Article 2(3)
1. The Senior Courts Act 1981 is amended as follows.
2.—(1) Section 84(1) (power to make rules of court) is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1), after “Rules of court may be made” insert “by the Lord Chief Justice”.
(3) In subsection (9)—
(a)after “Family Procedure Rule Committee” insert “or”;
(b)the words “, or the Crown Court Rule Committee” are repealed.
(4) After subsection (9), insert—
“(10) The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise the Lord Chief Justice’s functions under this section.”
3. Section 86 (the Crown Court Rule Committee) is repealed.
4.—(1) Section 86A(2) (process for making rules of court under section 84) is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1), for the words after “must be” to the end substitute “submitted to the Lord Chancellor after being made by the Lord Chief Justice.”
(3) In subsection (3), for “Committee” substitute “Lord Chief Justice”.
5.—(1) Section 86B (rules to be made if required by Lord Chancellor) is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1), for “Crown Court Rule Committee” substitute “Lord Chief Justice”.
(3) In subsection (2)—
(a)for “Committee” substitute “Lord Chief Justice”;
(b)for “it” substitute “the Lord Chief Justice”.
(4) In subsection (3)(a), for “Committee” substitute “Lord Chief Justice”.
6. In section 151(3) (interpretation), in subsection (3), the words “or the Crown Court Rule Committee” are repealed.
7. In Schedule 18 to the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (consequential amendments), in paragraph 36, sub-paragraph (2) is repealed.
8. In Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (other public bodies and offices – general), the entry for the Crown Court Rule Committee is repealed.
9. In Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (other functions of the Lord Chancellor and organisation of the courts), paragraph 137 is repealed.
10. In Schedule 21 to the Legal Services Act 2007 (minor and consequential amendments), paragraph 46 is repealed.
Subsection (9) was amended by section 10 of and paragraph 1(4)(d) of Schedule 2 to the Civil Procedure Act 1997; by article 3 of and paragraphs 11 and 15(1) and (4) to S.I. 2004/2035; and by section 59(5) of and paragraph 26(1) and (2) of Part 4 of Schedule 11 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
Sections 86A and 86B were inserted by section 15(1) of and paragraphs 114 and 138 of Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
Subsection (3) was amended by section 10 of and paragraph 1(7)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Civil Procedure Act 1997; and by section 59(5) of and paragraph 26(1) and (2) of Part 4 of Schedule 11 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.