The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in October 2000. Many of the Articles have some impact on and further support the Common Law right to be treated fairly and equally.

Notably the Act states:-

Discrimination is illegal
Any interference with the right to privacy is illegal
A fair and public hearing is guaranteed
Degrading treatment is illegal
Freedom of speech is guaranteed
An effective remedy in a reasonable timescale is guaranteed
The right to enjoy possessions is guaranteed

Unfortunately, there are some practical hindrances to achieving all that is promised by this Act. For example, a fair hearing implies equally professional representation and such professionals willing to represent.

The experience of some of the group suggests the law is not freely available to person who do not have the funds to instruct lawyers. In fact the Legal Aid system appears to have gone backwards in withdrawing funding for litigation in some areas. Notably it has proved extremely difficult to obtain funding or indeed solicitors willing apply for funding or to take on complex cases involving public law.

Where it comes to a reasonable timescale, the group knows of an application to the Legal Services Commission which has taken 10 months and is still pending. How this can be defined as reasonable is the subject of some concern. The Commission will not allow an application to be amended by the applicant and a solicitor cannot be found who is willing to make the amendments. For this reason a state of deadlock exists apparently contrary to the requirements of the Human Rights Act.

For this reason, the Right to Justice Act appears to have stifled the good intentions of the Human Rights Act to ensure justice for all. However, the Group is seeking further clarification.