By Rupert White


The Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, moved to allay judges' fears surrounding the creation of the Ministry of Justice this week, saying he had 'every determination' to protect the judiciary's budget.



Appearing at a fringe meeting of the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, sponsored by the Law Society, City firm Clifford Chance and the Smith Institute, Mr Straw said he took his new role as minister for justice and 'defender of the judiciary' very seriously.



'I'm very conscious that it is about justice - in a narrow sense about delivering criminal justice and civil justice, in the widest sense of delivering justice for citizens - and I'm determined to ensure this is achieved,' he said on Monday.



Mr Straw said that now the justice minister was a member of the House of Commons and not the Lords, 'we can have a better, more arm's-length and protective relationship with the judiciary than might otherwise have been possible'.



Regarding judges' fears over cost pressures, he said he would not allow the judiciary's budget to be stolen to prop up other areas. 'What the judiciary need is a guarantee as far as possible that their budget is not going to be raided for other purposes. I have absolutely every determination to be sure that doesn't happen.'



Law Society President Andrew Holroyd told the meeting there were still unaddressed threats to justice, pointing specifically to legal aid reforms and proposals to allow unregulated designated caseworkers to prosecute cases for the Crown Prosecution Service. 'This is not the not the way to go about ensuring justice in the future,' he said of the latter move.



On legal aid, Mr Straw responded: 'The problem is in the process. That's the problem in the health service - it's not about the quality of diagnosis when you get to see a doctor, it's what happens in between. [Improvement] is happening in civil, but it hasn't happened yet [in criminal], and we've got to work together to improve it.'