The Government has embarked on a comprehensive programme of modernisation. The role of my Department is set in a context of the major programme of constitutional reform on which the Government is engaged.
Devolution, human rights, and the reform of the House of Lords on which I have been directly occupied, touch my Departmental responsibility for justice at many points.
Our work on modernising the justice system - the most significant shake-up of the processes of justice this century - is a fundamental part of this reforming programme. This work has placed an unprecedented level of demand on my Departments, as we take forward statutory, management, organisational and material changes, to ensure that we are equipped and focused to deliver the justice our society needs and our citizens deserve.
This Departmental Report looks forward to the plans of the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Public Record Office, Her Majesty's Land Registry and the Northern Ireland Court Service over the next three years, in civil and criminal justice, judicial policies, family law policies, and the provision of legal services. It also describes our progress over the last twelve months.
Our priority is to provide a modern, fair, cost-effective and efficient system of justice for all. We are delivering policies to reduce crime, unfairness and delay, and to offer the highest standards of service to all users.
We are working to consolidate and modernise the existing body of law, so that it is clear, coherent and up-to-date. This helps to improve court procedures, protect the interests of court users, and assist in the delivery of policies in the justice system.
We are committed to guaranteeing the integrity and independence of all appointments to lay and professional judicial office. Our improved procedures for recruitment, appointment, training and appraisal must be maintained, and developed where necessary, to secure this.
Our civil justice reforms aim to unify, simplify and speed up court procedures and protocols, and so deliver justice which meets the needs of the users more effectively. This includes giving judges new case management responsibilities, redrafting procedural rules, and using information technology to join up the civil justice system.
The effective delivery of criminal justice is at the heart of public confidence in the rule of law. For the first time, we are taking forward policies planned in co-ordination with all relevant agencies, to give all courts more effective control of the cases before them, as well as supporting the work of the system as a whole.
Our family law policies aim to support divorce laws that are coherent and fair, minimising blame and conflict, and establishing mutually acceptable arrangements for responsibilities and relationships after divorce. This includes measures to identify the causes of marital breakdown, and how it may be avoided.
We are refocusing provision of legal services, so that the needs of individuals seeking redress will determine what services are provided, and how they are funded. This includes developing systems which may answer those needs without recourse to the courts.
Management structures in the Department have been revised, to reflect changes in policies and priorities. This helps all officials to deliver the Departmental objectives efficiently and effectively.
The process of modernisation cannot, by definition, be static. My Department is enabling fundamental changes to be made in the delivery of civil and criminal justice. We will monitor and assess these changes, to refine or improve them where necessary, and continue to support a system delivering the highest standards of justice to every citizen in this country.
IRVINE OF LAIRG
March 1999