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Introduction

Introduction

The Lord Chancellor and his Departments

The office of Lord Chancellor has undergone many significant changes through its history. In modern times, the Lord Chancellor has become, in effect, the principal minister of justice in England and Wales. The Right Honourable the Lord Irvine of Lairg QC has held the position of Lord Chancellor since May 1997.

The role of the Lord Chancellor

Minister The Lord Chancellor is always in the Cabinet and ranks as one of its most senior members. He has ministerial responsibility for much of the administration of justice, supported by three junior Ministers (two in the Commons and one in the Lords), known as Parliamentary Secretaries. They are:
- The Right Honourable Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
- Michael Wills MP
- Rosie Winterton MP
Judge and the head of the Judiciary The Lord Chancellor is able to sit as presiding chairman of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords and of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which he does from time to time. He can also sit as President of the Supreme Court of England and Wales (that is, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Crown Court), though in practice he never sits in this capacity. Unlike other judges, he has no security of tenure, and holds office at the pleasure of the Prime Minister and, therefore, at a General Election, of the electorate.
Speaker of the House of Lords The Lord Chancellor attends the opening proceedings of the House each day and presides over debates in the Lords.

The Lord Chancellor has ministerial responsibility for four different Departments, known collectively as the Lord Chancellor's Departments. They are all represented in this report:

the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD);
the Northern Ireland Court Service (NICtS);
the Public Record Office (PRO); and
Her Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR).

Lord Chancellor's Department

The Lord Chancellor's Department has 'justice' as its central responsibility, although it is now also responsible for constitutional matters. LCD promotes the provision of legal services, wider access to justice and the reform of the civil law. Through the Legal Services Commission and the Court Service, it is responsible for funding legal services and managing court processes. It supports the Lord Chancellor in the appointment of judges, magistrates and tribunal members, and it oversees the local administration of the magistrates' courts. With the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service, LCD is also responsible for the Criminal Justice System. In June 2001, the Prime Minister transferred from the Home Office to LCD responsibility for some new functions including Human Rights, Freedom of Information and Constitutional matters.

LCD has a Headquarters, two executive agencies - the Court Service and the Public Guardianship Office - and a number of Associated Offices.

The Court Service became an executive agency in April 1995 to work for the delivery of justice. It provides administrative support for the higher courts, the Crown Court, county courts and certain tribunals in England and Wales.

The Public Guardianship Office (PGO) was established in April 2001. It discharges the Court of Protection's decisions on behalf of people with mental incapacity and promotes and protects their financial and social well-being.

The Lord Chancellor is accountable to Parliament for the Court Service and Public Guardianship Office. However, their chief executives are responsible for the effective and efficient day-to-day management of the agencies and are directly accountable to the Lord Chancellor.

Northern Ireland Court Service

The Northern Ireland Court Service is responsible for the administration of justice in Northern Ireland. Its role is similar to that of the Court Service in England and Wales, but it is also responsible for providing legal assistance.

Public Record Office

The Public Record Office is the national archive for the United Kingdom. It advises government departments on the selection of records for preservation and makes records available to the public.

Her Majesty's Land Registry

Her Majesty's Land Registry maintains a register of title to freehold and leasehold land in England and Wales and delivers land registration services to the public.

Objectives and Targets

All government departments define and measure their work through a series of targets. This report is the annual opportunity for the Lord Chancellor's Departments to report on their progress against these targets.

Strategic Objectives (SO) define a department's long-term aspirations and the general scope of its work. They are designed to be descriptive rather than specifically measurable outcomes.

Public Service Agreements (PSA) contain descriptive and measurable targets that support Strategic Objectives. Each government department publishes a PSA every three years to define its major programmes and objectives for the period of one spending review. The PSA targets in this report run from April 2001 to March 2004. Departments may share some of the targets, such as the joint targets relating to the Criminal Justice System that are shared between the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the Law Officers' Departments.

Service Delivery Agreements (SDA) contain targets that support PSA targets. They break down in more detail the specific milestones that a department is seeking to reach, and can be measured against a deadline target. SDA targets cover the ways in which the department delivers its services, such as providing value-for-money, quality customer service, new technology and modernisation schemes.

A measurable target is founded on a baseline. This is an initial reading, on a set date, of the data we will use to measure whether the target is being achieved. From this baseline, we can then set a target measurement for a future date, using the same data. Most targets are set for several years into the future; thus we also set interim milestones so we can measure our progress towards the final target.