Supreme Court Act 1981

District registries and district registrars

99District registries

(1)The Lord Chancellor may 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.

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

100District registrars

(1)Subject to subsection (2), for each district registry the Lord Chancellor shall appoint a person who is a county court registrar as a district registrar of the High Court.

(2)The Lord Chancellor may, if he thinks fit, appoint two or more persons who are county court registrars to execute jointly the office of district registrar in any district registry.

(3)Where joint district registrars are appointed under subsection (2), the Lord Chancellor may—

(a)give directions with respect to the division between them of the duties of the office of district registrar; and

(b)as he thinks fit, on the death, resignation or removal of one of them, either appoint in place of that person another person to be joint district registrar, or give directions that the continuing registrar shall act as sole registrar or (as the case may be) that the continuing registrars shall execute jointly the office of district registrar.

(4)Subsections (4) to (6) of section 92 shall apply in relation to a person appointed as a district registrar as they apply in relation to a person appointed to an office to which subsection (1) of that section applies, except that he shall vacate his office as district registrar at such time as, for any cause whatever, he vacates his office as county court registrar.

(5)A district registrar who is a part-time registrar within the meaning of subsection (3) of section 22 of the [1959 c. 22.] County Courts Act 1959 (restrictions on practice) shall not, either by himself or by any partner of his, be directly or indirectly engaged as a solicitor or agent for a party to any proceedings in the registry of which he is district registrar.

101Power of one district registrar to act for another

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

(2)Subsection (5) of the preceding section shall not apply to a person acting as district registrar of a registry by virtue of this section, but (in the case of a person who is a part-time registrar within the meaning of the said section 22(3)) he shall not so act as district registrar in relation to any proceedings in which he is, either by himself or by any partner of his, directly or indirectly engaged as a solicitor or agent for any party.

102Deputy district registrars

(1)If it appears to the Lord Chancellor that it is expedient to do so in order to facilitate the disposal of business in the High Court, he may appoint a person to be a deputy district registrar in any district registry during such period or on such occasions as the Lord Chancellor thinks fit.

(2)Subject to subsection (3), a person shall not be qualified for appointment as a deputy district registrar unless he is, or is qualified for appointment as, a county court registrar.

(3)A person may be appointed as a deputy district registrar if he would, but for his age, be qualified for appointment as a county court registrar and he has previously held the office of county court registrar.

(4)A deputy district registrar, while acting under this section, shall have the same jurisdiction as the district registrar.

(5)Subsections (5) and (6) of section 91 apply in relation to a deputy district registrar appointed under this section as they apply in relation to a person appointed under that section.

(6)A deputy district registrar shall not act as such in relation to any proceedings in which he is, either by himself or by any partner of Ms, directly or indirectly engaged as a solicitor or agent for any party.

103Assistant district registrars

(1)The Lord Chancellor may appoint assistant district registrars of the High Court in aid of district registrars.

(2)A person shall not be qualified for appointment as an assistant district registrar unless he is a county court registrar or an assistant county court registrar.

(3)An assistant district registrar of any district registry shall be capable of discharging any of the functions of the district registrar, and in so doing shall have the same jurisdiction as the district registrar.

(4)A district registrar of any registry where there is an assistant district registrar may divide the duties of his office as he thinks fit between himself and the assistant district registrar.

(5)Subsections (4) to (6) of section 92 shall apply in relation to a person appointed as an assistant district registrar as they apply in relation to a person appointed to an office to which subsection (1) of that section applies, except that he shall vacate his office as assistant district registrar at such time as,— for any cause whatever, he vacates his office as county court registrar or, as the case may be, assistant county court registrar (unless in the latter case he is thereupon appointed a county court registrar).

(6)Section 100(5) shall apply to an assistant district registrar as it applies to a district registrar, but as if "a part-time registrar " included a part-time assistant registrar.