{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-functions-of-authorised-persons-civil-proceedings-rules-2020/article-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-functions-of-authorised-persons-civil-proceedings-rules-2020/article-1.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2020/284",
  "legislation_title": "The Magistrates’ Courts (Functions of Authorised Persons – Civil Proceedings) Rules 2020",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-functions-of-authorised-persons-civil-proceedings-rules-2020",
  "path": "article/1",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "Citation, commencement and interpretation",
  "text": "(1) These Rules may be cited as the Magistrates’ Courts (Functions of Authorised Persons – Civil Proceedings) Rules 2020 and come into force on 6th April 2020.\n(2) In these Rules—\n(a) “the 2003 Act” means the Courts Act 2003;\n(b) “authorised court officer” means a person authorised under section 67B(2) of the 2003 Act by the Lord Chief Justice (or the Lord Chief Justice’s nominee under section 67B(5) of that Act);\n(c) a reference to an authorised court officer who is legally qualified means an authorised court officer who has a qualification specified in regulation 2 of the Authorised Court Staff (Legal Advice Functions) Qualifications Regulations 2020;\n(d) references to a complaint include any civil proceedings in a magistrates’ court, and references to a complainant include the person initiating such proceedings;\n(e) “public authority” has the meaning given by section 17(6) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "S.I. 2020/98."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "1985 c. 23."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/284/article/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T22:32:23.211898+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."
}