The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, today published the report of the Review of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division).
He said: "If the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal is not working properly, it puts at risk major improvements now under way to the Civil Justice system.
"This report offers valuable and useful proposals which, on first reading, will fit well into my overall programme of reform. I am very grateful to the members of the Review, and in particular to Sir Jeffery Bowman for chairing it."
The report is now being considered by the Lord Chancellor, who will publish a detailed response early in the new year.
Reporters may obtain copies of the Review's 224-page report from the LCD press office, tel: 0171-210 8514.
Sir Jeffrey Bowman's covering letter to the Lord Chancellor and a summary of his recommendations are on the LCD's Internet site - www.lcd.gov.uk/index.htm
The review began its work in November 1996 and was confined solely to the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal.
The review was asked to examine:
Sir Jeffery Bowman chaired the review. He is Chairman of the Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust and also Masthead Insurance Underwriting Plc. In 1993 he retired from Price Waterhouse after 35 years during which he was Senior Partner of the UK firm and of Price Waterhouse Europe and Joint Chairman of the World Firm.
Other members of the review were: Lord Woolf, Master of the Rolls; Ian Burns, Director-General (Policy) at the Lord Chancellor's Department; Michael Huebner, Chief Executive of the Court Service; Dr Richard Susskind; and Lady Wilcox.
The Court of Appeal is part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, which consists of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice and the Crown Court. The Court of Appeal is divided into a Civil Division and a Criminal Division. The present constitution, jurisdiction and powers of the Court of Appeal are largely governed by the Supreme Court Act 1981.
The Court of Appeal consists of 35 Lords Justices of Appeal, who are able to sit in both Divisions supported by a number of ex officio judges. The President of the Civil Division is the Master of the Rolls.
The Civil Division is in effect the final court of appeal for most civil actions. It disposed of 1643 appeals in 1996; the waiting list at the start of 1996 was 1658 and at the end of the year it was 1825. In 1996 it also disposed of 2682 applications, including applications for leave to appeal; the waiting list at the start of 1996 was 1038 and at the end of the year it was 1288.
An appeal can be made to the House of Lords in certain limited circumstances where a case raises an arguable point of law of general public importance. There are usually less than 50 such appeals a year.