Page:Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980.pdf/95

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Interpretation

148.—(1) In this Act the expression “magistrates’ court” means any justice or justices of the peace acting under any enactment or by virtue of his or their commission or under the common law.

(2) Except where the contrary is expressed, anything authorised or required by this Act to be done by, to or before the magistrates’ court by, to or before which any other thing was done, or is to be done, may be done by, to or before any magistrates’ court acting for the same petty sessions area as that court.

149. For the purposes of this Act the Isles of Scilly form part of the county of Cornwall.

150.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meaning hereby assigned to them, that is to say—
 * “Act” includes local Act;
 * “affiliation order” has the same meaning as in the Affiliation Proceedings Act 1957;
 * “bail in criminal proceedings” has the same meaning as in the Bail Act 1976;
 * “commit to custody” means commit to prison or, where any enactment authorises or requires committal to some other place of detention instead of committal to prison, to that other place;
 * “committal proceedings” means proceedings before a magistrates’ court acting as examining justices;
 * “domestic proceedings” has the meaning assigned to it by section 65 above;
 * “enactment” includes an enactment contained in a local Act or in any order, regulation or other instrument having effect by virtue of an Act;
 * “fine”, except for the purposes of any enactment imposing a limit on the amount of any fine, includes any pecuniary penalty or pecuniary forfeiture or pecuniary compensation payable under a conviction;
 * “impose imprisonment” means pass a sentence of imprisonment or fix a term of imprisonment for failure to pay any sum of money, or for want of sufficient distress to satisfy any sum of money, or for failure to do or abstain from doing anything required to be done or left undone;