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Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Status:
Point in time view as at 01/07/1991.
Changes to legislation:
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the The High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991.
Changes to Legislation
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(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order makes new arrangements for the distribution of proceedings between the High Court and the county courts.
Article 2 abolishes many of the financial limitations on the jurisdiction of the county courts. In place of those limitations, articles 4 to 8 provide new criteria for determining where proceedings are to be commenced and tried and where judgments are to be enforced.
In particular, actions in respect of personal injuries must be commenced in a county court unless the claim is worth £50,000 or more (article 5) and certain proceedings under the Local Government Finance Act 1982 must be commenced in the High Court (article 6).
The Order provides (article 7) that actions worth less than £25,000 must normally be tried in a county court, and those worth £50,000 or more must normally be tried in the High Court, with those in between going either way, subject to the criteria laid down in article 7(5) for determining which level of court is the more appropriate for a particular case.
The value of an action for the purposes of these provisions as to commencement and trial is defined by articles 9 and 10.
For enforcement, article 8 provides that county court judgments for the payment of a sum of money of £5,000 or more must be enforced in the High Court, and may be enforced in the High Court if they are for £2,000 or more. Below that they must be enforced in a county court.
Several statutory provisions relating to county court jurisdiction limits are consequentially amended or repealed by the Schedule to the Order.
The Order does not affect family or Admiralty proceedings.
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