FINAL AGREEMENT REACHED ON THE OCCUPANCY OF THE ROLLS BUILDING

Anouncement from the Lord Chief Justice

"I am very pleased to be able to confirm that the Review I commissioned earlier this year, under the leadership of Lord Justice Keene, to consider the options for the occupancy of the Rolls Building has been satisfactrily concluded.

The entire 5th floor of the Rolls Building will be acquired as a joint venture between the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) and the Tribunal Service (TS).  This agreement, which has the full support of the Judicial Executive Board and has been ratified by Peter Handcock, MOJ Director General, Access to Justice, enables the 5th floor space to be divided equally between the two organisations.

Together with the agreed reduction in the number of Bankruptcy Registrars to be accommodated in the Rolls Building, through the proposed redesignation of personal bankruptcy work to the County Court jurisdiction, this will overcome the accommodation pressures identified at the outset of the review and will enable the project to proceed to the detailed planning stages.

The Rolls Building will therefore bring together the Chancery Division, Commercial Court, the Technology and Construction Court and the Administrative Appeals Chamber (AAC) of the Upper Tribunal.  The AAC will accommodate 20 Social Security and Child Support Commissioners, 8 lawyers and 20 administrative staff.  No hearings or public attendance will ensue from their occupancy.  Their presence will not therefore have any impact on the stated aspiration for the Rolls Building to operate as a venue for dealing with high value, complex, business related matters.

I am very pleased that we have reached this stage in the project and that such a suitable solution has been found."