Transparency data

Strategic Engagement Group Meeting Chair’s Summary - June 2022

Published 15 July 2022

Applies to England and Wales

1. Introduction

This document summarises the discussion of the Strategic Engagement Group (StratEG) meeting held on Tuesday 28 June 2022. The meeting was a hybrid online and face-to-face event at 102 Petty France, London.

Members of the Bar Council, Law Society and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives met with the jurisdictional leads for the HMCTS reform programme and HMCTS corporate relations team for the latest bi-monthly update and discussion.

The agenda included 3 presentations on the adoption reform project, Common Platform and the pre-recorded cross examination special measure (section 28).

2. Reform Programme

Each jurisdiction updated on their area and project delivery.

2.1 Civil

In the civil jurisdiction, the extension of the Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) service enables legal representatives to issue and respond to a money claim online. Legally-represented claimants and defendants can issue and respond to money claims up to the value of £25,000 and can issue a multi-party claim online.

The next 3 technical releases will enable legal representatives to request and issue a default judgment within either the OCMC or Damages Claims service, enable Standard Directions Orders to be made for legally represented small-claim and fast-track cases within the OCMC and Damages Claims service, and enable legally represented parties to submit a ‘general application’.

Work is in progress on the next releases on the Damages Claims service in September with the project due to close in March 2023. The Enforcement project is focused on warrants of control. The project is scheduled to deliver in March 2023.

2.2 Family

In the family jurisdiction, Family Private Law is progressing well to deliver a digital application process and 17 applications have been received in the private beta. The courts are managing digital applications centrally. The project is building the next stages to Final Order. More pilot sites will be added ahead of national rollout.

2.3 Future Hearings

In the future hearings jurisdiction, the Scheduling and Listing tool, ‘ListAssist’ is live in the civil and Family Courts. The Publications and Information project is also ready. The technical issues with the Video Hearings implementation have been resolved.

There was a discussion about live streaming of some UK trials and tribunals over the internet and how many courts in the UK will have capacity for live streaming. It will be for judges to decide whether proceedings can be streamed and who can view.

2.4 Crime

The crime jurisdiction update included an additional verbal presentation on Common Platform, detailed in section 4.

Phase 2 of Common Platform will be delivered in releases in partnership with the CPS. Release 1 will provide digital case management functionality, particularly relevant for the magistrates’ court and enabling CPS to complete and submit Plea and Effective Trial and Better Case Management forms as structured data from the CPS Case Management System.

Release 2 will provide digital case management functionality, particularly relevant for the Crown Court. This will include a digital Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing and certificate of trial readiness form as well as enhancements to the case materials functionality to replace the Digital Case System in the Crown Court.

Release 3 in October will enable directions to be managed digitally. This will be relevant for both the magistrates’ court and Crown Court. Release 4 in early 2023 will enable applications to be submitted and managed digitally. The project will finish in March 2023.

2.5 Tribunals

The tribunals jurisdiction was not represented at the meeting but an update was provided in advance. In the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, all appeals by legal representatives that can be submitted digitally are doing so, for appellants inside and outside the UK. Development is continuing the Immigration Bail minimum viable product, with the release planned for early August 2022.

Special tribunals will reform 8 of the smaller tribunals through the delivery of an end-to-end, digital core service. Services will be implemented in the following order:

• Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Tribunal & Primary Health and Care Standards Tribunal
• Mental Health Tribunal

The project is ready for Criminal Injuries Compensation to receive the service at the end of September / early October and rollout to the other services between October and December 2022.

The Royal Courts of Justice and Upper Tribunals project has closed and handed to business as usual.

3. Family – Adoption reform project

The aim of the adoption project is to improve the experience for children, adoptive families and local authorities. The application process for an adoption order will move online.

The project is working with staff and judiciary, across 5 regions, at 8 family court locations - Medway, Oxford, Chelmsford, Leeds, Worcester, Northampton, Newport (Gwent) and Portsmouth Family Courts.

Payment for applications can be made online by credit or debit card. A child’s birth certificate and any other supporting evidence can be submitted online. The project will reform the remaining part of the adoption process for post-placement cases by November 2022.

4. Crime – Common Platform

Common Platform remains live in 112 courts (37 Crown Courts and 75 magistrates’ courts). Common Platform rollout was paused in August 2021 to take stock, assess stability issues and challenges with IT changes. It was also an opportunity to introduce consistency going forward.

Following agreement by the SPJ in March 2022, Common Platform was rolled to courts in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

On 14 June approval was received for the implementation of Common Platform to the first 5 tranches over 4 weeks in July and August, starting from 4 July with Nottingham Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. The project will take stock of progress during August before seeking approval for the final tranche of courts up to the end of February 2023.

5. Crime – Pre-recorded cross examination

The pre-recorded cross examination special measure (section 28), as set out in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (YJCEA), is available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses in the Crown Courts.

The expansion of the service to intimidated witnesses began in March 2022. This is part of a phased rollout and includes complainants of a sexual offence or modern slavery offence.

The service will be available in all Crown Courts to intimidated witnesses by the end of Summer 2022 and will later look to include complainants of domestic abuse.

There was discussion about evaluation of the service, which will inform decisions on any further expansion to eligibility for the special measure. The use of screens for the playback of recordings, similar to in-person testimony, will be available. Transcripts will not be provided where there is a recording of a hearing.

The project is exploring the potential use of remote sites. The service is being piloted at remote pilot sites at Wood Green, Leeds and Durham to inform its expansion to a further 37 remote sites.

6. Next meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for 30 August 2022.

Amy Allen

Acting Head of Corporate Relations, HMCTS and Chair of Strategic Engagement Group.