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GAZETTE
JULY-AUGUST
1979
Northern Ireland Courts
(The Ulster Commentary)
Principal remaining provisions of the Judicature
(Northern Ireland) Act came into operation on 18 April
last.
Main provisions of the Act relate to:
Transfer of ministerial responsibility for the administra-
tion of the courts from the Secretary of State to the Lord
Chancellor.
Creation of a reconstituted Supreme Court of
Judicature in Northern Ireland. In particular provision is
made for the creation of a new Family Division within the
High Court, and for the merging of die present Courts of
Appeal and Criminal Appeal.
Creadon of a new Crown Court to which will be
transferred all criminal cases on indictment, presendy
dealt with by Courts of Assize and County Courts.
Merging of the administrative staffs of each of the three
tiers of the present courts structure into an integrated
Northern Ireland Court Service.
Revision of the territorial boundaries of the courts to
relate them to local government boundaries (see below).
Creation of Circuit Registrars who will have a capacity
for minor judicial functions, in particular for hearing certain
claims up to £300 which are now within the capacity of
the County Courts. They will also have jurisdiction for
'small claims' up to £200 for which there is at present no
specific provision in Northern Ireland.
Under the new legislation the Lord Chancellor has
made an order specifying petty sessions boundaries.
County Court divisions will be formed from appropriate
groupings of new petty sessions districts, and these, in
turn, will be grouped to form new Circuits for Crown
Court and administrative purposes.
There will be 26 Petty Sessions districts based on 26
local government boundaries and there will be eight new
County Court Divisions based on groupings of local
government districts as follows:-
Londonderry
— Londonderry, Limavady, Magherafelt,
Strabane.
North Antrim
— Coleraine, Ballymoney, Moyle,
Ballymena, Antrim.
South Antrim —
Larne, Newtownabbey, Carrick-
fergus.
Fermanagh and Tyrone
— Cookstown, Omagh, Fer-
managh, Dungannon.
Armagh
—Craigavon, Armagh.
South Down
— Newry and Moume, Banbridge, Down.
Ards
— Lisburn, North Down, Ards, Castieragh.
Belfast -
Belfast.
Small Claims Courts cut out formality
Small claims courts, now set up in Northern Ireland,
enable two or more people in dispute to take it informally
before a third independent person, a Circuit Registrar.
This means that the dispute can be settled quickly and
cheaply (usually without the aid of a solicitor) but still
within the framework of the courts.
Circuit Registrars can deal with disputes where the
amount of money or the value of the goods involved is not
more than £200.
Some types of disputes, however, such as those
involving personal injuries, libel or slander, a legacy or
annuity, or the ownership of land must be taken to court
in the normal way.
This also applies to the property of a marriage, a
matter referred from the High Court, and undefended
summary and default civil bills.
Claims can be made for faulty goods, for un-
satisfactory workmanship or for damage to your
property.
Hearings at the Small Claims Court will usually be in
private, so that probably the claimant, the respondent and
the Circuit Registrar will be present in a small room in the
courthouse.
Those involved will normally sit at tables and there will
be no witness box.
For claims not exceeding £50 there is a fee of £2 and
for those exceeding £50 and not exceeding £200 the fee is
£5.
Application forms should be lodged at one of the Court
Offices. These are in Belfast (Crumlin Road), Armagh,
Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Londonderry and Omagh.
The necessary form can be obtained from any Court
Office or from the Citizens Advice Bureau or Trading
Standards Office.
If the claim is dealt with by arbitration and you are
successful there will be no costs. If you are not successful
you may have to pay the costs of the other party but these
will not exceed £22.
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