The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) is an agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) on was established on 12 April 2010, as a new unified administration for courts and tribunals.
"Serving the Community through the Administration of Justice"
We aim, at times, to demonstrate the following corporate values -
Integrity
to interact with our customers with the highest degree of integrity, promoting an atmosphere of honesty and trust.
Openness
to undertake our work in an open and transparent manner.
Professionalism
to conduct our business to the highest standards.
Accountability
to be responsible for delivering a high quality service to the public.
Fairness
to treat everyone fairly.
Our Corporate Aim is supported by a number of Strategic Objectives, which are:
We are responsible for the operation of 21 courthouses and a number of tribunal hearing centres across Northern Ireland, including Laganside Courts and the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast. All of our courthouses have received the Customer Service Excellence Standard in recognition of the high level of customer service provided at these venues.
While the core business of the Courts and Tribunals Service is the provision of administrative support for the courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland, we are also responsible for:
The Court of Judicature consists of:
The Court of Appeal sits at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast. The Judges of the Court of Appeal are the Lord Chief Justice (who is the President of the Court of Appeal) and three Lord Justices of Appeal. The Court of Appeal hears appeals in criminal matters from the Crown Court and civil matters from the High Court. It also hears appeals on points of law from the county courts, magistrates’ courts and certain appeal tribunals.
The High Court sits at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast. It consists of the Lord Chief Justice and ten High Court Judges. The High Court hears high value and complex civil cases. The High Court comprises three Divisions: the Chancery Division, Queen’s Bench Division and Family Division.
The Crown Court has exclusive jurisdiction to try offences charged on indictment. Offences tried on indictment are the more serious offences. The Lord Chief Justice is President of the Court and the Lord Justices of Appeal, High Court Judges and County Court Judges all sit in the Crown Court. The Crown Court normally sits at 13 venues throughout Northern Ireland.
The Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland Taxing Office, which operates under the direction of a High Court Master, is responsible for the assessment of costs payable to solicitors and counsel in respect of all civil cases conducted before the Court of Appeal or the High Court (a procedure known as taxation).
In Northern Ireland there are seven county court divisions. Civil cases are commenced in the county court if the value of the case is less than £15,000 (or less than £45,000 in equity matters).
Many cases in which the sum involved does not exceed £3,000 will be dealt with by a district judge in the small claims court, which is primarily designed to resolve simple consumer disputes based on a default procedure. Small claims cases are informal and do not adhere strictly to the rules of evidence and county court procedure. Parties are encouraged to represent themselves rather than engaging solicitors, and legal aid is not available for representation in such cases. County courts also have jurisdiction to hear applications for adoptions and undefended divorces. Applications for the grant of intoxicating liquor licences and certificates of registration for clubs are also made to the county courts. In addition to its original civil jurisdiction the county court hears appeals under a number of statutory provisions from the magistrates’ courts or from other tribunals.
Four county courts have been designated as Family Care Centres to deal with certain applications or appeals relating to the care or welfare of a child or young person under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.
There are 21 petty sessions districts in Northern Ireland. A magistrates’ court (other than a youth court or family proceedings court) is presided over by a district judge (magistrates’ courts).
Magistrates’ courts exercise two basic functions in respect of criminal proceedings:
The main types of civil business transacted by the magistrates’ courts are family and domestic cases, debt processes, and applications for certain licences.
There are four full-time coroners in Northern Ireland – one of whom is a senior coroner. There is also a presiding judge for the Coroners Service. There are also a number of coroner’s liaison officers who support bereaved families and liaise with the other agencies involved in the process of death investigation and certification.
The Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) deals with enforcing money judgments and also enforces other types of civil judgments such as those that are connected with the possession of land and property. It is not a debt-collecting agency.
The Courts and Tribunals Service supports a number of tribunals. It is anticipated that by spring 2011, the programme for tribunal reform will have been completed and all departmental tribunals will have transferred to the Courts and Tribunals Service establishing a unified Courts and Tribunals Service for Northern Ireland.
The MHRT is an independent judicial body, set up under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 (the Order) to review the cases of patients who are compulsorily detained or are subject to guardianship under the Order.
The Social Security Commissioners and Child Support Commissioners are specialised members of the judiciary appointed to hear and determine appeals on points of law from Appeal Tribunals under the Social Security and Child Support legislation.
The Pensions Appeal Tribunals hear appeals from ex-servicemen or women who have had their claims for a War Pension rejected by the Secretary of State for Defence. Appeals to the tribunal are heard under both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and the War Pensions Scheme.
The TPT hears appeals against Penalty Charge Notices issued by or on behalf of the Roads Service. Penalty Charge Notices are issued against a person contravening a parking restriction.
The Charity Tribunal was established in April 2010 and will hear appeals from decisions made by the Charity Commission in respect of the registration of an organisation as a charity.
The Health and Safety Tribunal was established in April 2010 and adjudicates on appeals by persons aggrieved against licensing decisions made by licensing authorities relating to the issue of, condition applied to, or revocations of asbestos or petroleum-spirit licences.
