HMCTS issues listing priorities for civil courts
HM Courts and Tribunal Service has published listing priorities for civil courts, dividing cases between work that must be done and work that could be done.
The HMCTS notice can be viewed here.
Priority 1 – work that must be done
- Committals.
- Freezing Orders.
- Injunctions (and return days for ex parte injunctions).
- The emphasis must be on those with a real time element (such as post-termination employment restrictions), noise or interference with property.
- Anti-Social Behaviour/Harassment injunctions (not ancillary to possession).
- Applications to stay enforcement of existing possession orders.
- Production of persons in custody following Power of Arrest detentions.
- Applications to displace under s 29 of MHA.
- Homelessness Applications.
- Enforcement work that does not involve bailiffs, such as third-party debt orders (particularly hardship payments).
- Any applications in cases listed for trial in the next three months.
- Any applications where there is a substantial hearing listed in the next month.
- All Multi Track hearings where parties agree that it is urgent (subject to triage).
- Appeals in all these cases.
Priority 2 – work that could be done
- Infant and Protected Party approvals (children could attend by Skype).
- CPR 21 approvals.
- Applications for interim payments in MT/PI/ClinNeg.
- Stage 3 assessment of damages.
- Enforcement of trading contracts.
- Applications for summary judgement for a specified sum.
- Applications to set aside judgement in default.
- Applications for security for costs.
- All small claim/fast track trials where parties agree it is urgent (subject to triage).
- Preliminary assessment of costs.
- Appeals in all these cases.
HMCTS added: “Civil work in the Court of Appeal is subject to separate guidance and civil work carried out within the Queen’s Bench Division and Business & Property Courts of England and Wales is covered by the High Court Contingency Plan. The work of the Business and Property Courts outside of London (District Registries) is being dealt with on a case-by-case basis and is also excluded from these lists. Accordingly these lists relate only to County Court work.”
