{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-rules-northern-ireland-1981/part-8/rule-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/county-court-rules-northern-ireland-1981/part-8/rule-3.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/8/rule/3",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Lodging of certificate of readiness",
  "text": "(1) In any proceedings commenced by civil bill in which a notice of intention to defend has been served the plaintiff shall, [subject to paragraph (1A) and] after the conclusion of all interlocutory matters, request the chief clerk to enter the proceedings for hearing by delivery to the chief clerk at his office of a certificate of readiness in Form 43 and shall, at the same time, cause to be served on the other party or parties to the proceedings a copy of the certificate of readiness.\n[(1A) [ Subject to paragraph (1B),] a certificate of readiness may not be delivered to the chief clerk until the expiry of 21 days following the date of service of the notice of intention to defend.]\n[(1B) The plaintiff must notify the defendant in writing of his intention to lodge the certificate of readiness no later than 14 days prior to lodging the certificate.]\n(2) In any proceedings in which a notice of intention to defend has been served the chief clerk shall, if no certificate of readiness has been delivered to him within a period of 6 months immediately following the date of service of the notice of intention to defend, list the proceedings before the judge [) or district judge as the case may be] and notify the parties accordingly and the judge [ or district judge as the case may be] may issue such directions concerning the future conduct of any such proceedings as he considers appropriate [ including, in particular, an order that the proceedings be stayed or dismissed.]",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 1999 No. 129 with effect from 12.4.99"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Paragraph inserted by S.R. 1999 No. 129 with effect from 12.4.99"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2013 No. 19 with effect from 25.02.13"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "Paragraph inserted by S.R. 2013 No. 19 with effect from 25.02.13"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f5",
      "text": "Words amended by S.R. 2013 No. 19 with effect from 25.02.13"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f6",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 1997 No. 17 with effect from 31.1.97"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1981/225/part/8/rule/3",
    "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."
}