SUBORDINATE COURTS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.44 p.m.

The Minister for Law and the Environment (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill seeks to increase the civil jurisdiction of -

(a) the District Court from $5,000 to $10,000, and the Magistrates Court from $1,000 to $2,000 on actions founded on contract or tort; and

(b) the District Court in relation to any action for the recovery of immovable property the annual value of which does not exceed $9,600 a year or $800 a month, as against the present annual value of $4,800 a year and $400 a month respectively. The amendments proposed above will enable many of the cases presently with the High Court to be transferred to the Subordinate Courts, and be dealt with more expeditiously, with the additional staff (one District Judge and three Magistrates) being provided for the Subordinate Courts, in the coming fiscal year. This will thus effectively off-load some of the work that has previously been done in the High Court. Besides, costs will be much less in the Subordinate Courts, and the procedure much simplified.

The amendments made to sections 28 and 29 of the Subordinate Courts Act seek to increase the jurisdiction of the District Courts to enable them to grant probate or letters of administration in respect of estates which do not exceed $50,000 in value. This is in line with the exemption from estate duty granted by the Minister for Finance in April 1974 on the first $50,000 of the total value of any property left by a deceased person.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr E.W. Barker].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.