{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-amendment-no-2-rules-northern-ireland-2003/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-amendment-no-2-rules-northern-ireland-2003/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2003/295",
  "legislation_title": "County Court (Amendment No. 2) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-amendment-no-2-rules-northern-ireland-2003",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Rules.)\nThese Rules amend the County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981 (“the principal Rules”) and contain provisions relating to applications for a special measures direction in the case of witnesses who require assistance on the grounds of age.\nRule 2(1) substitutes new Rules 6B and 6C into Order 32 of the principal Rules. New Rule 6B provides for an application for a special measures direction to be made in the form specified in the Schedule to these Rules. An application for a direction to give evidence by means of a live link or by means of a video recording of the witness’s testimony must also contain the additional information specified in Part 2 or Part 3 of the form.\nNew Rule 6C provides that the court may extend the time for making an application for a special measures direction.\nRule 2(2) adds new Rules 6D to 6I. New Rule 6D provides for late applications. New Rule 6E provides for an application to be made to vary or discharge a special measures direction which has already been made. New Rule 6F provides for renewal applications where a material change of circumstances has occurred since an application was refused.\nNew Rule 6G imposes additional requirements where the application relates to the giving of evidence by means of a live link.\nNew Rule 6H imposes additional requirements where the application relates to the admission of a video recording of an interview of the witness as evidence in chief of the witness.\nNew Rule 6I provides for the mutual disclosure between the parties of expert evidence to be adduced in connection with the application for the special measures direction.\nRule 2(3) inserts a reference to the Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 into the interpretation provisions in Order 32 of the principal Rules.\nRule 2(4) amends Appendix I to the principal Rules by:\nsubstituting new Forms 137A and 137B for use in connection with applications prescribed by these Rules; and\ndeleting Form 137C",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2003/295/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:02:24.016238+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}