Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975

22 Jurisdiction of county courts

(1) A county court shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any application for an order under section 2 of this Act (including any application for permission to apply for such an order and any application made, in the proceedings on an application for an order under the said section 2, for an order under any other provision of this Act) where it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that the value at the date of the death of the deceased of all property included in his net estate for the purposes of this Act by virtue of paragraph (a) of the definition thereof in section 25(1) of this Act does not exceed the sum of £5,000 or such larger sum as may from time to time be fixed for this purpose by order of the Lord Chancellor.

(2) Where a county court makes an order under section 2 of this Act, the court shall have all the jurisdiction of the High Court for the purpose of any further proceedings in relation thereto under section 6 of this Act.

(3) Rules of court may provide for the transfer from a county court to the High Court, or from the High Court to a county court, of any proceedings for an order under section 2 of this Act.

(4) Any order of the Lord Chancellor under subsection (1) above shall be made by statutory instrument, and a draft of the statutory instrument shall be laid before Parliament; and—

(a) in relation to proceedings commenced in a county court after the making but before the coming into force of any such order the court may, if it thinks fit, refuse to make an order under section 66 of the [1959 c. 22.] County Courts Act 1959 (transfer to High Court of proceedings outside jurisdiction of county court) if the proceedings are within the jurisdiction of the county court as extended by the order of the Lord Chancellor; but

(b) the coming into force of any such order of the Lord Chancellor shall not be taken to affect any order previously made under the said section 66.