Courts Act 1971

Section 56.

SCHEDULE 10. E+W Transitional Provisions

Part I E+W Criminal Assize Courts and Courts of Quarter Sessions

1 (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, for the purpose of enabling proceedings instituted before the appointed day to be continued thereafter, and for preserving in other respects the continuity of the administration of justice, the Crown Court shall be treated as succeeding to, and being the same court as, all criminal assize courts and, except as respects functions not transferred to the Crown Court, all courts of quarter sessions.

(2) Any order, writ, summons, warrant, recognizance, notice, grant of legal aid or other proceeding or document shall have effect in accordance with sub-paragraph (1) above, and shall be construed, unless the context otherwise requires, in accordance with the Table in Part I of Schedule 8 to this Act.

(3) In any proceedings in which a magistrates’ court has committed a person for trial at, or otherwise given direction as respects the hearing of proceedings by, a specified court of assize or court of quarter sessions, the place and time of trial of the proceedings in the Crown Court shall be determined in accordance with directions given by or on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor.

Part-heard proceedings E+W

2 (1) Any proceeding the hearing of which has begun but is not completed before the appointed day before a criminal court of assize or before a court of quarter sessions shall, subject to the provisions of this paragraph, be continued and disposed of as if this Act had not been passed.

(2) Sub-paragraph (1) above shall not affect the provisions of Schedule 3 to this Act as to the provision of court accomodation.

(3) A local or other authority shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the Lord Chancellor in respect of any expenditure incurred by the authority in consequence of sub-paragraph (1) above which, but for the provisions of that sub-paragraph, would have been payable by the Lord Chancellor or some other Minister.

Costs in criminal cases E+W

3 Nothing in this Act shall affect any order made before the appointed day for the payment of costs our of local funds within the meaning of the M1 Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1952, and except so far as the Lord Chancellor otherwise directs, any such costs shall be taxable and recoverable as if this Act had not been passed.

Marginal Citations

M1 1952 c. 48.

Records of courts of quarter sessions E+W

4 Before the appointed day the clerk of the peace of each court of quarter sessions shall make arrangements, in accordance with directions given by or on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, for the disposal in accordance with those directions of all records in his custody or control which relate to the judicial business of the court of quarter sessions.

Part II E+W Courts: Miscellaneous

Civil courts of assize E+W

5 (1) Subject to any provision made by rules of court, and to sub-paragraph (2) below—

(a) any civil proceedings which had been begun in a court of assize before the appointed day may be continued on and after the appointed day in the High Court as if they had been begun in the High Court and not assigned to a court of assize, and

(b) any act, judgment or order in civil proceedings in a court of assize shall be treated as having been done in accordance with the rules applicable to proceedings in the High Court, other than in a court of assize.

(2) Any civil proceedings in a court of assize the hearing of which has begun but is not completed before the appointed day shall be continued and disposed of as if this Act had not passed.

Directions by Lord Chief Justice E+W

6 (1) The Lord Chief Justice may if it appears to him expedient give directions as to the conduct of any proceedings instituted in any court abolished by this Act if in his opinion the direction is required to meet any difficulty arising from the transfer by this Act of the jurisdiction of any of those courts.

(2) The preceeding provisions of this Schedule, and the provisions of Schedule 5 to this Act, shall have effect subject to any direction under this paragraph.

(3) A direction under this paragraph may relate either to a specified proceeding, or to proceedings of a specified class or description.

Part III E+W County Court Judges

7 Each person who, immediately before the appointed day, held office as judge for a county court district shall be treated, on and after that day, as having been assigned to that district (in his capacity as a Circuit judge) under section 20(1) of this Act.

8 Notwithstanding anything in section 20(4) of this Act, the termination by virtue of that section of a person’s appointment as temporary or deputy judge of a county court shall not prevent him from continuing to deal with any case which had been begun before him before the appointed day; and for the purposes of that case and of any proceedings subsequent thereon he shall continue, on and after the appointed day, to be treated as a temporary or deputy judge of the county court concerned as if section 20(4) of this Act and the repeal of the provisions of the M2 County Courts Act 1959 relating to temporary and deputy judges of county courts had not been enacted.

Marginal Citations

M2 1959 c. 22.

Part IV E+W Judges, Officers and Staff

Continuation of appointments E+W

9 (1) The repeals made by this Act shall not affect the appointment of any judge, officer or other person made before the repeal takes effect, but without prejudice to any provision of this Act abolishing any office or employment. E+W

(2) The repeals made by this Act shall not affect any pension or other right in respect of service before the repeal takes effect.

Jury service E+W

10 The abolition by this Act of the offices of clerk of assize, clerk of the peace and other offices shall not affect the operation of section 16 of the M3 Criminal Justice Act 1967 (under which certain persons are exempt from jury service for ten years after ceasing to hold office).

Marginal Citations

M3 1967 c. 80.

