S.I. No. 461/2025 - Circuit Court Rules (Combined Court Offices) 2025

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 7th October, 2025.

We, the Circuit Court Rules Committee, by virtue of the powers conferred on us by section 66 of the Courts of Justice Act 1924 , section 70 of the Courts of Justice Act 1936 , (as applied by section 48 of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 ), and section 27 of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 , with the concurrence of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, make the following Rules of Court.

Dated this 4th day of June 2025.

Patricia Ryan	_____________	Chairperson
John Aylmer	_____________
Sinéad Ni Chúlacháin	_____________
Tomás Keys	_____________
Tracy Ennis Faherty	_____________
Siún Hurley	_____________
Patricia Hickey	_____________
James Finn	_____________

I concur in the making of the above Rules of Court.

Dated this 26th day of September 2025.

Signed:

JIM O’CALLAGHAN,

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

1. (1) These Rules, which may be cited as the Circuit Court Rules (Combined Court Offices) 2025, shall come into operation on the 24th day of October 2025.

(2) These Rules shall be construed together with the Circuit Court Rules 2001 to 2025.

(3) The Circuit Court Rules 2001 to 2025 as amended by these Rules may be cited as the Circuit Court Rules 2001 to 2025.

2. The Circuit Court Rules are amended:

(i) by the substitution in item 2A of the Interpretation of Terms provisions for the definition of “Combined court office manager” of the following definition:

“2A. ”Combined Court Office Manager“ means a person appointed under section 19 of the Courts and Court Officers Act 2009 to be the manager of a combined court office established under section 14 of that Act, provided that where the Combined Court Office Manager has arranged that a member of staff of the Courts Service employed in that combined court office under section 21 of the Courts and Court Officers Act 2009 may exercise such of the powers, authorities, duties and functions as he or she cannot conveniently exercise or perform himself or herself; such reference shall include a reference to that member of staff, and any form in the Schedule of Forms shall be modified accordingly.”;

(ii) by the substitution in item 5 of the Interpretation of Terms provisions for the definition of “County Registrar” of the following definition:

“5. “County Registrar” means the County Registrar in any County attached to the Court under the Court Officers Act 1926 , and includes any deputy for that County Registrar for the time being appointed in accordance with section 40 of that Act and any person for the time being required and authorised to perform the duties of the office of that County Registrar in accordance with section 9 of the Court Officers Act 1945 .”;

(iii) by the substitution for the first two paragraphs of Order 18, rule 1(1) of the following paragraph:

“(1) The County Registrar may, in accordance with Section 34(1) and the Second Schedule of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 make the following orders —”;

(iv) by the insertion in Order 67, immediately following rule 16, of the following rule:

“17. Save as otherwise provided by Statute and these Rules, the Combined Court Office Manager shall be the proper officer of the Court in respect of the Office forming part of the combined court office to which he or she is assigned, in respect of the business of the Court not required by law to be transacted before a Judge or County Registrar, and shall be responsible for the discharge of all duties imposed upon the Office or upon him or her, by Statute or these Rules, and for the safe custody of all documents and records of the Court. He or she shall cause to be kept such files and books of record and in such form as are required by law, or as are from time to time prescribed or directed.”; and

(v) by the making in each of the provisions specified in column 1 of the following table of the amendment set out in column 2 immediately opposite each such provision:

