Article 1 Title, commencement and interpretation

This Order may be cited as the Lay Magistrates (Eligibility) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and shall come into operation on the day after making.

In this Order –

• “close relative” means, in relation to a particular person, the father, father-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law or step child of that person and any such relative of a person who is a partner of that person;

• “court security officer” means a person mentioned in section 79(3) of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002;

• “education welfare officer” means a person appointed by a local Education Board to ensure that all children within compulsory school age receive regular, appropriate education and to assist –

  1. (a)

     families to discharge their statutory responsibilities; and

  2. (b)

     children, families and schools to resolve education related issues;

• “partner” means, in relation to a particular person, another person (whether of a different sex or the same sex) with whom that person is living in an enduring family relationship;

• “process server” means a person required, under Rule 2(3) of Order 6 of the County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981^f1, to serve all civil bills and other documents received by him for service;

• “social care worker” has the same meaning as in section 2(2) of the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001^f2, and includes any person who is to be treated as a social care worker for the purposes of that Act by regulations made under section 2(3), and

• “summons server” means a person required, under Rule 11(2) of the Magistrates' Courts Rules (Northern Ireland) 1984^f3, to serve summonses in a petty sessions district.