xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"

PART IJurisdiction

Jurisdiction of Northern Ireland Courts

11Jurisdiction of Northern Ireland courts to make affiliation orders

(1)A court in Northern Ireland shall have jurisdiction in proceedings under the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation Orders) Act (Northern Ireland), 1924, section twenty-one of the National Assistance Act (Northern Ireland), 1948, section twelve of the Welfare Services Act (Northern Ireland), 1949, or section one hundred and twenty-four of the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland), 1950, for an affiliation order against a man residing in England or Scotland, if the act of intercourse resulting in the birth of the child or any act of intercourse between the parties which may have resulted therein took place in Northern Ireland.

(2)Where the mother of a child resides in England or Scotland and the person alleged to be the father in Northern Ireland, a court of summary jurisdiction for the petty sessions district in which the person alleged to be the father resides shall have jurisdiction in proceedings by the mother for an affiliation order against him under the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation Orders) Act (Northern Ireland), 1924.

(3)A court in Northern Ireland shall have jurisdiction in proceedings by or against a person residing in England or Scotland for the revocation, revival or variation of an affiliation order made under any of the enactments mentioned in subsection (1) of this section.

(4)Notwithstanding anything in subsection (3) of section two of the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation Orders) Act (Northern Ireland), 1924, an application under that Act for an affiliation order in respect of a child born before the commencement of this Act may be made to a court having jurisdiction by virtue of subsection (1) of this section at any time within one year after the commencement of this Act if—

(a)the person alleged to be the father of the child ceased to reside in Northern Ireland before the expiration of one year from the birth of the child ; and

(b)the circumstances are such that if that person had become resident in Northern Ireland immediately before the application, the court would have had jurisdiction in proceedings under the said Act apart from the provisions of this section.