HM Courts Service

Her Majesty's Courts

Executive agency overview
Formed	1 April 2005
Dissolved	1 April 2011
Superseding agency	Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service
Website	www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmcts/

This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales
Law of England and Wales
Administration Ministry of Justice Lord Chancellor His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service Judges' Council
Civil and family courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Privy Council Court of Appeal Master of the Rolls Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench President of the Family Division Chancellor of the High Court High Court judge County Court List of County Court venues County Court Business Centre District judge Family Court Court of Protection Court of Chivalry
Criminal courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Court of Appeal Lord Chief Justice Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench High Court judge Crown Court List of Crown Court venues Circuit judge Recorder Magistrates' courts District judge Justice of the peace / lay magistrates
Criminal prosecution Attorney General Director of Public Prosecutions Crown Prosecution Service
Legal profession Bar Council Barrister Law Society of England and Wales Solicitor Solicitor advocate
v t e

Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) was an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and was responsible for the administration of the civil, family and criminal courts in England and Wales.

It was created by the amalgamation of the Magistrates' Courts Service and the Court Service as a result of the Unified Courts Administration Programme. It came into being on 1 April 2005, bringing together the Magistrates' Courts Service and the Courts Service into a single organisation. On 1 April 2011 it merged with the Tribunals Service to form Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (from 8 September 2022 His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service).

HMCS structure

Her Majesty's Courts Service carried out the administration and support for the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the magistrates' courts, the county courts and the Probate Service in England and Wales.

When established court services were administered by seven regions responsible for 42 local areas. In 2007 this structure was re-organised by reducing the number of areas to 24. The areas are managed by area directors, responsible for the delivery of local services. They work in partnership with courts boards to ensure that the Agency is focussed on its customers and is meeting local needs.

Unified Courts Administration Programme

The Government White Paper "Justice for all", published in 2002, recommended that a single agency should be developed to support the delivery of justice in all courts in England and Wales, instead of the magistrates' courts and the Court Service being administered separately.

The Courts Act 2003 created the legal framework required to make the changes. The focus of the programme was to devise a system which would offer improved and consistent services to court users by providing:

• A single national agency solely responsible for the delivery of court services with improved and more consistent level of service to court users
• More resources available to support the delivery of justice
• Greater flexibility in the use of court buildings.

On 31 March 2005, responsibility for the 42 existing magistrates' courts committees and Court Service passed to Her Majesty’s Courts Service.

See also

• Departments of the United Kingdom Government
• Courts of England and Wales
• List of Courts in England and Wales
• Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

External links

• HM Courts and Tribunals Service (England and Wales)

This page was last edited on 20 June 2023, at 04:14