Administration of Justice Act 1970

Supplementary

29 Extension of county court's power to make administration order

(1) Where, on an application to a county court for an attachment of earnings order to secure the payment of a judgment debt, it appears to the court that the debtor also has other debts, the court—

(a) shall consider whether the case may be one in which all the debtor's liabilities should be dealt with together and that for that purpose an order should be made for the administration of his estate ; and

(b) if of opinion that it may be such a case, shall have power (whether or not it makes the attachment of earnings order applied for), with a view to making an administration order, to order the debtor to furnish to the court a list of all his creditors and the amounts which he owes to them respectively.

(2) If, on receipt of the list referred to in subsection (1)(b) above, it appears to the court that the debtor's whole indebtedness amounts to not more than the amount for the time being specified in section 148(1) (b) of the [1959 c. 22.] County Courts Act 1959 (limit of total indebtedness governing county court's power to make administration order on application of debtor), the court may make such an order in respect of the debtor's estate, subject however to section 20(3) of the [1965 c. 2.] Administration of Justice Act 1965 (which requires that, before such an order is made, notice is to be given to all the creditors and thereafter restricts the right of any creditor to institute bankruptcy proceedings).

(3) Where under subsection (1) above a county court orders a person to furnish to it a list of all his creditors, the making of the order shall, for the purposes of the [1914 c. 59.] Bankruptcy Act 1914, be an act of bankruptcy by him.

(4) Nothing in this section is to be taken as prejudicing any right of a debtor to apply, under section 148 of the [1959 c. 22.] County Courts Act 1959, for an administration order.

(5) In Part VII of the said Act of 1959 (administration orders)—

(a) in section 153 (appropriation of money paid under administration order), paragraph (a) (which requires appropriation first in satisfaction of the plaintiff's costs) shall be omitted and, for the word " next " there shall be substituted the word " first "; and

(b) in section 156(1) (power of Lord Chancellor to make rules about administration orders), after the words " the objects of this Part of this Act" there shall be inserted the words " and section 29 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 ".

30 Consequential and transitional provisions

(1) Sections 11 and 12 of this Act shall not affect the validity of an order made, or warrant issued, by a court before the coming into force of those sections for the committal of a person to prison in respect of any description of liability for which there remains power under either of those sections for that or any other court to commit, nor affect the continuance of any proceedings, or the exercise of any power, in connection with such an order or warrant; but subject to this any order or warrant of committal made or issued by any court before the appointed day shall on that day cease to have effect if it is one which, in consequence of the said sections 11 and 12, that court would, on and after that day, have no jurisdiction to make.

(2) Any person who immediately before the appointed day was in custody under an order or warrant which ceases to have effect by virtue of subsection (1) above shall be discharged.

(3) As from the appointed day, an attachment of earnings order made before that day under Part II of the Act of 1958 (including an order made under that Part of that Act as applied by section 46 or 79 of the [1967 c. 80.] Criminal Justice Act 1967) shall take effect as an attachment of earnings order made under the corresponding power in this Part of this Act, and the provisions of this Part of this Act shall apply to it accordingly, so far as they are capable of doing so.

(4) Rules of court may make such provision as the rule-making authority considers requisite—

(a) for enabling an attachment of earnings order to which subsection (3) above applies to be varied so as to bring it into conformity, as from the appointed day, with the provisions of this Part of this Act, or to be replaced by an attachment of earnings order having effect as if made under the corresponding power in this Part of this Act;

(b) to secure that anything required or authorised by this Part of this Act to be done in relation to an attachment of earnings order made thereunder is required or, as the case may be, authorised to be done in relation to an attachment of earnings order to which the said subsection (3) applies.

(5) In this section, " the appointed day" means the day appointed under section 54 of this Act for the coming into force of this Part of this Act.