19 May 2008
A radical shake-up of the tribunals system was unveiled by the government today.
Individual tribunal jurisdictions doing similar work will be brought together into a radically simplified two-tier tribunals system - consisting of a First Tier and Upper Tribunal that goes live on 3 November 2008.
This new system, headed by Lord Justice Carnwarth as Senior President, will speed up justice, make the process easier for the public to understand and bring together the considerable expertise that exists in each tribunal jurisdiction.
Justice Minister Bridget Prentice said:
'Bringing individual tribunals into a single integrated system is at the heart of the most radical change to the tribunal system in 50 years.
'This truly modern and unified service will help people to find their way around the system and get solutions to their issues more quickly and efficiently.
'Tribunals often form the public's only experience of the legal process and it vital that experience is effective and serves their needs. These reforms will not come at the expense of continuity, specialisation or service to users.'
Following a consultation on implementing the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act proposals to create five First Tier Tribunal Chambers and three Upper Tribunal Chambers will be taken forward. Two Chambers from the First Tier, the Social Entitlement Chamber and the Health Education and Social Care Chamber will commence on 3 November 2008.
The Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal will be separate from the First Tier and Upper Tribunal, although there will be close links between them. The Government is currently considering bringing the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal into the unified tribunals structure and is likely to consult on this shortly.
The Upper Tribunal will be a Superior Court of Record that can deal with onward appeals and judicial reviews.
The Tribunals Service, an executive agency within the Ministry of Justice will continue to provide an integrated administration of the new tribunal system. Implementing the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act is an integral part of the Tribunals Service's Transforming Tribunals Programme, which includes the introduction, later this year, of multi-jurisdictional hearing centres in major towns and cities created to provide a range of services to tribunal users.
The government response to the consultation on the implementation of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act
The Chambers in the First Tier are:
The three Upper Tribunal Chambers are:
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