(1)In this Act “the court” means the High Court or a county court, subject to the following provisions.
(2)The Lord Chancellor may by order make provision—
(a)allocating proceedings under this Act to the High Court or to county courts; or
(b)specifying proceedings under this Act which may be commenced or taken only in the High Court or in a county court.
(3)The Lord Chancellor may by order make provision requiring proceedings of any specified description under this Act in relation to which a county court has jurisdiction to be commenced or taken in one or more specified county courts.
Any jurisdiction so exercisable by a specified county court is exercisable throughout England and Wales or, as the case may be, Northern Ireland.
(4)An order under this section—
(a)may differentiate between categories of proceedings by reference to such criteria as the Lord Chancellor sees fit to specify, and
(b)may make such incidental or transitional provision as the Lord Chancellor considers necessary or expedient.
(5)An order under this section for England and Wales shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(6)An order under this section for Northern Ireland shall be a statutory rule for the purposes of the [S.I. 1979/1573 (N.I. 12).] Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament in like manner as a statutory instrument and section 5 of the [1946 c. 36.] Statutory Instruments Act 1946 shall apply accordingly.
(1)Part I of this Act applies to any arbitration agreement to which Her Majesty, either in right of the Crown or of the Duchy of Lancaster or otherwise, or the Duke of Cornwall, is a party.
(2)Where Her Majesty is party to an arbitration agreement otherwise than in right of the Crown, Her Majesty shall be represented for the purposes of any arbitral proceedings—
(a)where the agreement was entered into by Her Majesty in right of the Duchy of Lancaster, by the Chancellor of the Duchy or such person as he may appoint, and
(b)in any other case, by such person as Her Majesty may appoint in writing under the Royal Sign Manual.
(3)Where the Duke of Cornwall is party to an arbitration agreement, he shall be represented for the purposes of any arbitral proceedings by such person as he may appoint.
(4)References in Part I to a party or the parties to the arbitration agreement or to arbitral proceedings shall be construed, where subsection (2) or (3) applies, as references to the person representing Her Majesty or the Duke of Cornwall.
(1)The enactments specified in Schedule 3 are amended in accordance with that Schedule, the amendments being consequential on the provisions of this Act.
(2)The enactments specified in Schedule 4 are repealed to the extent specified.
(1)The provisions of this Act extend to England and Wales and, except as mentioned below, to Northern Ireland.
(2)The following provisions of Part II do not extend to Northern Ireland—
section 92 (exclusion of Part I in relation to small claims arbitration in the county court), and
section 93 and Schedule 2 (appointment of judges as arbitrators).
(3)Sections 89, 90 and 91 (consumer arbitration agreements) extend to Scotland and the provisions of Schedules 3 and 4 (consequential amendments and repeals) extend to Scotland so far as they relate to enactments which so extend, subject as follows.
(4)The repeal of the [1975 c. 3.] Arbitration Act 1975 extends only to England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
(1)The provisions of this Act come into force on such day as the Secretary of State may appoint by order made by statutory instrument, and different days may be appointed for different purposes.
(2)An order under subsection (1) may contain such transitional provisions as appear to the Secretary of State to be appropriate.
This Act may be cited as the Arbitration Act 1996.