Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 Explanatory Notes

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

  1. Introduction

  2. Summary

  3. Overview

  4. Commentary

    1. Part 1: the Judiciary

      1. General

        1. Section 1: Guarantee of continued judicial independence

      2. Appointment and Removal

        1. Section 2: Introductory

        2. Section 3: Judicial Appointments Commission

        3. Section 4: Appointment to most senior judicial offices

        4. Section 5: Appointment to listed judicial offices

        5. Section 6: Removal from most senior judicial offices

        6. Section 7: Removal from listed judicial offices

        7. Section 8: Tribunals for considering removal

      3. Magistrates

        1. Section 9: Lay magistrates

        2. Section 10: Transfer of functions of justices of the peace

        3. Section 11: Transfer of functions of lay panellists

      4. Lord Chief Justice

        1. Section 12: Role of the Lord Chief Justice

        2. Sections 13-15: Presiding judges

        3. Section 16: Complaints about holders of judicial office

        4. Section 17: Secretaries to Lord Chief Justice

      5. Other Provisions

        1. Section 18: Qualification for appointment

        2. Section 19:  Judicial oath or affirmation

        3. Section 20:  Crown Solicitor

        4. Section 21: Judicial Pensions: pension sharing

    2. Part 2: Law Officers and Public Prosecution Service

      1. General

      2. Attorney General

        1. Section 22: Attorney General

        2. Section 23: Terms of appointment of Attorney General

        3. Section 24: Removal of Attorney General

        4. Section 25: Participation by Attorney General in Assembly proceedings

        5. Section 26: Annual report by Attorney General

      3. Advocate General

        1. Section 27: Advocate General

        2. Section 28: Functions of Advocate General

      4. Public Prosecution Service

        1. Section 29: Public Prosecution Service

        2. Section 30: Director of Public Prosecutions

        3. Section 31: Conduct of prosecutions

        4. Section 32: Discontinuance of proceedings before court appearance

        5. Section 33: Consents to prosecutions

        6. Section 34: Police complaints

        7. Section 35: Information for Director

        8. Section 36: Exercise of functions by and on behalf of Service

        9. Section 37: Code for Prosecutors

        10. Section 38: Equality and non-discrimination

        11. Section 39: Reports by Director

      5. Relationship of Director and Attorney General

        1. Section 40: Superintendence and removal of Director

        2. Section 41: Transfer of functions etc.

        3. Section 42: Independence of Director

        4. Section 43: Appointment and removal of Director by Attorney General

      6. Supplementary

        1. Section 44: Interpretation

    3. Part 3: Other New Institutions

      1. Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice

        1. Section 45: Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice

        2. Section 46: Functions of Chief Inspector

        3. Section 47: Further provisions about functions

        4. Section 48: Powers of inspectors

        5. Section 49: Reports

      2. Law Commission

        1. Section 50: Law Commission

        2. Section 51: Duties of Commission

        3. Section 52: Reports etc.

    4. Part 4: Youth Justice

      1. Aims

        1. Section 53: Aims of youth justice system

      2. New Orders

        1. Section 54: Reparation orders

        2. Section 55: Community responsibility orders

        3. Section 56: Custody care orders

      3. Youth Conferences

        1. General

        2. Section 57: Youth conferences and youth conference plans

        3. Section 58: Diversionary youth conferences

        4. Section 59: Court-ordered youth conferences

        5. Section 60: Youth conference orders

        6. Section 61: Legal aid for youth conferences

      4. Other Provisions

        1. Section 63: Extension of youth justice system to 17 year olds

        2. Section 64: Juvenile justice centre orders for 17 year olds

        3. Section 65: Consultation about detention

    5. Part 5: Miscellaneous

      1. Royal Arms and Flags

        1. Section 66: Display of the Royal Arms at courts

        2. Section 67: Flying of flags at court-houses

      2. Victims of Crime

        1. Section 68: Information about discharge and temporary release of prisoners

        2. Section 69: Views on temporary release

        3. Section 70: Supplementary

      3. Community Safety

        1. Section 71: Community safety strategy

        2. Section 72: Local community safety partnerships

      4. Civil Procedure

        1. Section 73: Constitution of Rules Committees

        2. Section 74: Appeals in small claims cases

        3. Section 75: Time limit for cases stated by county court

      5. Legal Aid

        1. Section 76: Exceptional legal aid

        2. Section 77: Proceedings before coroner

      6. Court Service

        1. Section 78: Power to abolish the Court Service

      7. Court Security

        1. Sections 79-81: Court security and court security officers

    6. Part 6: Supplementary

      1. Section 82: Excepted matters: judicial office-holders

      2. Section 83:  Reserved matters: new institutions

      3. Section 84: Assembly Acts about judiciary, law officers and prosecutions

      4. Section 89:  Transitionals and savings

      5. Section 90: Statutory rules

      6. Section 91: Extent

    7. Schedule 1: Listed Judicial Offices

    8. Schedule 2: Judicial Appointments Commission

    9. Schedule 3: Appointment to Listed Judicial Offices

    10. Schedule 4: Functions of Justices of the Peace

    11. Schedule 5: Transfer of Functions to Lord Chief Justice

    12. Schedule 6: Office-Holders Required to Take Judicial Oath

    13. Schedule 7: Functions of Advocate General

    14. Schedule 8: Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice

    15. Schedule 9: Law Commission

    16. Schedule 10: Youth Justice Orders: Enforcement Etc

    17. Schedule 11: Extension of Youth Justice System to 17 Year Olds

    18. Schedule 12: Minor and Consequential Amendments

    19. Schedule 13: Repeals and Revocations

  5. Commencement

  6. Hansard References

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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