Transparency data

Chair’s Summary – Strategic Engagement Group Meeting 23 February 2021

Published 31 March 2021

1. Introduction

This document summarises the discussion of the Strategic Engagement Group (StratEG) meeting held on 23 February 2021. This meeting was held by video, rather than face-to-face due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Members of the Bar Council, Law Society and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives met with the jurisdictional leads for HMCTS Court Reform Programme and the HMCTS Corporate Relations Team for the latest 8-weekly update and discussion. The meetings have moved from 6-weekly to 8–weekly as reform projects have matured and updates are also available to the legal professional groups through other focused working groups.

2. Court reform

The group received an update from each jurisdiction, including on the impact of the pandemic on project delivery and a presentation on the Family Public Law (FPL) digital service. The group also initiated its biannual review of its Terms of Reference (ToR). This will be formally signed off at its next meeting, allowing members an opportunity to consider any further changes that may be appropriate.

The reform plan update confirmed that the Common Platform early adopter sites were progressing well in Derbyshire and Bristol Crown and Magistrates’ Courts. National rollout had been approved in principle by Programme Board on 22 February. Single Justice Service (SJS) national rollout was pending agreement by DVLA, police and non-police prosecutors. Divorce project closure will be at the end in April. There will be a phased national rollout of the FPL project through February. Immigration and Asylum Chamber (IAC) project was progressing well. The Scheduling and Listing pilot in Oxford was progressing well. The Video Hearings Project has established detailed plans and is working to the first pilot. Future Operations projects are on track with Courts and Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC) site delivery, technology and business design in place. Strategic technology rollout is on track to commence on 1 April.

The update from the Future Hearings jurisdiction confirmed that the Scheduling and Listing first pilot of the ‘List Assist’ tool commenced in Oxford on 11 January 2021. Work is continuing to identify other smaller suitable early adopter sites. The Video Hearing service is planning to pilot at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre in early April 2021.

In the crime jurisdiction, Common Platform is live in Derby and Bristol. It is operating alongside existing digital systems but gradually all new cases will be managed on Common Platform. Common Platform is being rolled out to a series of early adopter courts, one in each region, with national rollout from 22 March. Second phase of Common Platform will include additional functionality to support case management and case progression of cases.

The civil jurisdiction advised that, in the online Civil Money Claims service, judge draws directions orders could currently be used by 19 pilot courts, and that the aim is to extend this to every court in May 2021.

The update from family jurisdiction reported that the respondent legal journey for financial remedy is in the process of being tested. It was intended that divorce will use the same functionality for release in spring 2021. A centralised issuing centre has been established for C100 private law applications which are made online. A pilot has started in Southampton to create applications for Brighton, Medway, Leeds and Chelmsford family courts. Hearings dates will be given by these courts in a few weeks. This will be quicker than the current process and users will continue to correspond with the local family courts.

The update from tribunals jurisdiction advised that the Social Security and Child Support surveys continued to reflect good satisfaction levels with the service. In the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, over 7,000 appeals received from professional users now mandated to use the service. Usage has been 100% since August with digital uptake at 44%. The service will be extended to outside the UK at the end of March.

3. Presentation on the Family Public Law (FPL) digital service

The new FPL digital service will allow users and Local Authorities to complete the forms online, upload case bundles, see current status of cases and progress cases online. Users will have access to the documents. The service is available 24/7 to 52 local authorities. The service entered private beta stage in January 2018 and enhanced private beta stage in November 2019. It entered public beta in January. In March 2020, the digital service transitioned into the CTSC in Stoke for three family courts. The service resumed national rollout on 14 September 2020 following a pause due to COVID-19. Once onboarded, local authorities and legal professional users across England and Wales can submit and progress applications online. National rollout recommenced from 7th September 2020 and is scheduled to finish at the end of March 2021. Documents can be marked as ‘confidential’ on the system. Local authorities can issue papers on behalf of other local authorities.

4. HMCTS Strategic Engagement Group Terms of Reference (ToR)

The ToR for the group were reviewed. The group discussed the proposals for the remit and objectives of the group, and for the ToR to be updated to reflect the maturity of the Reform Programme. The updated ToR will be ratified at the next meeting.

5. Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for 13 April 2021 with a demonstration from the civil jurisdiction project on reforming damages claims and a verbal update on the new Find a Court or Tribunal (FaCT) service.

Caroline Olaiya
Head of Corporate Relations
Chair of Strategic Stakeholder Engagement Group