The task of simplifying the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) is ‘a mammoth task and expected to take quite some time, but is already showing promise’, Lord Justice Birss, deputy head of civil justice, has said in his foreword to the Civil Procedure Rules Committee (CPRC) annual report for 2021
Birss LJ said it was ‘inevitable’ that the rules ‘have grown in length and at times complexity’ in the 22 years since the CPR’s inception. One highlight of the report is that the CPRC has introduced a ‘rolling consultation’ programme on work to simplify the Civil Procedure Rules. This means drafting proposals will be published online for comment before changes can be introduced.
Business currently or likely to take place this year include work on extending fixed recoverable costs, vulnerable parties and witnesses, service out of jurisdiction, the Costs Form N260, digital reform: damages claims pilot and the online civil money claims pilot.
