The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Rules)

These Rules amend the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (S.I. 2010/2955) (“the FPR”).

Rules 3, 5 to 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 18 to 20 amend the FPR to reflect the accession of King Charles III, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

Rules 4, 10 and 12 amend the FPR to provide for provision to be made in a practice direction (Practice Direction 27C) for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers to attend proceedings without the need for an order of the court.

Rule 8 amends Part 8 of the FPR to remove Chapter 9 (application for consent to marriage of a child or to registration of civil partnership of a child). It will not be possible to make an application under this Chapter when the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 (c. 28) comes into force.

Rule 14 amends rule 30.3 of the FPR to add an additional category of judge of the family court who may make an order that an application for permission to appeal may not be reconsidered at a hearing, where the judge has refused the application for permission to appeal, without a hearing, as being totally without merit.

Rule 17 amends rule 33.3 of the FPR to make provision about the content of a standard order which is issued on an application for the court to order such method of enforcement as the court may consider appropriate.