Law Society Gazette has reported that a new inquiry into county courts has been launched by the House of Commons Justice Committee amid mounting delays in the service. The inquiry follows ‘long-standing concerns over the resourcing and capacity’ of the country courts and its ‘deterioration’ in England and Wales.
It says that the average time taken for small claims and multi/fast track claims to go to trial is currently 52.3 weeks and 78.2 weeks – a week longer and 2.8 weeks longer than last year. The inquiry will take evidence from both claimant and defendant firms as well as a range of representative bodies and non-governmental organisations and civil justice minister Lord Bellamy KC.
The Civil Court Users Association (CCUA) welcomes the inquiry. CCUA Chair Rob Thompson says:
“The Committee Chair Sir Bob Neill has confirmed that the justice committee has held long-standing concerns over the resourcing and capacity of the county court. The irony of the situation is that, since enhanced court fees were introduced some years ago, around £100 million or so of Civil Claim Fees are redirected every year to other areas of spending on the basis that these fees are supposedly over and above the cost of providing the service. Yet the service is inadequate. As a starting point, those fees could be retained within the County Courts to provide the further resourcing which is so clearly needed at the present time.
“The reform programme has so far been a bitterly disappointing damp squib, despite many ideas and enhancements being proposed over the years by the CCUA. The Association continues to actively engage with both the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS. We once again urge them to consider and proactively implement the ideas we have put forward and we continue to stand ready to assist with the detail, to hopefully achieve meaningful change and a court system which is genuinely fit for court users in the 21st century.”