11, 12. E+W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 10 paras. 11, 12 repealed by Judicial Pensions Act 1981 (c. 20, SIF 71:2), s. 36(2), Sch. 4

13, 14. E+W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

Textual Amendments

F2 Sch. 10 paras. 13, 14 repealed by Superannuation Act 1972 (c. 11), Sch. 8

15 (1) In relation to any person who, before the day appointed for the coming into force of section 44(1)(a) of this Act held office as a clerk of the peace or a deputy clerk of the peace, the repeal by this Act of— E+W

(a) section 9(2) of the M4 Local Government (Clerks) Act 1931,

(b) any provision of the M5 Local Government Superannuation Act 1937,

(C) any provision of the M6 Local Government Superannuation Act 1953, and

(d) sections 8 and 29 of the M7 Administration of Justice Act 1964.

shall not affect the continued operation of those provisions or of any regulations made under them so far as they relate to rights accrued, contributions made and other things done before that day.

(2) Without prejudice to sub-paragraph (1) above, for the purposes of—

(a) any statutory provision contained in or made or issued under the Local Government Superannuation Acts 1937 to 1953, the M8 Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1948 or Part III of the M9 National Insurance Act 1965, which is in force at the passing of this Act, and

(b) except as may be otherwise expressly provided therein, any enactments passed after the passing of this Act whereby any of those Acts is amended, extended or superseded, and any statutory instrument which after the passing of this Act is made or issued under any of those Acts or such an enactment,

in any case where, at the time after the day appointed for the purposes of section 44(1) of this Act, a court of quarter sessions would, if this Act had not been passed, have been the employing authority in relation to a clerk of the peace, deputy clerk of the peace or other officer of the court who before that day died while serving, or otherwise ceased to serve, in that employment, or in relation to the widow or any other dependant of such a person, the relevant local authority, as defined in sub-paragraph (3) below, shall be treated as being at that time the employing authority in relation to that person or, as the case may be, to that person’s widow or other dependant.

(3) In sub-paragraph (2) above “the relevant local authority” means—

(a) in relation to a person, or the widow or other dependant of a person, who was clerk of the peace or deputy clerk of the peace for a London commission area or who was otherwise an officer of the court of quarter sessions for such an area, the Greater London Council; and

(b) in relation to any person, or the widow or other dependant of any person, not falling within paragraph (a) above, the county council which, immediately before the day appointed for the purposes of section 44(1) of this Act, defrayed expenditure of the court of quarter sessions concerned under section 29(9) of the M10 Administration of Justice Act 1964.

Marginal Citations

M4 1931 c. 45.

M5 1937 c. 68.

M6 1953 c. 25.

M7 1964 c. 42.

M8 1948 c. 33.

M9 1965 c. 51.

M10 1964 c. 42.

16 (1) The Lord Chancellor may, with the concurrence of the Minister for the Civil Service, give a direction with respect to any clerk, bailiff, usher or messenger of a county court appointed by the registrar of that court under the proviso to section 28(1) of the M11 County Courts Act 1959 (which relates to the case where the registrar’s salary includes the remuneration of any such officer) or deemed to have been so appointed by virtue of section 205 of that Act; and where a direction is so given then, subject to sub-paragraph (2) below, that person’s employment in court service shall be deemed for all purposes to be employment in the civil service of the State . . . F3 E+W

(2) Except in so far as the Minister for the Civil Service directs in any case, no account shall be taken for the purposes of this paragraph of court service before the [F4 giving of the direction under sub-paragraph (1) above].

(3) For the purpose of this paragraph “court service” means employment as a clerk, bailiff, usher or messenger in the service of a county court, whether or not combined with employment as a clerk in the service of a district registry of the High Court.

Textual Amendments

F3 Words repealed by Superannuation Act 1972 (c. 11), Sch. 8

F4 Words substituted by Superannuation Act 1972 (c. 11), Sch. 6 para. 81(b)

Marginal Citations

M11 1959 c. 22.

Seconding of staff from local or other authorities E+W

17 (1) This paragraph has effect in order to meet any temporary shortage of staff to be appointed by the Lord Chancellor for the Supreme Court or county courts which may arise in the course of bringing the provisions of this Act into force.

(2) A local or other authority may enter into any agreement with the Lord Chancellor for the placing at the disposal of the Lord Chancellor, on such terms as may be provided by the agreement, of the services of any person who is employed by the authority and who gives his consent.

(3) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that for superannuation purposes service rendered by a person whose services are placed at the disposal of the Lord Chancellor in pursuance of this paragraph is service rendered to the authority by whom that person is employed.

(4) This paragraph applies whether or not the staff to be placed at the disposal of the Lord Chancellor were employed in the discharge by the authority of duties of which the authority will be relieved by this Act, and is without prejudice to any other power exercisable by the authority for the purposes set out in sub-paragraph (2) above.