Consultation on increasing the jurisdiction of county court

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Consultation opened on 04 February 2021. Closing date 30 April 2021.

Summary

The Department is seeking your views as to whether improvements could be made to the efficient disposal of civil cases by increasing the general civil jurisdiction of the county courts from its current limit of claims worth up to £30,000. A number of different options are outlined in the consultation which aim to make the system for making civil claims is more efficient, with cases are heard in the right court setting, consistent with their complexity and relative value. This should ensure appropriate access to justice for our citizens, supporting court users in the early and proportionate resolution of proceedings.

Documents

Consultation on increasing the jurisdiction of county court
PDF (257 KB)
General jurisdiction of the county court: Human rights impact assessment
PDF (53 KB)
Increasing the general civil jurisdiction in courts in NI: Regulatory impact assessment
PDF (186 KB)
Increasing the general civil jurisdiction of the county court: Equality screening
PDF (220 KB)
General civil jurisdiction of the county court:Rural needs impact assessment
PDF (107 KB)

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Consultation description

The consultation seeks views on the financial boundaries which govern which court tier hears civil claims, such as for personal injury and breach of contract.

The consultation is seeking the public’s views on a number of issues. These include options for the level of increase to the jurisdiction of county court and district judges which would move certain cases from the High Court in the future. The consultation also seeks views on increasing the jurisdiction of the small claims court, and increasing the jurisdiction of the county courts to hear defamation cases up to a value of £10,000.

We also want to hear your views as to whether clinical negligence cases should be reserved as a strictly High Court action or retain the current upper limit of £30,000, and whether county court judges should have a statutory power to remove cases from the county courts to the High Courts.

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