Was anyone else struck by the irony of the juxtaposition of two recent reports (see [2006] Gazette, 16 February, 1 and 3)? In the first, headlined 'Inefficient courts cost millions', the National Audit Office sympathises with the Crown Prosecution Service, which it criticises for causing too many ineffective trials, because it 'acknowledged that prosecutors dealt with a large volume of cases often at short notice'.

In the second, headlined 'Carter sets terms for legal aid revolution', the Carter review is reported to be encouraging firms 'to consolidate so that they can take on large volumes of work'. Proof, if any was needed, that the lunatics have finally taken over the asylum.


Iain Reed, Berry & Berry, Tonbridge