3 June 2004
The Court Service and independent magistrates courts are to merge into a single executive agency called ‘Her Majesty’s Courts Service’ (HMCS).
The new body will bring all courts in England and Wales under one administrative roof. It will have 20,000 staff and work with 30,000 judges and magistrates.
The move will end the long-standing division between locally run magistrates courts, and the Court Service, which runs all courts below the House of Lords (Crown, County and Higher Courts).
Constitutional Affairs Secretary Lord Falconer said the move would make court work more transparent, remove unnecessary duplication and ensure greater uniformity of approach:
"Her Majesty’s Courts Service is not just about a new name for a new justice agency. It forms an important part of a much wider, long-term programme to improve and modernise the justice system and, in so doing, increase public confidence."
HMCS will come into effect from April 2005 but it is currently operating in shadow form during this transition year.
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