Commenting on the appointment of Sir Christopher Bellamy QC at the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), replacing Lord Wolfson. Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of ACSO said:
"Congratulations to Sir Christopher on his new role. He brings deep experience to his role and we look forward to working closely with him and his officials.
"There are a number of pressing issues in his in-tray, not least the need to review fixed recoverable costs (FRC) for civil cases. FRC have not kept pace with inflation and this threatens to make it uneconomic for law firms to take on otherwise deserving civil cases.
"The government-backed OIC portal for small injury claims has endured a very difficult first year, and we hope that the minister will look at its performance so far with a more objective eye and sanction a proper review.
"Finally, ACSO is campaigning for a more concerted effort from the MoJ to cut delays in the civil courts. It is simply unacceptable for claimants to wait over a year to have their cases dealt with and these delays look set to continue well into the medium term; most citizens use the civil courts when they go to law, so making sure they work effectively and deliver access to justice is an urgent priority."