The head of the Technology and Construction Court has congratulated adjudicators for improving standards.

At the relaunch of the panel of the Association of Independent Construction Adjudicators (AICA) last week, Mr Justice Jackson said he was for the most part impressed by adjudicators' awards.

He said: "I welcome the efforts made to increase standards and provide continued education and accreditation to ensure only the very best adjudicators are on the panel." He noted, however, that some parties might walk away from adjudications with mixed feelings.

The judge made his comments in the wake of a decision by the AICA, one of the main bodies that nominates adjudicators, to take some off its list. The AICA panel is now made up of 40 practising adjudicators along with a mentoring scheme for those who did not meet the criteria. Ten adjudicators, who "demonstrate competence and desire to develop experience", will be mentored by experienced panel members.

In March the AICA revised the membership criteria and reduced the panel from 115 adjudicators to 50 in response to criticism that some adjudicators were not able to handle increasingly complex and high value disputes.

Adjudicators who failed to make it onto the AICA panel have been offered a limited membership, with no entry criteria, for £75 a year.