I am today announcing an independent review of the Civil Justice Council in line with Cabinet Office “Guidance for Public Bodies”. The Civil Justice Council was established in 1998 and has never been reviewed formally. The review is a timely opportunity to illustrate publicly the considerable achievements of the Council and to help it develop further. The review will be conducted by Dr. Jonathan Spencer CB and will seek the views of the members, those who work with the Council and the end users of the Civil Justice System.

The review will examine in particular:

the Council’s strengths and weaknesses, the extent to which it has established itself as an authoritative influence in the civil justice world, the extent to which it has chosen important issues to address; and its success in doing so;

the effectiveness of its chosen ways of working, including the Council itself, its committees and the secretariat, and including the way in which it works and communicates with other organisations; and

the ways in which the Council and its work should be adjusted, if at all, to maximise its effectiveness in the future.

The review is due to be complete in spring 2008.