Enforcement

Background

At its January 2024 Council meeting, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) approved the creation of a working group on enforcement. 

Final report

The Working Group published its final report on 9 April 2025. Read the report.

Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, Head of Civil Justice and Chair of the CJC, said: “I am grateful to Her Honour Judge Karen Walden-Smith and her working group for this ground-breaking and comprehensive report.

“For too long, civil enforcement processes in England and Wales have been overly complex and unwieldy.

“There is an obvious need for rationalisation and modernisation, but it is a subject that has perhaps always been placed in the ‘too difficult box’.

“This work aligns perfectly with the core mission of the CJC. Tackling the obstacles that impede users from effectively obtaining and enforcing judgments in our courts will help make the civil justice system more accessible, fair and efficient. I hope that all stakeholders will carefully examine the recommendations made in this report, which I am confident, if adopted, will lead to significant improvements in the enforcement landscape for all.

“I look forward to reading the CJC’s review of the recommendations and their progress in a year’s time.”

Call for Evidence

The Enforcement Working Group held a 12-week public consultation, which closed on 16 September 2024. Read the Call for Evidence. As part of the process, the working group held three public webinars.

Members

  1. HHJ Karen Walden-Smith (chair) – Circuit Judge member of the CJC
  2. Senior Master Cook – Judiciary
  3. Nicola Critchley – CJC member
  4. Tessa Wearing – MoJ
  5. David Parkin – Enforcement Conduct Board
  6. DJ David Robinson – District Judge member of the CJC
  7. Charles Roe – UK Finance
  8. Emily Whitford – Stepchange
  9. Alan J Smith – High Court Enforcement Officer Association

Terms of Reference

The CJC’s statutory functions include (a) keeping the civil justice system under review, and (b) considering how to make the civil justice system more accessible, fair, and efficient. The working group will seek to understand policy landscape for enforcement and identify and recommend to CJC areas of further inquiry if necessary.