The Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Power of appellate courts to suspend disqualification

45.—(1) This Article applies where a person has been convicted by or before a court of an offence involving obligatory or discretionary disqualification and has been ordered to be disqualified; and in the following provisions of this Article—

(a)any reference to a person ordered to be disqualified is to be construed as a reference to a person so convicted and so ordered to be disqualified, and

(b)any reference to his sentence includes a reference to the order of disqualification and to any other order made on his conviction and, accordingly, any reference to an appeal against his sentence includes a reference to an appeal against any order forming part of his sentence.

(2) Where a person ordered to be disqualified—

(a)appeals to the county court, or

(b)appeals or applies for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal,

against his conviction or his sentence, the county court or, as the case may require, the Court of Appeal may, if it thinks fit, suspend the disqualification.

(3) Where a person ordered to be disqualified has appealed or applied for leave to appeal to the House of Lords under section 41 of the [1978 c. 23.] Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 from any decision of the High Court or the Court of Appeal which is material to his conviction or sentence, the High Court or, as the case may require, the Court of Appeal may, if it thinks fit, suspend the disqualification.

(4) Where a person ordered to be disqualified makes an application in respect of the decision of the court in question under Article 146 of the [1981 NI 26.] Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (statement of case by magistrates' court) or under Article 61 of the [1980 NI 3.] County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980 (statement of case by county court) the Court of Appeal may, if it thinks fit, suspend the disqualification.

(5) Where a person ordered to be disqualified—

(a)applies to the High Court for an order of certiorari to remove into the High Court any proceedings of a county court or a court of summary jurisdiction, being proceedings in or in consequence of which he was convicted or his sentence was passed, or

(b)applies to the High Court for leave to make such an application,

the High Court may, if it thinks fit, suspend the disqualification.

(6) Any power of a court under the preceding provisions of this Article to suspend the disqualification of any person is a power to do so on such terms as the court thinks fit.

(7) Where, by virtue of this Article, a court suspends the disqualification of any person, it must send notice of the suspension to the Department.

(8) The notice must be sent in such manner and to such address and must contain such particulars as the Department may determine.