24th July 2014

Criminal Justice & Courts Bill: Part 4

A briefing for The House of Lords Committee Stage, July 2014

Part 4 of the Criminal Justice & Courts Bill 2014 proposes significant restrictions on the procedure for judicial reviews brought or supported by charities in the public interest. If passed, it is likely that children’s charities and NGOs will be deterred from bringing or supporting cases to change, develop and clarify the law. This is because the Bill introduces strong financial deterrents to organisations seeking to litigate in the public interest:

• The Court will be restricted in its power to grant an order limiting costs liability for organisations wishing to bring cases.
• The Court will be obliged to order ‘interveners’ to pay for any work done by another party arising from their involvement.

This short briefing demonstrates what is at stake for children and young people by summarising key public interest challenges that have been instrumental in ensuring children and young people’s voices are heard in our Courts.