In March 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on reform of the funding scheme which pays advocates to defend clients in the Crown Court. The manner in which defence advocates are remunerated for cases involving mentally vulnerable defendants comes within the work of our Working Party on Mental Health and Fair Trial. […]
JUSTICE response: Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison
February 28, 2017
In February 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ call for written submissions to its inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison, which was launched in order to establish whether a human rights-based approach can lead to better prevention of deaths in prison of people with mental health conditions. Our response […]
JUSTICE response: Modernising judicial terms and conditions
November 30, 2016
JUSTICE has responded to the UK Government’s proposals to modernise judicial terms and conditions. While JUSTICE supports the introduction of a single non-renewable fixed term for Recorders and Deputy High Court Judges, we argue that it will not solve our judiciary’s pressing diversity crisis alone. The Government’s proposals should sit alongside more wide-ranging reforms to […]
JUSTICE response: Transforming our justice system
November 23, 2016
JUSTICE recently responded to the ‘Transforming our justice system‘ consultation by the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, which sought views on specific measures being implemented as part of MoJ’s changes to the justice system, namely ‘assisted digital’, online convictions and statutory fixed fines, and the panel composition in tribunals. At this […]
JUSTICE response: Law Commission programme of work
November 2, 2016
The Law Commission has identified some areas of law that may require reform and could be potential projects for its 13th Programme of work. They launched a consultation and JUSTICE responded. The response focussed on inquiries and codification, streamlining and consolidation. In respect of inquiries, the response emphasised the important public functions that inquiries play […]
JUSTICE response: Request for further views on the provision of judicial review claimants’ financial information to other parties
August 16, 2016
In July 2015, the Government opened a consultation: Reform of Judicial Review: proposals for the provision and use of financial information (Cm 9117) on financial information to be disclosed by judicial review claimants pursuant to section 85 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (“CJCA”). JUSTICE and the Public Law Project provided a Joint […]
JUSTICE response to the consultation on appeals to the Court of Appeals
June 27, 2016
The Court of Appeal is struggling to cope with its current workload. The result is a serious shortfall of judicial time, and a backlog of cases. To combat this problem, in May 2016 the Civil Procedure Rules Committee published a consultation on reforming the process of making an appeal to the Court of Appeal. The consultation document proposes […]
Tribunal Fees (Asylum and Immigration)
June 6, 2016
The Government proposes to move to ‘full cost recovery’ in immigration and asylum appeals by increasing fees in the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) from £80 to £490 for appeals decided on the papers alone, an increase of just over 512% and from £140 to £800 for appeals decided by way of oral hearing, an increase of […]
McKenzie Friends
May 23, 2016
In February 2016, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales published a consultation on reforming the courts’ approach to McKenzie Friends, and the possible reform and replacement of the current Practice Guidance with, for instance, rules of court or updated Practice Guidance. It also raises the issue of how any such rules or Guidance […]
Draft Investigatory Powers Bill
December 18, 2015
The Draft Investigatory Powers Bill was published on 4 November 2015 for consultation. A Joint Committee appointed to report on the Draft Bill published its report on 11 February 2016. In 2011, JUSTICE recommended that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (‘RIPA’) be repealed and replaced by a modern legal framework for surveillance more […]