The Children (Allocation of Proceedings) (Amendment) Order 2005

Statutory Instruments

2005 No. 520

FAMILY PROCEEDINGS, ENGLAND AND WALES

The Children (Allocation of Proceedings) (Amendment) Order 2005

Made

4th March 2005

Laid before Parliament

8th March 2005

Coming into force

1st April 2005

The Lord Chancellor, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 92(9) and (10) of, and Part I of Schedule 11 to, the Children Act 1989(1) hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement, interpretation and application

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Children (Allocation of Proceedings) (Amendment)Order 2005 and shall come into force on 1st April 2005.

(2) Any reference in this Order to an article or Schedule by number alone is a reference to the article or Schedule so numbered in the Children (Allocation of Proceedings) Order 1991(2).

Amendments to the Children (Allocation of Proceedings) Order 1991

2.  In article 1(2)—

(a) omit the definition of “London commission area”; and

(b) for the definition of “petty sessions area” substitute—

““local justice area” has the same meaning as in the Courts Act 2003(3); and”.

3.  In article 9(1) and article 18(3) for “petty sessions area or London commission area” substitute “local justice area”.

4.  In Schedule 1—

(a) At the beginning of the Schedule insert—

“London Region

• Barnet County Court

• Bow County Court

• Brentford County Court

• Bromley County Court

• Croydon County Court

• Edmonton County Court

• Ilford County Court

• Kingston-upon-Thames County Court

• Romford County Court

• Wandsworth County Court

• Willesden County Court”;

(b) for “Midland Circuit” substitute “Midlands Region”;

(c) for “Northern Circuit” substitute “North West Region”;

(d) for “North Eastern Circuit” substitute “North East Region”;

(e) for “South Eastern Circuit” substitute “South East Region”;

(f) in the entries after “South Eastern Circuit” omit the entries for—

(i) Barnet County Court;

(ii) Bow County Court;

(iii) Brentford County Court;

(iv) Bromley County Court;

(v) Croydon County Court;

(vi) Edmonton County Court;

(vii) Ilford County Court;

(viii) Kingston-upon-Thames County Court;

(ix) Romford County Court;

(x) Wandsworth County Court; and

(xi) Willesden County Court;

(g) for “Wales and Chester Circuit” substitute “Wales and Cheshire Region”; and

(h) for “Western Circuit” substitute “South West Region”.

5.  For Schedule 2 substitute—

Article 2

“SCHEDULE 2 CARE CENTRES

London Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Barking and Dagenham	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Barnet	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Bexley	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Brent	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Bromley	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Camden and Islington(4)	Principal Registry of the Family Division
City of London	Principal Registry of the Family Division
City of Westminster	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Croydon	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Ealing	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Enfield	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Greenwich and Lewisham	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Hackney and Tower Hamlets	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Haringey	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Harrow Gore	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Havering	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Hillingdon	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Hounslow	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Kingston-upon-Thames	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Lambeth and Southwark	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Merton	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Newham	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Redbridge	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Richmond-upon-Thames	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Sutton	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Waltham Forest	Principal Registry of the Family Division
Wandsworth	Principal Registry of the Family Division

Midlands Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Ashby-De-La-Zouch	Leicester County Court
Birmingham	Birmingham County Court
Boston	Lincoln County Court
Bourne and Stamford	Lincoln County Court
Bromsgrove and Redditch	Worcester County Court
Central and South West Staffordshire	Stoke-on-Trent County Court
Corby	Northampton County Court
Coventry District	Coventry County Court
Daventry	Northampton County Court
Drayton	Telford County Court
Dudley	Wolverhampton County Court
Elloes	Lincoln County Court
Gainsborough	Lincoln County Court
Grantham	Lincoln County Court
Herefordshire	Worcester County Court
High Peak	Derby County Court
Kettering	Northampton County Court
Kidderminster	Worcester County Court
Leicester	Leicester County Court
Lincoln District	Lincoln County Court
Loughborough	Leicester County Court
Mansfield	Nottingham County Court
Market Bosworth	Leicester County Court
Market Harborough and Lutterworth	Leicester County Court
Melton, Belvoir and Rutland	Leicester County Court
Newark and Southwell	Nottingham County Court
Northampton	Northampton County Court
North East Derbyshire and Dales	Derby County Court
North Staffordshire	Stoke-on-Trent County Court
Nottingham	Nottingham County Court
Oswestry	Telford County Court
Shrewsbury	Telford County Court
Skegness	Lincoln County Court
Sleaford	Lincoln County Court
Solihull	Birmingham County Court
South Shropshire	Telford County Court
South East Staffordshire	Stoke-on-Trent County Court or
	Derby County Court
Southern Derbyshire	Derby County Court
South Worcestershire	Worcester County Court
Stourbridge and Halesowen	Wolverhampton County Court
Sutton Coldfield	Birmingham County Court
Telford and Bridgnorth	Telford County Court
Towcester	Northampton County Court
Warley	Wolverhampton County Court
Walsall and Aldridge	Wolverhampton County Court
Warwickshire	Coventry County Court
Wellingborough	Northampton County Court
West Bromwich	Wolverhampton County Court
Wolds	Lincoln County Court
Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton County Court
Worksop and Retford	Nottingham County Court

