On 6th November, the Administrative Justice Council published its first annual report for 2018-19.
The Administrative Justice Council (AJC) was set up in March 2018 and is the successor body to the Administrative Justice Forum. It provides oversight and advice on administrative justice across the UK. Chaired by the Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals, the Council seeks to make the administrative justice system more efficient, fair and accessible.
The scale of administrative justice is vast, often called the ‘cinderella’ of the justice system. It covers all government decisions, including complaints and appeals on immigration and asylum, social security, housing, education, health care, planning, and tax.
Over the year, the AJC has identified four key areas of focus: improving first instance government decision-making; the impact of the courts and tribunals modernisation programme; ombudsman reform and improving the relationship between the ombudsman and tribunals. It has developed four research projects underneath these themes which seek to improve different parts of the system.
Speaking about the report, Sir Ernest Ryder said:
“We have made huge strides, in addressing some of the ongoing concerns in administrative justice. Our annual report demonstrates the hard work by our three panels in identifying real problems for users of the system. Over the year, they have produced research-based projects which will lead to practical recommendations for change. I look forward to working with the Council and the panels in the year ahead and to seeing the development of current projects and the tangible benefits to the user experience.”
The AJC annual report can be found on the AJC website at: www.ajc-justice.co.uk/council/reports/