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The Northern Ireland Court Service has recently launched a consultation paper seeking views on proposals to increase the financial limit of jurisdiction of the County Courts in Northern Ireland from £15000 to £50000. Other options being considered are an increase to £25000 or an unlimited jurisdiction. The Court Service’s provisional view is that an increase to £50,000 represents the best early opportunity for meaningful reform. An increase to £50,000 can be achieved in the relatively short term and is deemed sufficiently impactful to allow business to be realigned from the High Court to the County Courts so cases are dealt with effectively at their appropriate level. A more modest increase is a limit of £25,000. This option would be only slightly in excess of an inflationary based increase and would be least likely to impact on court business and capacity. A third more radical option is that the County Court jurisdiction should become unlimited. This would mean cases would be allocated on the basis of complexity and not the value of the claim. However, this option would require primary legislation as the County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980 is currently framed in such a way as to determine jurisdiction on the basis of prescribed financial limits. Responses to the consultation document are invited from relevant organisations, groups and individuals with an interest in the NI legal system by 26th May 2010. The full text can be read at :
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