Chris Grayling: 'We have to raise the bar on judicial reviews'
The government wants to tighten up the rules to reduce the number of applications for judicial reviews.
The reviews are the process whereby a judge decides whether a decision or action by a public body is lawful.
Ministers argue they are delaying immigration decisions and commercial developments.
Critics say the changes - which are expected to take effect this summer - will penalise the less well off.
Speaking to the Today programme's John Humphrys the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling explained that he was adamant that they are necessary.
"In 2011 - the last year we had figures available - there were 11,359 applications for judicial review [and] in the end 144 were successful," he said.
"And all of the rest of them tied up government lawyers, local authority lawyers in time, in expense for a huge number of cases, of which virtually none were successful," he added.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday 23 April 2013.
23 Apr 2013
- From the section UK