SECTION 14

(4) (new) (a) The Court of First Instance shall be organized into: - Benches; - General Assembly. (b) The Court of First Instance shall comprise: - one or more Benches for civil matters; - one or more Benches for commercial matters; - one or more Benches for labour matters; - one or more Benches for misdemeanours or simple offences; - one or more Benches for minors. (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) above, the President of the Court of Appeal may, by order and considering service needs, merge two or more Benches. (d) The President of the Court of Appeal of the area shall, by order after consultation with the President of the court, appoint from amongst other magistrates Presidents of Benches for each judicial year. The appointment order may be amended before the end of the judicial year for reasons of unavailability of the President of a Bench or where the President of the court, by reasoned opinion, notes shortcomings in the performance of the President of a Bench. The appointment of a new President of a Bench within the course of a judicial year shall cover the rest of the period. (e) The magistrates appointed to a court shall be assigned to Benches by order of the President of that court issued at the beginning of the judicial year for that entire year. Where the magistrates of a Bench sit in panel, the additional members of the panel shall be appointed by the President of the court. (f) The General Assembly shall be composed of all the Legal and Judicial Officers working in the Court of First Instance as well as the Registrar-in-Chief of the court. It shall have an advisory capacity and judicial jurisdiction where provided for by the law. (g) The General Assembly shall consider and express opinion on matters provided for by the law as well as on all issues relating to the functioning of the court submitted to it by the President, the State Counsel or by one-third of its members. (h) Where the General Assembly is deliberating on matters for which it expresses advisory opinion, Judicial Officers of the Legal Department shall take part in the deliberation and vote. (i) Where the General Assembly is hearing matters for which the Court exercises judicial jurisdiction, it shall, after receiving the submissions of the Legal Department, deliberate without the presence of the Judicial Officers of the Legal Department.