Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972

32 Transfer of orders. U.K.

(1) Where the prescribed officer of the registering court is of opinion that the payer under a registered order has ceased to reside within the jurisdiction of that court, then, unless he is of opinion that the payer has ceased to reside in the United Kingdom, he shall, subject to subsection (2) below, send a certified copy of the order and the related documents to the Secretary of State, and if he is of opinion that the payer has ceased to reside in the United Kingdom he shall send a notice to that effect to the Secretary of State.

(2) Where [F1 the appropriate officer] of the registering court, being a magistrates’ court, is of opinion that the payer is residing within the jurisdiction of another magistrates’ court in that part of the United Kingdom in which the registering court is, he shall transfer the order to that other court by sending a certified copy of the order and the related documents to [F1 the appropriate officer]of that other court and, subject to subsection (4) below, [F1 the appropriate officer]shall register the order in the prescribed manner in that court.

[F2 (2A) In subsection (2) above the “appropriate officer” means—

(a) in relation to a court in England and Wales, the justices’ chief executive for the court; and

(b) in relation to a court in Northern Ireland, the clerk of the court.]

(3) Where a certified copy of an order is received by the Secretary of State under this section and it appears to him that the payer under the order is still residing in the United Kingdom, he shall transfer the order to the appropriate court by sending the copy of the order and the related documents to the prescribed officer of the appropriate court and, subject to subsection (4) below, that officer shall register the order in the prescribed manner in that court.

(4) Before registering an order in pursuance of subsection (2) or (3) above an officer of a court shall take such steps as he thinks fit for the purpose of ascertaining whether the payer under the order is residing within the jurisdiction of the court, and if after taking those steps he is satisfied that the payer is not so residing he shall return the certified copy of the order and the related documents to the officer of the court or the Secretary of State, as the case may be, from whom he received them, together with a statement giving such information as he possesses as to the whereabouts of the payer.

(5) Where a certified copy of an order is received by the Secretary of State under this section and it appears to him that the payer under the order has ceased to reside in the United Kingdom he shall return the copy of the order and the related documents to the registering court.

(6) An officer of a court on registering an order in the court in pursuance of subsection (2) or (3) above shall give notice of the registration in the prescribed manner to the prescribed officer of the court in which immediately before its registration under this section the order was registered.

(7) The officer to whom notice is given under subsection (6) above shall on receiving the notice cancel the registration of the order in that court.

[F3 (7A) The Secretary of State on receiving notice under subsection (6) above shall send a copy of the registered order and of the related documents to the Secretary of the Law Society of Scotland who shall send the copy of the order and of the related documents to a solicitor practising in the registering court or to such other solicitor practising in Scotland as appears to the Secretary to be appropriate for the purpose of enabling the solicitor to take, on behalf of the person entitled to the payments for which the order provides, such steps as appear to the solicitor appropriate to enforce the order.

(7B) Where an order is registered in the sheriff court by virtue of subsection (3) above, any provision of the order by virtue of which the payments for which the order provides are required to be made through or to any officer or person on behalf of the person entitled thereto shall be of no effect so long as the order is so registered.]

(8) In this section—

• “the appropriate court”, in relation to a person residing in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, means a magistrates’ court within the jurisdiction of which that person is residing;

• “certificate of arrears” and “certified copy” have the same meanings respectively as in Part I of this Act;

• “payer”, in relation to a registered order, means the person liable to make payments under the order; and

• “related documents” means—

(a) the application on which the order was made;

(b) a certificate of arrears signed by the prescribed officer of the registering court;

(c) a statement giving such information as he possesses as to the whereabouts of the payer; and

(d) any relevant documents in his possession relating to the case.

(9) In the application of this section to Scotland—

(a) in subsection (1), for the words “within the jurisdiction of that court” there shall be substituted the words “in Scotland”;

(b) subsection (2) shall be omitted;

(c) in subsection (4), for the words “the officer of the court or the Secretary of State, as the case may be, from whom he received them” there shall be substituted the words “the Secretary of State”;

(d) at the end of subsection (6) there shall be inserted the words “and to the Secretary of State”;

[F4 (e) after subsection (7) there shall be inserted the following subsections:—

“(7A) The Secretary of State on receiving notice under subsection (6) above shall send a copy of the registered order and of the related documents to the secretary of the committee mentioned in section 31(1) of this Act, and the secretary shall thereupon send the copy of the order and of the related documents to a solicitor practising in the registering court, with a view to the solicitor’s taking on behalf of the person entitled to the payments for which the order provides such steps as appear to the solicitor appropriate to enforce the order.

(7B) Where an order is registered in the sheriff court by virtue of subsection (3) above, any provision of the order by virtue of which the payments for which the order provides are required to be made through or to any officer or person on behalf of the person entitled thereto shall be of no effect so long as the order is so registered”;]

(f) “appropriate court”, in relation to a person residing in Scotland, means the sheriff court within the jurisdiction of which that person is residing.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 32(2) substituted (1.4.2001) by 1999 c. 22 , s. 90 , Sch. 13 para. 79 (with s. 107 , Sch. 14 para. 7(2) ); S.I. 2001/916 , art. 2(a)(ii)

F2 S. 32(2A) inserted (1.4.2001) by 1999 c. 22 , s. 90 , Sch. 13 para. 79 (with Sch. 14 para. 7(2) ); S.I. 2001/916 , art. 2(a)(ii)

F3 S. 32(7A)(7B) inserted (S.) by Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 (c. 47, SIF 77:2) , ss. 45 , 46(4) , Sch. 3 para. 1(2) ( a )

F4 S. 32(9)( e ) repealed (S.) by Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 (c. 47, SIF 77:2) , ss. 45 , 46(4) , Sch. 3 para. 1(2) ( b ), Sch. 5