PART 30TRANSFER

Annotations:
Amendments (Textual)
Contents of this Part

Scope of this Part

Rule 30.1

Transfer F16within the County Court and the High Court

Rule 30.2

Criteria for a transfer order

Rule 30.3

Procedure

Rule 30.4

Transfer between Divisions and to and from a specialist list

Rule 30.5

Power to specify place where hearings are to be held

Rule 30.6

Transfer of control of money in court

Rule 30.7

Certiorari or prohibition

Rule 30.8

Scope of this PartI130.1

F21

This Part deals with the transfer of proceedings F17within the County Court, between the High Court and F34the County Court and within the High Court.

F14...

F32

F11Practice Direction 30 makes provision about the transfer of proceedings between the court and a tribunal.

Transfer F18within the County Court and the High CourtI230.2

1

F19In the County Court, a court may order that proceedings, or any part of them (such as a counterclaim or an application made in the proceedings), F20may be transferred to another F21County Court hearing centre if it is satisfied that—

a

an order should be made having regard to the criteria in rule 30.3; or

b

proceedings for

i

the detailed assessment of costs; or

ii

the enforcement of a judgment or order,

could be more conveniently or fairly taken F22elsewhere.

F232

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

An application for an order under paragraph (1) F24... must be made to the F25County Court hearing centre where the claim is proceeding.

4

The High Court may, having regard to the criteria in rule 30.3, order proceedings in the Royal Courts of Justice or a district registry, or any part of such proceedings (such as a counterclaim or an application made in the proceedings), to be transferred—

a

from the Royal Courts of Justice to a district registry; or

b

from a district registry to the Royal Courts of Justice or to another district registry.

5

A district registry may order proceedings before it for the detailed assessment of costs to be transferred to another district registry if it is satisfied that the proceedings could be more conveniently or fairly taken in that other district registry.

6

An application for an order under paragraph (4) or (5) must, if the claim is proceeding in a district registry, be made to that registry.

7

Where some enactment, other than these Rules, requires proceedings to be started F26by sending, or making, the claim or application to a particular County Court hearing centre, paragraph (1) does not give the court power to order proceedings to be transferred elsewhere.

8

Probate proceedings may only be transferred under paragraph (4) to the Chancery Division at the Royal Courts of Justice or to one of the Chancery district registries.

Criteria for a transfer orderI330.3

1

Paragraph (2) sets out the matters to which the court must have regard when considering whether to make an order under—

a

s.40(2), 41(1) or 42(2) of the County Courts Act 198436 (transfer between the High Court and F33the County Court );

b

rule 30.2(1) (transfer F28within the County Court); or

c

rule 30.2(4) (transfer between the Royal Courts of Justice and the district registries).

2

The matters to which the court must have regard include—

a

the financial value of the claim and the amount in dispute, if different;

b

whether it would be more convenient or fair for hearings (including the trial) to be held in some other court;

c

the availability of a judge specialising in the type of claim in question F36and in particular the availability of a specialist judge sitting in an appropriate regional specialist court;

d

whether the facts, legal issues, remedies or procedures involved are simple or complex;

e

the importance of the outcome of the claim to the public in general;

F13f

the facilities available to the court at which the claim is being dealt with, particularly in relation to—

i

any disabilities of a party or potential witness;

ii

any special measures needed for potential witnesses; or

iii

security;

F1g

whether the making of a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998 has arisen or may arise;

F5h

in the case of civil proceedings by or against the Crown, as defined in rule 66.1(2), the location of the relevant government department or officers of the Crown and, where appropriate, any relevant public interest that the matter should be tried in London.

F153

Where in proceedings F27in the County Court the court considers that there is a real possibility that a party would in the course of the proceedings be required to disclose material the disclosure of which would be damaging to the interests of national security, the court must transfer the proceedings to the High Court.

ProcedureI430.4

1

Where the court orders proceedings to be transferred, F29it will give notice of that transfer to all the parties.

2

An order made before the transfer of the proceedings shall not be affected by the order to transfer.

F383

Where—

a

proceedings for the enforcement of a judgment or order for possession of land are transferred by the County Court to the High Court; and

b

the land which is the subject of the possession order is located within the area of a District Registry,

then, unless the court orders otherwise on or following transfer, the transfer shall be to that District Registry and all applications made in the High Court in relation to such transferred proceedings (including for any stay or suspension of any writ) shall be made in that District Registry.

Transfer between Divisions and to and from a specialist listI530.5

1

The High Court may order proceedings in any Division of the High Court to be transferred to another Division.

F82

A judge dealing with claims in a specialist list may order proceedings to be transferred to or from that list.

3

An application for the transfer of proceedings to or from a specialist list must be made to a judge dealing with claims in that list.

F354

An order for transfer of proceedings between the Chancery Division and a F40King’s Bench Division specialist list may only be made with the consent of the Chancellor of the High Court.

Power to specify place where hearings are to be heldI630.6

The court may specify the place (for instance, a particular F30County Court hearing centre) where the trial or some other hearing in any proceedings is to be held and may do so without ordering the proceedings to be transferred.

F10(Practice Direction 54D F12... contains provisions about where hearings may be held in proceedings in the Administrative Court.)

Transfer of control of money in courtI730.7

The court may order that control of any money held by it under rule 21.11 (control of money recovered by or on behalf of a child or F9protected party) be transferred to another court F31or County Court hearing centre if that court F32or hearing centre would be more convenient.

F4Transfer of competition law claims30.8

1

This rule applies if, in any proceedings in the F41King’s Bench Division F7(other than proceedings in the Commercial or Admiralty Courts), a district registry of the High Court or F33the County Court, a party’s statement of case raises an issue relating to the application F39of Chapter I or II of Part I of the Competition Act 1998.

2

Rules 30.2 and 30.3 do not apply.

3

The court must transfer the proceedings to the Chancery Division of the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice.

F64

If any such proceedings which have been commenced in the F42King’s Bench Division or a F37Circuit Commercial Court fall within the scope of rule 58.1(2), any party to those proceedings may apply for the transfer of the proceedings to the Commercial Court, in accordance with rule 58.4(2) and rule 30.5(3). If the application is refused, the proceedings must be transferred to the Chancery Division of the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice.