Courts Chief inspector appointed

Eddie Bloomfield

19 November 2007

The Lord Chancellor has reappointed Eddie Bloomfield as Chief Inspector of HM Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) from January 2008.

The inspectorate plays a key role in assuring ministers and the public of the safe and proper delivery of services provided by Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS). It also works with HMCS to increase improvements in the services provided for those who use the courts, such as victims and witnesses, defendants and jurors.

Jack Straw, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, said:

"Eddie has successfully steered the inspectorate through a time of change, including the transfer of some of its work to Ofsted, whilst working alongside the Chief Inspectors of Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service and Prisons and Probation to ensure an holistic approach to inspection of the justice system. I am confident Eddie will continue to provide strong leadership to the inspectorate and to work with other chief inspectors to develop joint inspection of the justice system."

Notes to editors

  1. HM Inspectorate of Court Administration is an independent inspectorate established by the Courts Act 2003. Its statutory remit is to inspect and report to the Lord Chancellor on the system that supports the carrying on of the business of the Crown Court, county courts and magistrates' courts.
  2. The post of chief inspector is a statutory appointment made by the Lord Chancellor.
  3. Following the Government's decision not to proceed to establish a single justice and community safety inspectorate, as proposed in the Police and Justice Bill, ministers agreed with HM Chief Inspectors of Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service, Court Administration, Prisons and Probation that they would work closely together on inspection across the justice system and would publish a joint inspection business plan.
  4. Responsibility for inspection of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) transferred from HM Inspectorate of Court Administration to Ofsted in April 2007, as part of the Government's inspection reform programme.
  5. Eddie Bloomfield, 50, a senior civil servant, was initially appointed to the post of chief inspector in May 2005 and has been reappointed following a recruitment process within the public sector. Before taking up this post, he was director of operations at the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee Office (OSPT), where he was also the Director of the OSPT Change Programme. He was formerly director of Corporate Services in the Public Trust Office and worked as a senior policy adviser in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. As well as working as a consultant to the government of Cyprus, Eddie Bloomfield also has experience as director of staff inspection training in HM Treasury.