Chair’s Summary – Strategic Engagement Group Meeting 17 November 2020
Published 15 January 2021
1. Introduction
A summary of the discussion of the Strategic Engagement Group (StratEG) meeting held on 17 November 2020. This meeting was held by video, rather than face-to-face due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Members of the Bar Council, Law Society and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) met with the HMCTS Strategic Engagement Team and Reform project teams for the latest 6-weekly update and discussion.
2. Court reform
Representatives received an update from each jurisdiction including on the impact of the pandemic on project delivery, and presentations on Unspecified Claims Service, Section 28 Pre-recorded cross examination and Scheduling & Listing Project update.
The Reform Plan update confirmed that there had been no major deviation to the plan since the previous meeting. The following updates to milestones were however noted. Timelines for Common Platform initial roll-out to DVLA and police has not yet been agreed. Private Law Project had commenced. Video hearings was continuing in private beta. Loughborough CTC was complete. 149 courts were live for WiFi. Scheduling & Listing (S&L) was still in discovery phase. The S&L pilots have been delayed to January 2021.
The update from Future Hearings advised the meeting that the final Flexible Operating Hours (FOH) evaluation report had been provided to ministers for approval to publish. The Video Hearings (VH) project had commenced engagement on the transition of VH to replace Cloud Video Platform (CVP) over the next few years. VH is in use at tribunals jurisdiction, property and employment tribunals. The project is looking at where else VH could go live. The project is also looking at how, when and where staff and legal professionals are using the hearing service and their experiences of it.
In crime, following the filter being opened on 24 September, bail cases have been brought onto Common Platform. Arrangements are in hand to roll out Common Platform to the next early adopter sites at Bristol Crown Court and Bristol Magistrates’ Court. Other regions will follow. DVLA has recommenced processing Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases, after pausing prosecutions for a few months during the initial coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The update from civil confirmed that the telephony transition into Stoke CTSC was complete and CTSC teams were taking all calls. A total of 771 Judge Draws Directions Order (JDDO) had been drawn at the 19 participating county courts. Mediation pilot for defend cases to £500 is working well.
In family, mandation of digital consent financial resolution applications has gone well. The divorce service has been well received and continues. Family public law digital service national rollout continues with national roll-out by January 2021.
The update from tribunals advised the meeting that with respect to Social Security & Child Support (SSCS), launch of the SSCS1 form was providing greater information than bulk scan. Manage your Appeal (MYA) online had been well received. Digital launch was planned for online decision notice in 2021. There was greater use of CVP in SSCS than in other jurisdictions. The project was working with the judiciary to unblock delays in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. Appellant in Person (AIP) appeals paused in April due to coronavirus (COVID-19) had been re-launched. Employment tribunals were working to introduce a new case management system. This will allow parties to submit claims online, track online and provide an end-to-end digital service. CE-File has been successfully launched in the Royal Courts of Justice and upper tribunals. This will facilitate the launch of E-filing functionality.
3. Presentations from reform projects
An update was provided on the Unspecified Claims Service project plan to replace the current paper-based process with a digital solution.
Release 1, scheduled for April 2021, will provide a digital facility for single party claims from the claim issue stage up until the collection of direction questionnaire information, with the built-in ability to track progress. Release 2, in October 2021, will provide an end-to-end digital journey for defended cases allocated to the fast track.
Timeline and focus of Release 3 in 2022 will be dependent on Release 2. It will aim to extend the scope of the digital system beyond defended cases, use by legal professionals and ‘simple’ cases. A prototype model to ‘create claim’ was demonstrated to the group. Users will need to register on MyHMCTS to use this facility.
An update was provided on Section 28, pre-recorded cross examination. Special measures are available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses to enable them to give their best evidence which may be via a live video link. Section 28 video recorded pre-trial cross examination is one of these special measures rolled out to all Crown Courts for vulnerable victims and witnesses.
Section 28 technology uses the existing court link in courtrooms and witness video link rooms. The hearing process works on an accelerated timetable usually agreed at the Pre-trial Preparation Hearing (PTPH).
The Scheduling and Listing project provided an update to the group. The contract for the Scheduling and Listing tool ‘List Assist’ has been awarded to McGirr Technologies. The first Alpha version of the product was received in August and user acceptance testing has been conducted and feedback used to inform the beta releases. The project is working with the supplier for the first pilot in January 2021.
4. Next meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for 12 January 2021 with a presentation due from the HMCTS User Experience and Insight Team on project-level reform engagement strategy.
Caroline Olaiya
Head of Strategic Stakeholder Relations
Chair of the Strategic Stakeholder Engagement Group