The Family Proceedings (Amendment No. 2) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005

Amendment to the 1996 Rules

24.  After rule 2.29 insert—

“Stay under the Family Proceedings (Civil Partnership: Staying of Proceedings) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005

2.29AA.—(1) An application to the court by the petitioner or respondent in proceedings for a dissolution order for an order under rule 3 of the Staying of Proceedings Rules shall be made to the Master who may determine the application or refer the application, or any question arising thereon, to the judge for his decision as if the application were an application for ancillary relief.

(2) An application for an order under rule 4 of the Staying of Proceedings Rules shall be made to the judge.

(3) Where on the lodgement of the certificate of readiness, it appears to the Master from any information given pursuant to paragraph 1(l) of Appendix 2 or rule 2.17(4) or paragraph (4) of this rule that any proceedings which are in respect of the civil partnership in question or which are capable of affecting its validity or subsistence are continuing in any country outside Northern Ireland and he considers that the question whether the proceedings on the petition should be stayed under rule 4 of the Staying of Proceedings Rules ought to be determined by the court, he shall before proceeding under rule 2.32 fix a date and time for the consideration of that question by the judge and give notice thereof to all parties.

(4) Any party who lodges a certificate of readiness in civil partnership proceedings within the meaning of rule 1(2) of the Staying of Proceedings Rules shall, if there has been a change in the information given pursuant to paragraph 1(l) of Appendix 2 and rule 2.15(4), file a statement giving particulars of the change.

(5) An application by a party to the proceedings for an order under rule 5 of the Staying of Proceedings Rules may be made to the Master, and he may determine the application or may refer the application, or any question arising thereon, to the judge as if the application were an application for ancillary relief.

(6) In this rule—

(a)the Staying of Proceedings Rules means the Family Proceedings (Civil Partnership: Staying of Proceedings) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005(1); and

(b)in paragraph (3), the reference to “proceedings continuing in any country outside Northern Ireland” has the same meaning as in paragraph 1(l) of Appendix 2.”.