North East Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Alnwick	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Barnsley District	Sheffield County Court
Batley and Dewsbury	Leeds County Court
Berwick-upon-Tweed	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Beverley and the Wolds	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
Bradford	Leeds County Court
Bridglington	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
Calderdale	Leeds County Court
Doncaster	Sheffield County Court
Gateshead District	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Grimsby and Cleethorpes	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
Goole and Howdenshire	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
Harrogate	York County Court or
	Leeds County Court
Hartlepool	Middlesbrough County Court
Houghton-le-Spring	Sunderland County Court
Huddersfield	Leeds County Court
Hull and Holderness	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
Keighley	Leeds County Court
Langbaurgh East	Middlesbrough County Court
Leeds District	Leeds County Court
Newcastle-upon-Tyne District	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Northallerton and Richmond	Middlesbrough County Court
North Durham	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court or
	Sunderland County Court
North Lincolnshire	Kingston-upon-Hull County Court
North Tyneside District	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Pontefract	Leeds County Court
Rotherham	Sheffield County Court
Scarborough	York County Court
Selby	York County Court
Sheffield	Sheffield County Court
Skipton	Leeds County Court
South Durham	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court or
	Middlesbrough County Court
South East Northumberland	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
South Tyneside District	Sunderland County Court
Sunderland	Sunderland County Court
Teesside	Middlesbrough County Court
Tynedale	Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Court
Wakefield	Leeds County Court
York	York County Court

North West Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley	Blackburn County Court
Bolton	Manchester County Court
Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale	Blackburn County Court
Bury	Manchester County Court
Carlisle and District	Carlisle County Court
Chorley	Blackburn County Court
City of Salford	Manchester County Court
Eden	Carlisle County Court
Furness and District	Lancaster County Court
Fylde Coast	Lancaster County Court
Hyndburn	Blackburn County Court
Knowsley	Liverpool County Court
Lancaster	Lancaster County Court
Liverpool	Liverpool County Court
Manchester City	Manchester County Court
North Sefton District	Liverpool County Court
Oldham	Manchester County Court
Ormskirk	Liverpool County Court
Preston	Blackburn County Court
Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood	Manchester County Court
St Helens	Liverpool County Court
South Lakeland	Lancaster County Court
South Ribble	Blackburn County Court
South Sefton District	Liverpool County Court
Stockport	Manchester County Court
Tameside	Manchester County Court
Trafford	Manchester County Court
West Allerdale and Keswick	Carlisle County Court
Whitehaven	Carlisle County Court
Wigan and Leigh	Liverpool County Court or
	Manchester County Court
Wirral	Liverpool County Court

South East Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Bedford and Mid-Bedfordshire	Luton County Court
Cambridge	Cambridge County Court
Central Buckinghamshire	Milton Keynes County Court
Central Kent	Medway County Court
Central Hertfordshire	Watford County Court
Central Norfolk	Norwich County Court
East Berkshire	Reading County Court
East Cambridgeshire	Cambridge County Court
East Hertfordshire	Watford County Court
East Kent	Canterbury County Court
Fenland	Peterborough County Court
Great Yarmouth	Norwich County Court
Huntingdonshire	Peterborough County Court
Luton and South Bedfordshire	Luton County Court
Mid-North Essex	Chelmsford County Court
Mid-South Essex	Chelmsford County Court
Milton Keynes	Milton Keynes County Court
North-East Essex	Chelmsford County Court
North East Suffolk	Ipswich County Court
North Hertfordshire	Watford County Court
North Kent	Medway County Court
North Norfolk	Norwich County Court
Northern Oxfordshire	Oxford County Court
North Surrey	Guildford County Court
North-West Essex	Chelmsford County Court
North West Surrey	Guildford County Court
Norwich	Norwich County Court
Oxford	Oxford County Court
Peterborough	Peterborough County Court
Reading	Reading County Court
South-East Essex	Chelmsford County Court
South East Suffolk	Ipswich County Court
South East Surrey	Guildford County Court
South West Surrey	Guildford County Court
South Norfolk	Norwich County Court
Southern Oxfordshire	Oxford County Court
South-West Essex	Chelmsford County Court
Sussex (Central)	Brighton County Court
Sussex (Eastern)	Brighton County Court
Sussex (Northern)	Brighton County Court
Sussex (Western)	Brighton County Court
West Berkshire	Reading County Court
West Hertfordshire	Watford County Court
West Norfolk	Norwich County Court
West Suffolk	Ipswich County Court
Wycombe and Beaconsfield	Milton Keynes County Court

