The Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

Jurisdiction exercisable upon civil complaint N.I.

Nature of jurisdiction upon civil complaint N.I.

77.—(1) For the purposes of this Part “civil matters” means a matter in which proceedings, other than proceedings under Parts V to VII, may be brought before a court of summary jurisdiction.

(2) Proceedings in a civil matter shall be upon complaint and in accordance with this Part.

(3) Without prejudice to section 42 (2) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, where there is no express provision as to which court of summary jurisdiction shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine a complaint in a civil matter a court of summary jurisdiction shall have jurisdiction to hear the complaint if it relates to—

(a) anything done within the county court division for which the court sits;

(b) anything left undone that ought to have been done within that county court division;

(c) anything done or which ought to have been done either within that county court division or elsewhere by a person residing or carrying on a business within that county court division;

(d) any lands or premises situated within that county court division; or

(e) any matters arising within that county court division.

Time within which civil complaint must be made to give jurisdiction N.I.

78.—(1) Subject to this Article and Article 98(1) and to Article 35 of the Domestic Proceedings (Northern Ireland) Order 1980F1 and without prejudice to the provisions of any other enactment as to the time within which proceedings may be commenced, a court of summary jurisdiction shall not have jurisdiction to hear and determine a complaint in a civil matter unless the complaint is made within six months from the time when the cause of complaint arose, or, where the cause of complaint is a continuing one, from the time such cause last ceased to continue.

(2) Nothing in this Article shall prevent a court of summary jurisdiction from exercising the powers referred to in Article 86 at any time after an order for the periodical payment of money has been made.

F1 1980 NI 5