Judicial Review Reform The Government Response to the Independent Review of Administrative Law Date of publication: March 2021 CP 408 Judicial Review Reform The Government Response to the Independent Review of Administrative Law Presented to Parliament by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice by Command of Her Majesty March 2021 CP 408 © Crown copyright 2021 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/official-documents Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at [email protected] ISBN 978-1-5286-2477-0 CCS0321152500 03/21 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by the APS Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office About this consultation Duration: 18/03/21 to 29/04/2021 Enquiries (including Judicial Review Reform requests for the paper in an Ministry of Justice alternative format) to: 102 Petty France London SW1H 9AJ Email: [email protected] How to respond: Please send your response by 29/04/2021 by using the online portal: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/judicial-review- reform/judicial-review-proposals-for-reform By mail to: Judicial Review Reform Ministry of Justice 102 Petty France London SW1H 9AJ Or by email to [email protected] Additional ways to feed in A series of webinars is also taking place. For further your views: information please use the “Enquiries” contact details above Response paper: A response to this consultation exercise is due to be published by summer 2021 at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/ Page 5 of 60 Page 6 of 60 Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 10 The Independent Review of Administrative Law’s recommendations ............................... 10 Further proposals ............................................................................................................ 11 2. The Constitution and Judicial Review ........................................................................... 13 3. Targeted incremental change....................................................................................... 19 4. The Independent Review of Administrative Law’s recommendations ........................... 24 Reversing Cart ................................................................................................................ 24 Suspended quashing orders ............................................................................................ 25 5. Additional proposals for consultation ............................................................................ 28 Remedies ........................................................................................................................ 28 Ouster clauses ................................................................................................................ 38 6. Procedural reform ........................................................................................................ 43 7. Economic impacts ........................................................................................................ 47 8. Equalities impacts ........................................................................................................ 49 9. Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 51 10. Summary of consultation questions .......................................................................... 52 11. Contact details/How to respond ................................................................................ 55 Page 7 of 60 Foreword 1. We are implementing our Manifesto commitment to “ensure that Judicial Review is available to protect the rights of the individual against an overbearing state, while ensuring that it is not abused to conduct politics by another means or to create needless delays.” The Independent Review of Administrative Law conducted by a panel of experts (the Panel) chaired by Lord Faulks QC was the first step. They have delivered a well-researched and closely argued Report which reflects the diversity of views on Judicial Review. I am very grateful to Lord Faulks and his colleagues for an impressive piece of work undertaken to a tight timetable. 2. The Panel’s analysis identified a growing tendency for the courts in Judicial Review cases to edge away from a strictly supervisory jurisdiction, becoming more willing to review the merits of the decisions themselves, instead of the way in which those decisions were made. The reasoning of decision-makers has been replaced, in essence, with that of the court. We should strive to create and uphold a system which avoids drawing the courts into deciding on merit or moral values issues which lie more appropriately with the executive or Parliament. 3. The Panel proposed two reforms to substantive law: to reverse the effects of the Cart judgment and to introduce suspended quashing orders as a new remedy. I agree with these proposals. I am also interested in exploring proposals beyond these, specifically on ouster clauses more generally, and further reforms to remedies, including a prospective quashing order and clarifying the principles which determine how the courts declare decisions null and void, and having never occurred (the principle of nullity). While expanding on the logic and reasoning of the Panel, these additional proposals are in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, at this point I think it is worthwhile to consult on them so we can take into account what I believe will be a very diverse range of views and ideas. 4. In pursuing the Review’s recommendations, and in proposing additional reforms, my aim as Lord Chancellor is twofold. Firstly, I want to use these reforms to restore the place of justice at the heart of our society by ensuring that all the institutions of the state act together in their appropriate capacity to uphold the Rule of Law. That means affirming the role of the courts as ‘servants of Page 8 of 60 Parliament’, affirming the role of Parliament in creating law and holding the executive to account, and affirming that the executive should be confident in being able to use the discretion given to it by Parliament. 5. Secondly, I want to preserve the fairness that is inherent in our justice system, a fairness that protects the rights of citizens in challenging government or other public bodies and which affords them appropriate remedy. This means ensuring that the courts have available to them a flexible range of remedies, allowing cases to be resolved in a manner which is sensitive both to the rights of individual citizens and to the wider public interest. 6. I believe that the complexities inherent in Judicial Review, and in other constitutional areas, mean an iterative approach to reform is most appropriate. The Panel said in their Report that the Government should think carefully before introducing reforms. That is why I want to focus attention first on the most pressing issues, namely ouster clauses and remedies, before considering whether any broader reforms are necessary. At present, I intend these reforms to apply to one reserved matter (our proposal on Cart), and the jurisdiction of England and Wales only, but I am also concerned about the risks of fragmenting the legal jurisdictions of the UK. These reforms must act to strengthen the Union and I am very interested in views from across the United Kingdom. Bringing in views from all sides of the debate is essential in making sure our reforms are the right ones and I look forward to reading and listening to contributions to this consultation. Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Page 9 of 60 1. Introduction 7. The Independent Review of Administrative Law (‘the Review’) was established on the 31st July 2020 to examine trends in Judicial Review and to deliberate on any recommendations for reform. The Terms of Reference for the Review sought to direct the Panel’s attention to certain key areas: codification, non- justiciability, the grounds of review and remedies, and procedure. The focus on these areas is reflected in the structure of the Review’s Report (‘the Report’) and the Panel have made convincing recommendations on each area. This Consultation Document is intended to complement the analysis presented throughout the Report. While not all the issues covered in the Report have been taken forward to this consultation, readers are encouraged to read it in its entirety. The Report can be found on GOV.UK, along with evidence submitted to the Review. 8. The amount of attention the Review attracted and the wealth of evidence provided in response to the call for evidence was extremely useful to both the Panel’s and the Government’s deliberations. The call for evidence ran from the 7th September to the 26th October and asked respondents questions based on the terms of reference. There were 238 responses from a wide variety of organisations and