This statutory instrument amends the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005 to require court officers to include the full name of the claimant when submitting information for the public register of money judgments.
It applies to court officials and the Registrar in England and Wales, mandating that claimant names be recorded unless the party has been granted legal anonymity or the judgment relates to specific categories such as administration orders and certain tribunal decisions.
The regulations also establish a transitional period during which the Registrar is not required to publish these names immediately.
Arguments For
The legislation states that expanding the information in the Register to include claimant names provides more detailed records of money judgments.
Proponents may argue that the exemptions for tribunal decisions, administration orders, and anonymous parties protect vulnerable claimants and maintain existing privacy protections where necessary.
The explanatory note indicates that the measure is intended to have no significant impact on the private, voluntary, or public sectors, suggesting a low administrative burden for implementation.
Arguments Against
Legal commentators might observe that including claimant names on a public register could impact the privacy of individuals who have successfully pursued legal claims.
Parties affected by the regulations might argue that the three-month transitional period is a relatively short timeframe for the Registrar to adjust data handling processes before the publication requirement takes effect.
Debt recovery specialists or civil liberties groups may question why certain tribunal decisions are excluded from the transparency requirements while standard court judgments are included.
Citation, commencement and extent
- -(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 20th July 2026.
- (2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active as 20th July 2026.
It limits the geographical application of the rules to the legal jurisdictions of England and Wales.
Amendments of the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005
- -(1) The Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005( 2 ) are amended as follows-
- (2) In regulation 10 (information contained in the appropriate officer's return)-
- (a) The existing text becomes paragraph (1); and
- (b) In paragraph (1), as so renumbered, after sub-paragraph (a) insert-
- '(aa) subject to paragraph (2), the full name of the claimant for whom the entry in the Register is to be made;';
- (c) After paragraph (1), as so renumbered, insert-
- '(2) Paragraph (1)(aa) does not apply-
- (a) where the identity of the claimant is protected by-
- (i) an order of the court made pursuant to rule 39.2(4) of the 1998 Rules; or
- (ii) any enactment that confers anonymity on the claimant;
- (b) to administration orders made under section 112 of the County Courts Act 1984;
- (c) to tribunal decisions made by-
- (i) the First-tier Tribunal,
- (ii) the Upper Tribunal,
- (iii) an employment tribunal, or
- (iv) the Employment Appeal Tribunal,
in pursuance of which a sum of money is payable.'.
This section modifies the 2005 Regulations to require that court officers include the claimant's full name in the data returns used to populate the Register.
It lists specific exceptions where the name must not be included, such as when a claimant is legally anonymous, or when the judgment involves administration orders or specific tribunals like the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
A money judgment is a court order requiring one party to pay a sum of money to another; an administration order is a debt management tool for individuals with multiple debts.
Transitional Provision
- -(1) Where a return is received by the Registrar within the transitional period, the duty of the Registrar under regulation 8(2) of the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005 to record the details from a return sent in accordance with paragraph (1) of that regulation will not extend to recording the name of the claimant on the Register until the day after the last day of the transitional period.
(2) In this regulation 'transitional period' means the period beginning with 20 July 2026 and ending with 19 October 2026.
This section creates a temporary delay for the recording of claimant names by the Registrar during a three-month window from July to October 2026.
While court officers must start providing the names, the Registrar is not legally required to enter those names into the public register until the day after the transitional period ends.
This provides an implementation buffer between the initial sharing of data and its formal registration.
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