CIRCUIT ADVISORY COMMITTEES (Hansard, 15 December 1977)

§ The LORD CHANCELLOR (Lord Elwyn-Jones)

The Circuit Advisory Committees, originally set up in 1972 under Section 30 of the Courts Act 1971, have since provided useful advice and contributed helpfully towards overcoming some of the problems which arose following the introduction of the new court service. I am grateful to their members for the time and consideration they have given to these matters, both formally and informally.

Now that the new court system has established itself, I have come to the conclusion that in many places there is a particular need for advice from court users, including lay users, who are directly concerned with the working of a court or group of courts. In reconstituting my circuit advisory arrangements at the end of their second 3-year term, I have accordingly approved the setting up of a number of more local court advisory committees, in some cases in place of existing Circuit Advisory Committees and in other places in addition to them. My circuit administrators will shortly be inviting appropriate persons to serve on these committees from next year.