Article 18 Establishment of a combined FTDC

(1)

The Lord Chief Justice may—

(a)

of his own motion; or

(b)

on the application of two or more FTDCs,

direct that the family panels for two or more local justice areas establish a combined FTDC.

(2)

Paragraph (3) applies where—

(a)

two or more family panels form a combined family panel in accordance with the Family Proceedings Courts (Constitution of Committees and Right to Preside) Rules 2007; and

(b)

one or more FTDCs exist in relation to the local justice areas to which the family panels relate.

(3)

Where this paragraph applies—

(a)

the FTDCs for the local justice areas to which the family panels relate; and

(b)

the BTDCs, if any, for the local justice areas to which the family panels relate in relation to which there is no existing FTDC,

shall apply to the Lord Chief Justice for a direction that the family panels concerned establish a combined FTDC.

(4)

The provisions of these Rules shall apply to a combined FTDC as they apply to a FTDC for a single local justice area subject to such modifications to rule 14(4) and 20(1) as are agreed by the family panels for the local justice areas concerned.

(5)

The family panels for the local justice areas concerned shall, subject to rule 14(1), decide the number of members of a combined FTDC.

(6)

If the family panels for two or more local justice areas establish a combined FTDC in accordance with paragraph (1)—

(a)

the existing members of the FTDCs which are combined to make the combined FTDC shall retire at the end of the calendar year in which the decision is made; and

(b)

members of the combined FTDC appointed in that year shall hold office from the 1st January in the following year for the following periods—

(i)

one year, in the case of one third of the members;

(ii)

two years, in the case of one third of the members; and

(iii)

three years, in the case of the remaining third of the members.