{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-1.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/39",
  "legislation_title": "Courts Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003",
  "path": "section/1",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "The general duty",
  "text": "(1) The Lord Chancellor is under a duty to ensure that there is an efficient and effective system to support the carrying on of the business of—\n(a) the Senior Courts\n(aa) the Court of Protection,\n(b) the county court,\n(ba) the family court, and\n(c) magistrates' courts,\nand that appropriate services are provided for those courts.\n(2) In this Part—\n(a) “the Senior Courts” includes the district probate registries, and\n(b) “magistrates' court” includes a committee of justices.\n(3) In this Part references to the Lord Chancellor’s general duty in relation to the courts are to his duty under this section.\n(4) The Lord Chancellor must, within 18 months of the coming into force of this section, and afterwards annually, prepare and lay before both Houses of Parliament a report as to the way in which he has discharged his general duty in relation to the courts.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 1 substituted (1.10.2009) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 59, 148, Sch. 11 para. 4; {S.I. 2009/1604, art. 2(d)}"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 1(1)(aa) inserted (1.10.2007) by Mental Capacity Act 2005 (c. 9), ss. 67(1), 68(1)-(3), Sch. 6 para. 47(2) (with ss. 27, 28, 29, 62); S.I. 2007/1897, art. 2(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 1(1)(b) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 40(a); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 1(1)(ba) substituted for word in s. 1(1)(b) (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 10 para. 84; S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(d) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T17:08:39.708950+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}