Transforming Tribunals: Consultation
On 28 November the government reached another milestone in its programme of radical reform of the tribunals system with publication of a consultation document Transforming Tribunals: Implementing Part 1 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.
The paper sets out the radical changes in the administrative justice and tribunals world that began with the Leggatt Report, and brings the reform story up to date. It sets the role of tribunals in the wider context of the various systems that exist to deliver justice, and sets out the role of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council in the new system. It also describes the recent and radical changes to the ways in which tribunals are organised and supported, provides more detail on the future organisation of the reformed system, and seeks views on a number of specific issues bound up with implementation of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. These include:
- Proposals for the First-tier and Upper Tribunals created by the 2007 Act;
- How the Chambers in the new Tribunals should be structured;
- The assignment of judges within and across the Chambers; and
- The role of non-legal members in the new structure.
Transforming Tribunals also considers some of the other areas where further reforms are planned, such as in tax, and land, property and housing, and explains the government’s early thinking in these areas.
The government welcomes this opportunity to hear the views of all those who deal with tribunals.
The consultation period will run for 12 weeks so that government and Parliament can consider issues in the first half of 2008.
The consultation document has been distributed widely among stakeholders. It is available here (pdf, 0.6MB). Hard copies are obtainable from Miss Claire Gray, Directorate of Reviews and Legislation, Tribunals Service, First Floor, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London, SW1P 2BS.