Monday, November 15, 2010

Consumer Focus Scotland welcome Scottish Govt’s proposals on civil justice, say economic difficulties make need to reform even more critical

Consumer Focus Scotland logoConsumer Focus Scotland welcome Scottish Government’s response to Lord Gill. CONSUMER FOCUS SCOTLAND have welcomed the Scottish Government’s response to Lord Gill’s 2009 Civil Courts Review, proposing radical moves to overhaul Scotland’s antiquated civil justice system, which Lord Gill himself described as “a Victorian model that had survived by means of periodic piecemeal reforms”.

While welcoming the SNP administration’s plans to implement 'some' of Lord Gill’s recommendations, Consumer Focus Scotland pointed out the current financial difficulties facing the country makes the need to reform civil justice more critical than ever.

Responding to the publication of the Scottish Government's response to the civil courts review, Sarah O'Neill, Head of Policy and Solicitor at Consumer Focus Scotland, said: "We welcome the publication of the Scottish Government’s response to the civil courts review, and look forward to considering its content in detail. Clearly since the review’s report was published, the economic circumstances in which any reforms are taken forward look very different. Careful thought will need to be given to how best to implement any reforms in this context.”

Ms O’Neill continued : "It would be easy for discussions in the context of the current economic climate to focus only on the impact this has on the practicality and feasibility of reforming the civil justice system. But the economic difficulties people are facing have very real impacts on their experience of legal problems and actually makes the need to reform the system to help people to resolve these as quickly and appropriately as possible even more critical.”

"We are therefore pleased to be able to contribute to this ongoing debate by leading the work of the Civil Justice Advisory Group, under the chairmanship of the Right Honourable Lord Coulsfield. We look forward to publishing the Group's report with recommendations for the way forward in early 2011."

More on the Civil Justice Advisory Group along with details of their recent seminar & presentations from officials can be found HERE

Scottish GovernmentScottish Government have agreed to introduce Class Actions & other reforms to Scots civil justice system. The Scottish Government announced its intentions late last week to implement ‘some’ of Lord Gill’s Civil Courts review recommendations to reform the Scots ‘Victorian’ civil justice system, bringing Class Actions, a new tier of judge & ‘more effective’ case management to Scotland’s courts system. I reported on those developments here : Scottish Government’s response to Civil Courts Review : Class Actions, more cases to Sheriff Courts, & faster, easier access to justice ‘over years’

The Scottish Government’s full response to Lord Gill’s Civil Courts Review can be viewed online here : Scottish Government Response to the Report and Recommendations of the Scottish Civil Courts Review or can be downloaded directly, here : Scottish Government Civil Courts Review response (pdf)

Readers can download the Civil Courts Review report in pdf format, from the Scottish Courts Website at the following links :

My coverage of the Civil Courts Review from its publication to the present, can be found here : Civil Courts Review - The story so far.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good point.Hopefully Consumer Focus will stick on their case until the reforms become reality

Anonymous said...

Consumer Focus only have until 2012 to do something before they are closed down (at least according to one of your earlier reports) and we have an election in 2011 so whats the betting no one will pay a blind bit of attention to civil justice reforms ?

Anonymous said...

Yes I'm sure half of this review will fall to the cuts.After all who can argue for the changes to be made if there's no money to make the changes ?

Anonymous said...

I've been stuck in Aberdeen Sheriff Court for over a year in what my solicitor called a simple dispute over building work - nothing so complicated yet hearings are still going on and its costing me a fortune so would prefer action sooner than later please Lord Gill and Consumer focus!

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter, I was telling a cousin of mine from Melbourne about the corrupt Scottish legal system. She knew the term Mckenzie friend and I explained how the Scottish legal establishment kept Mckenzie friends out of Scotland. I am sure she will become a regular reader of your blog.

Anonymous said...

I liked the bit about making solicitors and advocates liable for expenses where these 'were occasioned by their own fault or where guilty of an abuse of process' (Chapter 9, para 149).

Of course such things never happen so the Law Society and their cronies in the SLCC and the Scottish Parliament can rest easy.

Anonymous said...

BBC NEWS

Scrap civil legal aid, says Adam Smith Institute

The Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice has begun a review of its legal aid system

Legal aid should be scrapped for almost all civil compensation cases, a right-wing think tank has argued.

The Adam Smith Institute said the current system and no-win no-fee deals were biased towards claimants and offered "dubious value for money".
===================================
I would scrap all civil legal aid, the only winners are lawyers.

Anonymous said...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11333472

Top earners in the judiciary

Rt. Hon. The Lord Judge Lord Chief Justice Judiciary £239,845

Sir Declan Morgan Lord Chief Justice N. Ireland judiciary £214,165

Lord Hamilton Lord Pres. Court of Session Judiciary £214,165

Lord Neuberger Master of the Rolls Judiciary £214,165

Lord Phillips President, Supreme Court Judiciary £214,165

Sir Robert Andrew Morritt Chancellor, High Court
Judiciary £206,857

Lady Hale Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857

Lord Brown Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857

Lord Collins Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857

Lord Hope Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857

No doubt their pensions will be bulletproof too.

Anonymous said...

wow didnt realise judges were on such high salaries
how did all that go unnoticed or unreported ?
how about cutting their wages a bit like the rest of us