The Technology and Construction Court is to get a full-time High Court judge in an attempt to deal with the complex and long-running disputes that arise in the industry.

The TCC’s High Court judge, Justice Jackson, will now be based principally in the court rather than spending half his time on other cases. The decision, announced last week by the Lord Chief Justice, comes as it has been disclosed that two framework agreements have been added to the JCT standard construction contracts.

The appointment of a full-time High Court judge is part of a series of reforms planned for the TCC, which has struggled to deal with the volume of disputes in the industry. Each case sent to the TCC will be sent to a High Court judge or circuit court judge, with the High Court judge taking the most complex cases.

The framework agreements have been added to the JCT standard contracts to promote long-term planning in the industry. They were published this week along with the Minor and Intermediate Works building contracts with contractor’s design as the first part of the JCT’s 2005 suite.

The framework contracts are for all levels of the supply chain, and are suitable for public and private sector projects. It is the first time a framework package has been included in the JCT suite.

Huw Baker, a partner at Linklaters, said: “This supplement will complement the strict legal contracts to achieve best practice. It can be used by anyone who wants collaboration, to improve areas such as environmental standards and safety.”

JCT plans to release the remainder of its contracts by the end of the summer.