Falconer unveils new courts system

The lord chancellor has announced details of the new combined courts service.

Speaking on Friday in Carlisle, Lord Falconer said Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) will be launched next April.

It will bring all courts in England and Wales under a single administrative body.

Under the current system magistrates' courts are run by 42 independent local committees while crown, county and higher courts are run by the Court Service.

The transition to the new structure is expected to cost the government £45 million over three years.

Lord Falconer said that the new plans were part of the government's drive to dispense justice with "greater efficiency".

"It will make court work more transparent, remove unnecessary duplication and ensure greater uniformity of approach across all courts," he said.

Lord Falconer, who heads the Department for Constitutional Affairs, said he believed the new system would make the justice system more flexible, and more understandable to the public.

"It will have a recognisable national framework and standards of service so that, whether you're in London or Carlisle, Penzance or Cardiff, your interface with the courts should be the same.''

HMCS chief executive Sir Ron De Witt said that the new service would update and streamline the judicial system.

"Removing the overheads of running 43 separate organisations will enable HMCS to divert more resources to front-line services such as providing better access to consistent information about what to do if you're visiting court for the first time, whether as a juror, witness or defendant," he said.