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straight off the line

Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

seized of a request

English answer:

has under consideration for a final decision in due course/is dealing with

Added to glossary by AllegroTrans
Jul 20, 2013 18:59
10 yrs ago
8 viewers *
English term

seized of a request

English Law/Patents Government / Politics regulations
"The minister is *seized of a request* referred to in XXX only in respect of A, B and/or C."

What precisely does this mean - obliged to? RSVP. TIA. Cheers, R.
Responses
4 +1 has under consideration for a final decision in due course/is dealing with
4 +4 has fully understood a request
4 +1 he has received a request
Change log

Jul 29, 2013 21:38: AllegroTrans Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Max Deryagin

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Discussion

B D Finch Jul 23, 2013:
@Charles Yes, I think that we are in a situation of angels and pinheads. One also needs to take into account that writers are generally not nitpicking translators ;-) and so they tend to use words without first agonising about what precise dictionary meaning they really intend.
Charles Davis Jul 23, 2013:
I also think my interpretation is overstated; if I could edit my answer I would change it to "informed of" or "aware of". I still think that is the intended meaning. Note, first, that this refers to a minister, not a court, and second, that "minister" implies that it refers to the UK (or perhaps a Commonwealth country), not the US.

That being said, I think that to say that the minister is informed of the request and has received the request are for practical purposes synonymous. Having received it/become aware of it, one assumes that he will consider it, though I don't think "seized of" actually means precisely that.
B D Finch Jul 23, 2013:
Some confusion There is a particular confusion here because of the multiple meanings of "seize" and the fact that one of those meanings (the one that I think is the correct one for this context), is generally spelt "seise" in UK, but not in US, English. Collins defines "seise or US seize … VERB to put into legal possession of (property, etc.).

Certainly Collins dictionary gives the definition: "10 ( passive; usually foll by of) to be apprised of; conversant with." This is the definition that Charles has opted for in this case (though I think his variant on that definition is too strong).

So both are valid definitions and the problem is to choose between them. The thinking behind my choice, in the current context, was that one can use "seised" in the active sense of somebody "seising a court". It would not make sense, to my mind, to think that this could mean that they make the court understand, only that they put their request before the court.

Responses

+1
1 hr
Selected

has under consideration for a final decision in due course/is dealing with

Personally I think Charles's answer here is a little confusing. The Minister may not have even begun to understood the request, for all we know it might even be confusing to him. The important point is that he has received it and has it under consideration.
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher : yes, "is considering the request". //and you did say "has received..." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/be_seized_of
51 mins
Thanks Y!
neutral B D Finch : I think that he would consider the request after being seized of it.
22 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Gents, many thanks for your input, but based on this I have reread the context and find that Allegro's answer is in fact the most accurate. Tyvm."
+4
6 mins

has fully understood a request

To be "seized of" something (which is a classic British Civil Service expression, by the way), means that one has heard and understood it.

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Note added at 9 mins (2013-07-20 19:09:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This use of seize, which is formal and rather archaic in ordinary speech, is covered in the Oxford online dictionary. I think the definition there, "informed of", is actually better than mine:

"seize
4. strongly appeal to or attract (the imagination or attention):ç
the story of the king’s escape seized the public imagination
- formal understand (something) quickly or clearly:
he always strains to seize the most sombre truths
- (be seized of) be aware or informed of:
the judge was fully seized of the point"
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/seize?q=sei...

Another common expression in a similar style and with the same meaning is "to have taken something on board".
Peer comment(s):
agree Piyush Ojha
35 mins
Thank you, Piyush :)
agree Veronika McLaren : checked my Oxford as well
1 day 17 hrs
Thanks, Veronika :)
agree Demi Ebrite
2 days 10 hrs
Thanks, Demi :)
agree Phong Le
2 days 12 hrs
Thank you, Phong Le :)
Something went wrong...
+1
1 day 31 mins

he has received a request

" 6.(also seise) (be seized of) English Law be in legal possession of:the court is currently seized of custody applications
historical have or receive freehold possession of (property):any person who is seized of land has a protected interest in that land"
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/seize

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day41 mins (2013-07-21 19:40:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps, given the "legal possession", it actually means more than just "received", it means he has both received it and that (by virtue of his office), he is a correct and competent person to have received it.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2013-07-23 09:08:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

www.law.cam.ac.uk/faculty-resources/10009285.odt‎
What if a court has jurisdiction under an EJA pursuant to Article 23, but another court is first seised?

www.familylawweek.co.uk › Home › Judgments › 2010 archive‎
"The Applicant husband and Respondent wife were both Swedish nationals. They had (with their two children) been habitually resident in England for about fifteen years. It was common ground that under Article 3 Council Regulation (EC) No. 2201/2003 [Brussels II Revised] both the English and Swedish Courts had jurisdiction to hear the matter. Under Article 19 the court first seised would take priority. "

www.out-law.com › Topics › Insurance › Insurance case reports‎
"Where different member states have concurrent jurisdiction over the same dispute, the court "first seised" of the action will have exclusive jurisdiction and will ... "

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2013-07-23 09:12:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And, as an example of the US spelling being used in a UK document:

http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial Decisions /PublishedByYear/Documents/2013/%5B2013%5D%20NIQB%2062/j_j_WEA8868Final.htm
"Article 27 deals with lis pendens, that is proceedings in two Member States, and provides:

“1. Where proceedings involving the same cause of action and between the same parties are brought in the courts of different Member States, any court other than the court first seized shall of its own motion stay its proceedings until such time as the jurisdiction of the court first seized is established.

2. Where the jurisdiction of the court first seized is established, any court other than the court first seized shall decline jurisdiction in favour of that court."

(Remove space to use the above hyperlink)
Peer comment(s):
agree AllegroTrans
1 day 2 hrs
Thanks AT
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : for courts yes, but not so sure for the minister (context here)...
1 day 14 hrs
I think it can apply to either, but see my discussion note re angels.
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