County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980

General civil jurisdiction N.I.

10.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part, a county court shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any action in which the amount claimed, or the value of specific chattels claimed, does not exceed [F1 £30,000] , including (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph) any action in which a balance not exceeding [F1 £30,000] is claimed—

(a) on foot of an account (including a partnership account);

(b) after allowances made for any amount admitted by the plaintiff to be due by him to the defendant (whether by way of set-off or on foot of a counterclaim or otherwise); or

(c) after the abandonment by the plaintiff of any sum by which the amount alleged to be due to him by the defendant exceeds [F1 £30,000] , so, however, that a decree in respect of any cause of action to which this sub-paragraph applies shall be, and be expressed to be, in full discharge of all demands in respect of that cause of action.

(2) A county court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any action claiming damages exceeding[F2 £3,000] in respect of libel or slander.

(3) A county court which is not a divorce county court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any cause or matter to which the Matrimonial Causes (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 [1978 NI 15] applies other than—

(a) an application made under Article 35, 38 or 40 of that Order which is required or, as the case may be, allowed by Article 35(4), 38(3) or 40(3) of that Order to be made to a county court;

(b) an application under section 17 of the Married Women's Property Act 1882 [1882 c.75] to which Article 55 of that Order applies; …

F3 Sub‐para. (c) rep. by 1980 NI 5

[F4 (3A) Except as provided by the Civil Partnership Act 2004, a county court which is not a civil partnership proceedings county court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any cause or matter to which that Act applies.]

(4) A county court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any Admiralty cause or matter.

(5) A county court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any action in which the title to any toll, fair, market or franchise is in question.

(6) A claim for the recovery of any rent or other sum not exceeding[F2 £15,000] due in respect of the use and occupation of any land may be joined with, and heard and determined together with, a claim under this Part for the recovery of that land.

F1 Word in art. 10(1) substituted (25.2.2013) by The County Courts (Financial Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2013 (S.R. 2013/18), arts. 1, 2(a) (with art. 5)

F2 SR 1993/282

F3 1980 NI 5

F4 2004 c. 33