South West Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Bath and Wansdyke	Bristol County Court
Bristol	Bristol County Court
Central Devon	Exeter County Court
East Cornwall	Truro County Court
East Dorset	Bournemouth County Court
Gloucestershire	Bristol County Court
Isle of Wight	Portsmouth County Court
Mendip	Taunton County Court
New Forest	Portsmouth County Court
North Avon	Bristol County Court
North Devon	Exeter County Court
North East Hampshire	Portsmouth County Court
North Somerset	Bristol County Court
North West Hampshire	Portsmouth County Court
North West Wiltshire	Swindon County Court
Plymouth District	Plymouth County Court
Sedgemoor	Taunton County Court
Southampton	Portsmouth County Court
South Devon	Exeter County Court
South East Hampshire	Portsmouth County Court
South East Wiltshire	Swindon County Court
South Hampshire	Portsmouth County Court
South Somerset	Taunton County Court
Swindon	Swindon County Court
Taunton Deane and West Somerset	Taunton County Court
West Cornwall	Truro County Court
West Dorset	Bournemouth County Court

Wales and Cheshire Region
(i) Local Justice Area	(ii) Care Centre
Cardiff	Cardiff County Court
Carmarthen	Swansea County Court
Ceredigion	Swansea County Court
Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston	Chester County Court
Conwy	Caernarfon County Court or
	Rhyl County Court
Cynon Valley	Pontypridd County Court
De Brycheiniog	Pontypridd County Court
De Maldwyn	Chester County Court
Denbighshire	Rhyl County Court
Dinefwr	Swansea County Court
Flintshire	Rhyl County Court
Gwynedd	Caernarfon County Court
Halton	Warrington County Court
Llanelli	Swansea County Court
Macclesfield	Warrington County Court
Merthyr Tydfil	Pontypridd County Court
Miskin	Pontypridd County Court
Neath Port Talbot	Swansea County Court
Newcastle and Ogmore	Cardiff County Court
North Pembrokeshire	Swansea County Court
North West Gwent	Cardiff County Court or
	Newport (Gwent) County Court or
	Pontypridd County Court
Radnorshire and North Brecknock	Pontypridd County Court
South Cheshire	Stoke-on-Trent County Court
South East Gwent	Cardiff County Court or
	Newport (Gwent) County Court or
	Pontypridd County Court
South Pembrokeshire	Swansea County Court
Swansea County	Swansea County Court
Vale of Glamorgan	Cardiff County Court
Vale Royal	Chester County Court
Warrington	Warrington County Court
Welshpool	Chester County Court
Wrexham Maelor	Rhyl County Court
Ynys Mòn / Anglesey	Caernarfon County Court”.

Signed by authority of the Lord Chancellor

Cathy Ashton

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Constitutional Affairs

4th March 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

It has been decided that Exeter County Court should become a Care Centre as defined in article 2 of the Children (Allocation of Proceedings) Order 1991 (“the 1991 Order”). A Care Centre is a county court designated for the purpose of hearing cases under Parts III, IV or V of the Children Act 1989. This Order effects this change and amends the 1991 Order to re-organise the transfer arrangements between magistrates' courts and Care Centres on the Western Circuit to reflect this change.

Amendments to the Order have also been made to replace references to “petty sessions areas” and “London commission area” with references to “local justice area” to reflect the changes to the organisation of the courts made by the Courts Act 2003 which are also being brought into force on 1st April 2005. References to circuits are changed to references to the new administrative regions which will be used after that date.

At the same time the opportunity has been taken to up-date the names of the petty sessions areas (local justice areas as they will become) in consequence of changes to their boundaries which have not previously been reflected in the 1991 Order.

(1)

1989 c. 41. Amended, so far as relevant, by the Child Support Act 1991 (c. 48), section 45; the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 (c. 19), paragraph 10 of Schedule 8 and Part IX of Schedule 9; and the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (c. 38), paragraphs 54 and 75 of Schedule 3.

(2)

S.I. 1991/1677. Amended, so far as relevant, by S.I.1993/624, 1994/3138, 1997/1897.

(3)

2003 c. 39.

(4)

Camden and Islington local justice area together with City of London, City of Westminster, Greenwich and Lewisham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Southwark and Wandsworth local justice areas share a family panel by virtue of the Family Proceedings Courts (Constitution)(Greater London) Rules 2003 (S.I. 2003/2960).