Collective Access to Justice

This chapter begins by elaborating England and Wales's need for increasing access to justice. It notes the observance of justice stakeholders that the capacity of people to access justice is paramount in a democracy governed by the rule of law. It also discusses the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which was a legislation introduced in Parliament on 23 January 2014 and is considered the only area where class actions are available. The chapter explains the decision of England and Wales to introduce class actions on a sectoral basis, rather than using a generic or trans-substantive approach, which is in contrast to other regimes and well-established principles of civil procedure since the 1870s. It discusses claims that are covered in the Competition Appeal Tribunal which remain unfulfilled in every other area of law.