MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (013-08) issued by The Government News Network on 4
February 2008
An independent
review of the Civil Justice Council was announced by the Ministry
of Justice today.
The Civil Justice Council is an advisory public body with
responsibility for overseeing and co-ordinating the modernisation
of the civil justice system.
The review will examine in particular:
* the Council's strengths and weaknesses, the extent to
which it has established itself as an authoritative influence in
the civil justice world, the extent to which it has chosen
important issues to address; and its success in doing so;
* the effectiveness of its chosen ways of working, including the
Council itself, its committees and the secretariat, and including
the way in which it works and communicates with other
organisations; and
* the ways in which the Council and its work should be adjusted,
if at all, to maximise its effectiveness in the future.
Justice Minister Bridget Prentice said:
"The review is a timely opportunity to illustrate publicly
the considerable achievements of the Civil Justice Council and to
help it develop further."
The review will be conducted by Dr Jonathan Spencer and will seek
the views of the members, those who work with the Council and the
end users of the Civil Justice System. It is due to be complete in
spring 2008.
Notes to Editors:
1. The Civil Justice Council was established in 1998 and has
never been reviewed formally.
2. Dr Jonathan Spencer CB, an external consultant, was a board
member at the DCA from 2002 to 2005 responsible for DCA consumer
strategy and for a wide range of constitutional and justice system
reform programmes. As a consultant he also carried out a highly
regarded review of the Family Justice Council in 2006. He has
both the experience and independence to carry out a proportionate
and intelligent review.
3. Information about the review and its terms of reference can be
found at the Ministry of Justice website: http://www.justice.gov.uk/reviews/civil-justice-intro.htm
http://www.justice.gov.uk
ENDS