The Lord Chief Justice’s review of the administration of Justice in the court is the first time such a review has been published on behalf of the judiciary. The review identifies matters of importance to the judiciary and the administration of justice in England and Wales.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, said: “I aim, with this review, to increase public understanding of the role of judges, the way we do our job, and our constitutional role.
“Since I became Lord Chief Justice in October 2005 there has been unprecedented constitutional change. This year, thanks to the Partnership agreement I have recently agreed with the Lord Chancellor, the judiciary, for the first time, will be taking a more involved role in the Court Service. It is timely that at the beginning of this new and exciting era I am publishing my review into the administration of justice from 3 April 2006 up to this point.”
As the review is the first of its kind (and examines a period over a year in length) there is a considerable amount of detail on all of the major courts. In future years the review will be issued at the end of each legal year and will contain less detail.
The Lord Chief Justice added: “As judges we do not work in isolation. We work closely with the court service and their staff to administer justice throughout the country and across the different legal divisions. We also work along side other agencies and improved cooperation can only serve to strength the legal system in this country.
“However, we are also independent, both from the government and parliament. While we make decisions based on the law passed by parliament those decisions are ours alone. I hope that this report will help to satisfy those who ask how our judges are accountable for the service which they give. I hope in turn that this will help illustrate the areas in which the judiciary should have an involvement and those were there must be a clear separation of powers.”
Notes to Editors
- The Review of the Administration of Justice in the Courts was laid in Parliament by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales under Section 5 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
- A full copy of the review is available online
- For further details please contact the Judicial Communications Office on 0207 073 4852.
Ends
