Commons Committee criticises abolition of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) has criticised the government's plans to abolish the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC), saying that its functions were still essential and that the claimed costs savings from abolition are unlikely to be realised.

In a report published yesterday (8th March, 2012), the PASC pointed to a "fundamental difference of view" between the government and other organisations over whether there is a continuing need for the role performed by the AJTC, which monitors the functioning of the administrative law system.

The government proposes abolishing the AJTC under the Public Bodies Act 2011, transferring its functions to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which the necessary secondary legislation expected later this year.  However, the committee said that it doubted that the MoJ had the either resources or experience to efficiently discharge these functions and the PASC also called on the government to to provide further evidence that the claimed costs savings would be achieved.

Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of the Committee said: "The AJTC should be part of the machinery to help government get decisions 'right first time'. Instead, over half a million decisions have to be reviewed each year, at great cost and considerable injustice and inconvenience to citizens. If the AJTC is abolished, what will take its place, and how will government do better?"

A copy of the PASC's report is available from the following link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/public-administration-select-committee/news/administrative-justice-report/