Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council ... - Consultation Hub
Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council ... - Consultation Hub
Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council ... - Consultation Hub
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q1: What are your views on the proposed abolition of the AJTC q2Do you believe that<br />
there are any functions<br />
of the AJTC that will not<br />
be adequately covered<br />
following the proposed<br />
abolition <strong>and</strong> suggested<br />
future h<strong>and</strong>ling of<br />
functions as set out<br />
above Please state<br />
what these are <strong>and</strong> your<br />
reasons.<br />
Please state what these are <strong>and</strong> your reasons.<br />
q3: Do the<br />
proposals have<br />
any significant<br />
direct impact<br />
on you<br />
If so, please explain the impact:<br />
qContactD qContactD<br />
etails etails<br />
qRepresentativ<br />
eOfGroup<br />
I feel very strongly against the government's decission to abolish the AJTC. For such a small budget, the expertise <strong>and</strong> Yes<br />
The AJTC carry out its functions with the tribunal user Yes<br />
benefits <strong>Council</strong> Members bring outweigh the cost savings <strong>and</strong> therefore I believe the huge amout of wealth of<br />
knowledge, skills <strong>and</strong> experience that council members bring will be lost. AJTC members have the right to observe<br />
deliberations government officials will not have the same right in the same way <strong>and</strong> therefore will not be able to<br />
comment on the true reflection of justice. Also AJTC is an independent body, a govt body cannot be independent to<br />
monitor the justice system.<br />
in mind, how can the government prove that a body<br />
like the AJTC that cost such a small budget is not cost<br />
effective, efficient <strong>and</strong> ecomonic to improve services<br />
for members of the public. Whlie fuctions can be<br />
carried out by MoJ officials they do not have the<br />
expertise that <strong>Council</strong> Members have <strong>and</strong> will not be<br />
able to do the job in the same manner because they<br />
are not independent.<br />
it should close No No Member of 15-07-11<br />
the public<br />
No<br />
Yes<br />
No<br />
No<br />
No<br />
No<br />
No<br />
I must admit to being concerned about this proposal. As the role of administrative justice within the overall justice<br />
system exp<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> moves into ever more facets of everyday life, surely it becomes more important that it is kept<br />
under robust <strong>and</strong> independent review<br />
Yes<br />
I doubt whether effective governance of the<br />
administrative justice system could ever truly take<br />
place without input from a genuinely independent<br />
overseer such as the AJTC. HMCTS will effectively be<br />
reviewing itself in this area of justice from now on <strong>and</strong><br />
that is not good governance for what is an ever<br />
growing <strong>and</strong> ever more important area of the justice<br />
system.<br />
No<br />
POLICY<br />
ADVISOR<br />
19 JULY<br />
2011<br />
The role of the AJTC (quoted from their website) is to 'keep under review the administrative justice system as a whole<br />
with a view to making it accessible, fair <strong>and</strong> efficient. We seek to ensure that the relationships between the courts,<br />
tribunals, ombudsmen <strong>and</strong> alternative dispute resolution providers satisfactorily reflect the needs of users." As a fee<br />
paid Tribunal Judge ( Social Security <strong>and</strong> Child Support, <strong>and</strong> Mental Health Tribunal) of 13 years st<strong>and</strong>ing I feel<br />
strongly that the AJTC should not be abolished. My comments are in relation only to <strong>Tribunals</strong> <strong>and</strong> are as follows: 1.<br />
The AJTC has a proven record in keeping st<strong>and</strong>ards of <strong>Tribunals</strong> higher than they might otherwise be. A recent<br />
example is that the Mental Health Review tribunal- as it was- fell into a state of considerable disarray as a result of<br />
exceptionally poor management at the Department of Health. The AJTC convened an advisory group ( of which I was,<br />
<strong>and</strong> remain, a member) consisting of several 'stakeholder" representatives, <strong>and</strong> over a number of years has monitored<br />
<strong>and</strong> held the MHT ( as it now is) to account. Without doubt the considerable improvements<br />
Yes<br />
The issues are the impartiality of the oversight, <strong>and</strong> the Yes<br />
concentration on the user of the service.<br />
As a fee paid Tribunal Judge, I am<br />
concerned that the system operates<br />
efficiently, effectively, <strong>and</strong> economically.<br />
In the latter days when the MHRT was<br />
being administered from the Department<br />
of Health, it operated in none of these<br />
ways. The waste of money was appalling<br />
<strong>and</strong> the level of service offered was<br />
extremely poor. It was notably referred to<br />
on one occasion as a "Mickey Mouse'<br />
outfit. The Department of Health paid out<br />
damages regularly to detained patients<br />
whose Article 5 rights had been breached<br />
by delay. The AJTC ( then the <strong>Council</strong> on<br />
<strong>Tribunals</strong>) was highly proactive in calling<br />
the MHRT to account. It has been very<br />
successful in doing so <strong>and</strong> there is no<br />
doubt that the system now works far<br />
more efficiently than it used to.<br />
Tribunal<br />
Judge, fee<br />
paid<br />
2.8.2011
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