art. 9)

F15 Words in s. 147(1) repealed by Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 (c. 42, SIF 49:3), s. 46(3), Sch. 3

F16 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(f); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F17 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(g); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F18 Words in s. 147 substituted (27.4.1997) by 1997 c. 12, s. 10, Sch. 2 para. 2(2); S.I. 1997/841, arts. 3(b), 4(c)

F19 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(h); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F20 Words in s. 147(1) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 10(68)(i); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F21 Words in s. 147(1) substituted (1.10.2009) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 59(5), 148(1), Sch. 11 para. 4; S.I. 2009/1604, art. 2(b)(d)

F22 Definitions in s. 147(1) repealed (5.11.1993) by 1993 c. 50, s. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pt. XIV Group 2.

F23 S. 147(1A) inserted (1.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3649, arts. 1, 296(3)

F24 S. 147(2)(3) repealed by S.I. 1990/776, art. 3, Sch. 1

Marginal Citations

M1 1869 c. 62.