The NIVT hears appeals by home owners against their domestic rates and also hears rate relief appeals, for example: when a review of a property with disabled facilities is disputed by the owner; when a student or young person disputes a review of entitlement to exemption; or when a lone pensioner disputes a review of entitlement to rebate.
The Care Tribunal hears appeals against decisions prohibiting or restricting the employment of individuals teaching or working with children or working with vulnerable adults or decisions concerning the registration of social workers. The Tribunal also hears appeals against decisions relating to the regulation of residential care homes, nursing homes, children’s homes, nursing agencies and independent health care providers.
The SENDIST considers parents’ appeals against the decisions of
Education and Library Boards about children’s special educational needs,
where the parents cannot reach agreement with the Board. It also deals with
claims of disability discrimination in relation to children at school.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel Northern Ireland (CICAPNI)
The purpose of the CICAP(NI) is to support the victims of violent crime by
determining promptly, impartially, fairly and independently, appeals against
review decisions made by the Compensation Agency.
The Lands Tribunal is an expert tribunal established by the Lands Tribunal & Compensation Act (NI) 1964. The Tribunal deals with appeals from a number of bodies and also disputes referred directly to it. The functions of the tribunal include deciding disputes about rent reviews; compensation for compulsory acquisition ranging from the value of city centre premises to unfit houses; rating appeals including appeals from the NIVT; business tenancies including rent, duration and other terms for lease renewals; and restrictive covenants impeding the development of land.
Rent assessment committees are constituted from the rent assessment panel, their function is, at the request of a landlord or tenant, to consider if the rent determined by the rent officer is an appropriate rent.
The Appeal Tribunal is an independent decision making body responsible for deciding appeals against the decisions of decision makers in the Social Security Agency, Child Support Agency, Inland Revenue, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Land and Property Services, on entitlement to a range of Social Security benefits and the payment of child maintenance. The Appeals Service provides administrative support to this tribunal.
The Office of the President (OPAT) provides administrative support to the President of the Appeal Tribunal to carry out his statutory functions. In addition to this the office deals with a large volume of interlocutory applications forwarded by The Appeals Service and provides advice and guidance to Appeals Service staff on the procedural application of the appeal rules for this tribunal
The function of this tribunal is to enquire into cases where it is represented that continued inclusion of any person in any list of practitioners for the provision of general medical, dental, ophthalmic or pharmaceutical services would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the services in question.
The NICTS also provides support in respect of UK wide tribunals which sit in Northern Ireland including the Tax Tribunals, Immigration and Asylum tribunals, the Information Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber.
The Courts and Tribunals Service is the sponsor department for one Non Departmental Public Body - the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission.
The Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission was established in 2003 and is responsible for the provision of publicly funded legal services under the Legal Aid Scheme.
For further information, visit www.nilsc.org
The Courts and Tribunals Service provides administrative support for the Northern Ireland judiciary. There are approximately 72 full-time members of the judiciary across the various judicial tiers. In addition, there are 201 lay magistrates and panels of part-time deputy judges.
The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, is president of the courts of Northern Ireland and head of the judiciary. In addition, he is responsible for:
The Lord Chief Justice is supported by the Presiding County Court Judge (His Honour Judge Burgess, Recorder of Belfast), the Presiding District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts), Mrs Fiona Bagnall, and the Presiding Lay Magistrate, Mr David Moore.
| Lord Chief Justice | 1 |
| Lord Justices of Appeal | 3 |
| High Court Judges | 10 |
| County Court Judges | 17 |
| District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) | 21 |
| District Judges (County Court) | 4 |
| High Court Masters | 7 |
| Coroners | 4 |
| Social Security and Child Support Commissioners | 2 |
| Lands Tribunal Member | 1 |
| Appeal Tribunal Commissioners | 2 |
| Total | 72 |
| Lay Magistrates | 201 |
The Courts and Tribunals Service Outreach programme underpins our commitment to promote knowledge and understanding about the courts and the wider justice system.
Each year we organise a range of educational and community based activities throughout Northern Ireland including a range of court visits tailored to meet the needs of schools, colleges, community groups and the general public.
Our community programmes take place under a number of different themes:
We provide students from key stage 4 and 5 with first hand experience of the justice system. We also have a range of resource materials for teachers and students, for use in the classroom and for court visits. Each year we facilitate a number of court visits and work experience placements throughout our courts.
We continue to support the Citizenship Curriculum in the classroom through Education Online on our website. The website provides information about the courts and criminal justice system and is aimed at primary school, key stage 2 & 3 and post 16 level.
We have supported Northern Ireland’s Criminal Justice Week by inviting local schools to attend themed open days at court venues.
These events offer the children the opportunity to learn more about the courts and the criminal justice system, with representatives in attendance from the police, PPS and NSPCC. We will continue to facilitate open days as part of our Outreach programme.
The National Magistrates’ Courts Mock Trial Competition is a highlight of the Courts and Tribunals Service’s Outreach programme. Each year it involves up to 5,000 young people from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland heats of the competition are hosted by the Courts and Tribunals Service in Laganside Courts. This event provides young people with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the justice system in an exciting and innovative way.
In support of the 10-year Strategy for Children & Young People, we have developed guidance aimed at children and young people attending civil, family and youth courts, improving the rights of the child or young person involved in the justice system.