The Civil Procedure Rules 1998

[F1 GENERAL E+W

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 36 substituted (6.4.2015) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 8) Rules 2014 (S.I. 2014/3299), rule 2(c), Sch. 1 (with rule 18)

Scope of this Section E+W

36.2— (1) [F2 This Section—

(a) applies to an offer to settle to which Section II of this Part applies, unless otherwise stated; but

(b) does not apply to an offer to settle to which Section III applies.]

(2) Nothing in this Section prevents a party making an offer to settle in whatever way that party chooses, but if the offer is not made in accordance with rule 36.5, it will not have the consequences specified in this Section.

(Rule 44.2 requires the court to consider an offer to settle that does not have the costs consequences set out in this Section in deciding what order to make about costs.)

(3) A Part 36 offer may be made in respect of the whole, or part of, or any issue that arises in—

(a) a claim, counterclaim or other additional claim; or

(b) an appeal or cross-appeal from a decision made at a trial.

(Rules 20.2 and 20.3 provide that counterclaims and other additional claims are treated as claims and that references to a claimant or a defendant include a party bringing or defending an additional claim.)

Textual Amendments

F2 Rule 36.2(1) substituted (1.10.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/572), rules 1(1), 12(3) (with rule 2)

Definitions E+W

36.3.   In this Section—

(a) the party who makes an offer is the “offeror”;

(b) the party to whom an offer is made is the “offeree”;

(c) a “trial” means any trial in a case whether it is a trial of all issues or a trial of liability, quantum or some other issue in the case;

(d) a trial is “in progress” from the time when it starts until the time when judgment is given or handed down;

(e) a case is “decided” when all issues in the case have been determined, whether at one or more trials;

(f) “trial judge” includes the judge (if any) allocated in advance to conduct a trial; and

(g) “the relevant period” means—

(i) in the case of an offer made not less than 21 days before a trial, the period specified under rule 36.5(1)(c) or such longer period as the parties agree;

(ii) otherwise, the period up to the end of such trial.

Application of Part 36 to appeals E+W

36.4.— (1) Except where a Part 36 offer is made in appeal proceedings, it shall have the consequences set out in this Section only in relation to the costs of the proceedings in respect of which it is made, and not in relation to the costs of any appeal from a decision in those proceedings.

(2) Where a Part 36 offer is made in appeal proceedings, references in this Section to a term in the first column below shall be treated, unless the context requires otherwise, as references to the corresponding term in the second column—

Term	Corresponding term
Claim	Appeal
Counterclaim	Cross-appeal
Case	Appeal proceedings
Claimant	Appellant
Defendant	Respondent
Trial	Appeal hearing
Trial judge	Appeal judge]