The Lord Chancellor may F1, after consulting the Lord Chief Justice, by order direct that there shall be district registries of the High Court at such places and for such districts as are specified in the order.

Any order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument, which shall be laid before Parliament after being made.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.

A reference in any enactment or other instrument to the district judge of a district registry is a reference to any district judge assigned to the registry concerned.

Every district judge is, by virtue of his office, capable of acting in any district registry whether or not assigned to it, but may do so only in accordance with arrangements made by or on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice.

Whilst a district judge is assigned to one or more district registries in accordance with subsection (1) he is a district judge of the High Court.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under subsection (1).

A F6district judge of any registry shall be capable of acting in any other district registry for a F6district judge of that registry; and, where a F6district judge is so acting, the F6district judge of the other registry may divide the duties of his office as he thinks fit between himself and the F6district judge acting for him.

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If it appears to the F15Lord Chief Justice that it is expedient to do so in order to facilitate the disposal of business in the High Court F16or any other court or tribunal to which a person appointed under this subsection may be deployed, he may appoint a person to be a deputy district judge.

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A deputy district judge appointed under this section and assigned to a district registry has, while acting under his assignment, the same jurisdiction as a district judge assigned to that registry.

Every deputy district judge appointed under this section is, by virtue of his office, capable of acting as a district judge in any district registry to which he is not assigned, but may act in a district registry to which he is not assigned only in accordance with arrangements made by or on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice.

Subsection (6) of section 91 applies in relation to a deputy district judge appointed under this section as it applies in relation to a person appointed under that section.

Subject to subsection (5ZC), the term of a person's appointment under this section (including a term already extended under this subsection) must be extended by the Lord Chancellor before its expiry.

Subject to the preceding provisions of this section (but subject in the first place to the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993), a person appointed under this section is to hold and vacate office as a deputy district judge in accordance with the terms of the person's appointment, which are to be such as the Lord Chancellor may determine.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a senior judge (as defined in section 109(5) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise the Lord Chief Justice's functions under subsection (1) or (5ZA)(a).

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under subsection F17... (4A).

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