{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-rules-northern-ireland-1981/part-32/chapter-3/rule-6NB",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-rules-northern-ireland-1981/part-32/chapter-3/rule-6NB.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1981/225",
  "legislation_title": "County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-rules-northern-ireland-1981",
  "path": "part/32/chapter/3/rule/6NB",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "6NB",
  "heading": "Application for excepting direction",
  "text": "(1) An application for a direction under section 46(9) of the 1999 Act (“an excepting direction”) may be made at any time after the hearing of the appeal has begun if a reporting direction has been given by the court in respect of a witness at that appeal.\n(2) The application under paragraph (1) may be made by—\n(a) any party to the appeal; or\n(b) any person who, although not a party to the appeal, is directly affected by a reporting direction given in relation to a witness in that appeal or could be so affected if the court in determining an application gave a reporting direction.\n(3) An application for an excepting direction may be made—\n(a) orally at the time the reporting direction is given; or\n(b) by giving notice in Form 137K.\n(4) An applicant for an excepting direction shall state why, in his opinion—\n(a) the effect of the restrictions imposed (or which the applicant for the reporting direction seeks to have imposed) places a substantial and unreasonable restriction on the reporting of the proceedings; and\n(b) it is in the public interest to remove or relax those restrictions.\n(5) Where the application for an excepting direction is made in writing, the notice under paragraph (3)(b) shall be served on the chief clerk, and at the same time a copy thereof shall be served, by the applicant, on every other party or, as the case may be, every party to the appeal.\n(6) Any party who wishes to oppose the application shall, within 7 days of the date notice of the application was served on him, notify the applicant and the chief clerk, in writing, of his opposition, giving reasons for it.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1981/225/part/32/chapter/3/rule/6NB",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:45:17.527867+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."
}