Senior Courts Act 1981

The Senior Courts Act 1981 (c. 54), originally named the Supreme Court Act 1981, is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Senior Courts Act 1981^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate with amendments the Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925 and other enactments relating to the Supreme Court of England and Wales and the administration of justice therein; to repeal certain obsolete or unnecessary enactments so relating; to amend Part VIII of the Mental Health Act 1959, the Courts-Martial (Appeals) Act 1968, the Arbitration Act 1979 and the law relating to county courts; and for connected purposes.
Citation	1981 c. 54
Territorial extent	United Kingdom[b]
Dates
Royal assent	28 July 1981
Commencement	1 January 1982[c]
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Crown Debts Act 1541 Transfer of Stock Act 1800 Court Funds Act 1829 Court of Probate Act 1857 Chancery Amendment Act 1858 Court of Probate Act 1858 Admiralty Court Act 1861 Attorneys' and Solicitors' Act 1870 County Courts Act 1924 Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925 Administration of Justice Act 1928 Administration of Justice Act 1932 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1935 Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1938 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1938 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1944 Supreme Court Officers (Pensions) Act 1954 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1959 Administration of Justice (Judges and Pensions) Act 1960 Criminal Appeal Act 1964 Criminal Appeal Act 1966
Amended by	Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 Constitutional Reform Act 2005
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Senior Courts Act 1981 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The act prescribes the structure and jurisdictions of the Senior Courts of England and Wales (previously known as the "Superior Courts"). These Senior Courts comprise: the Court of Appeal, High Court of Justice, the Employment Appeal Tribunal, and the Crown Court.

Change of name

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 established a new Supreme Court which, on 1 October 2009, replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.

To avoid confusion, the Supreme Court Act 1981 was renamed the Senior Courts Act 1981, and all statutory references to the Supreme Court of England and Wales were amended to refer to the Senior Courts of England and Wales. The former term "Supreme Court" did not mean the 2009 Supreme Court (which, of course, did not exist in 1981), but was shorthand for the "Supreme Court of England and Wales", called before 1981 the "Supreme Court of Judicature", which comprised the "Superior Courts" (as opposed to the "Inferior Courts").

Provisions

Section 2

Section 2 of the act limited the number of Court of Appeal judges to a number of ex-officio judges and "not more than eighteen ordinary judges". The number of ex-officio judges could vary because it included both the Lord Chancellor and "any person who has been Lord Chancellor" who might wish to remain as an appellate judge.^[1]

Section 75

The following directions have been given pursuant to section 75(1) by the Lord Chief Justice. They are titled "Classification of the business of the Crown Court and allocation to Crown Court centres":

• Practice Direction [1995] 2 All ER 900, [1995] 1 WLR 1083 (26 May 1995)
• Practice Direction [1998] 3 All ER 384, [1995] 1 WLR 1244, CA (30 June 1998)
• Practice Direction [2000] 1 All ER 380, CA (Crim) (10 January 2000)

Section 84

Section 84 of the act replaced section 99 of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925 and section 15 of the Courts Act 1971.^[2]

Short title, commencement and extent

Section 153(1) of the act provided that the act may be cited as the Supreme Court Act 1981.

Section 153(2) of the act provided that the act would come into force on 1 January 1982.

Section 153(3) of the act provided that the act would extend to England and Wales only except for as expressly specified and with specific exceptions in that subsection for Scotland and England and Wales.

Notes

1. Section 153(1).
2. Section 153(3).
3. Section 153(2).