ABSTRACT
This point was made by the then Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, in 2011, whilst noting the valuable role of the courts:
Yet citizens are just as likely, if not more likely, to come across administrative justice issues in their ordinary lives than civil or even family justice issues. The outcomes of decision making by a wide-range of public bodies on a daily basis affect family incomes, jobs, healthcare, housing, education and much, much more. To illustrate the point – in 2010 in England and Wales:
There were around 63,000 hearings/trials dealing with civil justice matters; There were over 200,000 criminal justice hearings/trials; There were over 650,000 administrative justice hearings – of which over 275,000
In 2013, tribunals received 867,338 cases, 2 and the use of tribunals and complaints to ombudsmen are the most important elements in providing administrative justice as between the citizen and the state.
