Rule 15 Custody, inspection and disclosure of documents and information

Northern Ireland

(1)

All documents relating to proceedings for a parental order shall, while they, are in the custody of the court, be kept in a place of special security.

(2)

A party who is an individual and is referred to in a confidential report supplied to the court by a guardian ad litem may inspect, for the purpose of the hearing, that part of any such report which refers to him, subject to any directions given by the court that—

(a)

no part of the report shall be revealed to that party; or

(b)

the part of the report referring to that party shall be revealed only to that party’s legal advisers; or

(c)

the whole or any other part of the report shall be revealed to that party.

(3)

Any person who obtains any information in the course of, or relating to, proceedings for a parental order shall treat that information as confidential and shall only disclose it if—

(a)

the disclosure is necessary for the proper exercise of his duties; or

(b)

the information is requested—

(i)

by a court (whether in Northern Ireland or not) having power to determine proceedings for a parental order and related matters, for the purpose of the discharge of its duties in that behalf; or

(ii)

by a person who is authorised in writing by the Department to obtain the information for the purposes of research.

(4)

Save as required or authorised by a provision of any enactment or of this Order or with the leave of the court, no document or order held by or lodged with the court in relation to proceedings for a parental order shall be open to inspection by any person, and no copy of any such document or order, or of an extract from any such document or order, shall be taken by or issued to any person.]

Notes on Part [ ORDER 50A

Footnotes

f1: Order 50A inserted by S.R. 1995 No. 48 with effect from 20.03.95
f2: Number substituted by S.R. 2010 No. 115 with effect from 09.04.10
f3: Year substituted by S.R. 2010 No. 115 with effect from 09.04.10