1. Provision	2. Amendment
Order 1, rule 5	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 4, rule 1(1)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 5, rule 8	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 14B, rule 7	Substitute “the office of the transmitting agency” for “the County Registrar’s office”
Order 14B, rule 8	Substitute “When properly received, the Receiving Agency shall serve” for “When properly received, the County Registrar, as Receiving Agency, shall serve”
Order 15, rule 1(2)	Substitute “sent by post to the Office” for “sent by post to the County Registrar”
Order 15, rule 7A	Substitute “sent by post to the Office” for “sent by post to the County Registrar”
Order 15, rule 11	Substitute “kept in the Office” for “kept by the County Registrar”
Order 15, rule 13	Substitute “upon the lodgment in the Office or (where the amount concerned has been lodged with the Accountant) with the Accountant and the Combined Court Office Manager,” for “upon the lodgment with the County Registrar or (where the amount concerned has been lodged with the Accountant) with the Accountant and the County Registrar,”
Order 15, rule 20	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 15, rule 22(f)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 15, rule 22(g)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 18, rule 8	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 18, rule 9	Substitute “County Registrar or, if the County Registrar is not available, the Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 18, rule 10	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 18, rule 11	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 20, rule 2	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 21, rule 2	Substitute “on application to the County Registrar” for “upon producing to the County Registrar a consent in writing signed by the parties”
Order 23, rule 3	Substitute “an order may be made for the examination upon oath before the Court, or before any other suitable person, and at any convenient place, of any witness or person,” for “an order may be made for the examination upon oath before the Court, or before any officer in the Office and nominated by the County Registrar, or by the Judge, or before any other suitable person, and at any convenient place, of any witness or person,”
Order 24, rule 1(1)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 25, rule 10	Substitute “shall have endorsed thereon in the Office the date” for “shall have endorsed thereon by the County Registrar a memorandum of the date”
Order 26, rule 2(c)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 29, rule 7	Substitute “7. Where judgment by consent in the Office under this rule is refused, the parties or any of them same may apply to the Court by notice of motion for the entry of such judgment.” for this rule
Order 35, rule 1	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 35, rule 3	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 35, rule 4	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 35, rule 5	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 38, rule 8	Substitute “8. A debt attachment book shall be kept in the Office; and in such book entries shall be made of the attachment and proceedings thereon, with names, dates, and statements of the amount recovered, and otherwise; and copies of any entries made therein may be taken by any person upon request in the Office.” for this rule
Order 41, rule 1	Substitute “to the Office” for “to the County Registrar”
Order 41, rule 5	Substitute “out of the Office” for “by the County Registrar”
Order 41, rule 6	Substitute “out of the Office” for “by the County Registrar”
Order 41, rule 8	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 41A, rule 1	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar or (as the case may be) the combined court office manager”
Order 46, rule 3	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 46, rule 7	Substitute “Upon the receipt of such affidavit, the Office shall indorse” for “Upon the receipt by the County Registrar of such affidavit he shall indorse”
Order 46, rule 8	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 46, rule 9	Substitute “Office” for each reference to “County Registrar”
Order 46, rule 12	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 47, rule 4	Substitute “shall issue the Civil Bill and file the affidavits in the Office,” for “shall issue the Civil Bill and affidavits with the County Registrar,”
Order 47, rule 14	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 47, rule 15	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 47, rule 16	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 47, rule 18	Substitute “file in the Office” for “file with the County Registrar”, and substitute “produced to the Combined Court Office Manager” for “exhibited to the County Registrar”
Order 49, rule 4(iii)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 49, rule 6(a)	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 49, rule 6(b)	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 49, rule 7	Substitute “7. All notices served upon the Combined Court Office Manager, and the advertisements in all newspapers lodged in the Office, in connection with such applications, shall be filed in the Office.” for this rule
Order 51, rule 2(10)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 51, rule 3(10)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 52, rule 1(11)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 53A, rule 5(2)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 53A, rule 7(1)(c)	Substitute “in the Office” for “by the County Registrar”
Order 55, rule 8	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 56, rule 1(8)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 56, rule 2(9)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 58, rule 11	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 58, rule 17	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 7(5)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Caption preceding Order 59, rule 10	Delete the words “the County Registrar or other”
Order 59, rule 10	Substitute “or another court officer” for “or the County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 55(6)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 56(4)	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 82(3)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 85(5)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 91	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 94(a)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 101	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for each reference to “County Registrar”
Order 59, rule 112(1)(a)	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 59A, rule 6	Substitute “on filing, shall be entered” for “the County Registrar shall thereupon enter same”
Order 59A, rule 9(1)	Substitute “in the Office” for “on the County Registrar”
Order 59A, rule 23(6)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for each reference to “County Registrar”
Order 59A, rule 38	Substitute “or another court officer” for “or the County Registrar”
Order 61, rule 1	Substitute “the Office shall” for “the County Registrar shall” and “and the signature of a duly authorised officer” for “and the signature of the County Registrar”
Order 61A, rule 4(2)(a)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 62, rule 3	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 62, rule 5	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 62, rule 8	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 62, rule 9	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 63, rule 1(4)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 63, rule 6	Substitute “Office” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 2(2)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 2(4)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 2(10)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 2(12), second reference (may be transmitted by the County Registrar to the Accountant)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 3(1)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 64A, rule 6, second reference (upon receipt from the County Registrar of a certified copy)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 68A, rule 2(1)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 68A, rule 2(2)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 68A, rule 2(3)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 68A, rule 4(3)	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 68B, rule 1	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 71, rule 8	Substitute “Combined Court Office Manager” for “County Registrar”
Order 72A, rule 4	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 72B, rule 5(2)	Substitute “in the Office” for “with the County Registrar”
Order 73, rule 1	Delete the definition of “proper officer”

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These rules remove references throughout the Circuit Court rules to the County Registrar where managerial functions formerly exercised by County Registrars now reside with combined court office managers.