Administration of Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1954

2 Ministry to be responsible, in place of county councils, for future provision and maintenance of courthouses. N.I.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, each council shall, in consideration of—

(a) the transfer to the Ministry of Home Affairs (in this Act referred to as “the Ministry”) of courthouses pursuant to the provisions of this Part of this Act; and

(b) the payment into the Exchequer of the funds referred to in Part II of this Act and the repeal of any enactment requiring any part of those funds to be paid to any council;

be relieved, as from the appointed day, of its functions, with respect to the provision, maintenance and equipment of courthouses and, as from that day, those functions shall be transferred to the Ministry and the Ministry shall be the authority responsible for the maintenance and equipment of courthouse accommodation, and for providing with the approval of the Ministry of FinanceF1 such new or additional courthouse accommodation as is necessary for the proper administration of justice.

(2) The Ministry shall have and may exercise all such powers as are necessary for or incidental to the carrying out of its functions under this Part of this Act or to enable it to discharge its responsibilities as aforesaid.

(3) Where it appears to the Ministry to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of this Act that any land should be acquired, the Ministry may, with the approval of the Ministry of FinanceF1 , acquire by agreement that land and any easement or right in or over any land adjacent thereto.

(4) The Ministry, with the approval of the Ministry of FinanceF1 , may, in whatsoever manner it may think fit, dispose of any premises which in the opinion of the Ministry are no longer necessary for courthouse accommodation, so, however, that where the Ministry so disposes of any premises before the day falling ten years after the appointed day and does not provide or has not provided other courthouse accommodation in lieu thereof the Ministry may pay the proceeds of such disposal to the council in whom such premises were vested immediately before the appointed day.

F1 Now Treasury, SI 1973/2163

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 2(1): functions transferred from Treasury or Minister for the Civil Service to Department of Finance and Personnel (12.4.2010) by Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/976), arts. 1(2), 15(4)(a) (with arts. 15(6), 28-31); S.I. 2010/977, art. 1(2)

C2 S. 2(3): functions transferred from Treasury or Minister for the Civil Service to Department of Finance and Personnel (12.4.2010) by Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/976), arts. 1(2), 15(4)(a) (with arts. 15(6), 28-31); S.I. 2010/977, art. 1(2)

C3 S. 2(4): functions transferred from Treasury or Minister for the Civil Service to Department of Finance and Personnel (12.4.2010) by Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/976), arts. 1(2), 15(4)(a) (with arts. 15(6), 28-31); S.I. 2010/977, art. 1(2)