Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Acknowledged
Centralisation of County Court operations has devastated justice delivery, causing debilitating delays.
Conclusion
Despite its intended aim of simplifying the operation of the County Court, the centralisation of essential court operations has had a devastating impact on the delivery of justice, entrenching the postcode lottery and results in debilitating delays for all parties. The current methods of contacting a county court do not work. Users cannot find the necessary contact information, and centralised inboxes and phone numbers appear unmonitored as they fail to provide the required response rate. (Conclusion, Paragraph 53)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it already publishes some information on claimant representation status and will review existing court data to consider whether further granular data can be made available.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
Accept. An action plan is underway to improve contact rates on County Court contact services. At the heart of this transformation is the integration of Civil Auto File Share (CAFS), a solution that enables call handlers to access the electronic court file in real time and so provide informed responses instantly, reducing delays and enhancing transparency. These improvements are supported by a multiskilling programme for call handlers and the introduction of clearer contact points for customers. The picture on performance is improving markedly: average speed to answer (ASA) has dropped from over 40 minutes to 13 minutes as of July 2025 although we recognise there is more to do. Webchat and a query management tool for legal professionals is now live in several centres, offering faster resolution for routine queries, and query management for litigants in person is being rolled out nationally from September. Accept. A roadmap has been developed to improve the Find a Court or Tribunal (FaCT) system. Key actions include auditing and updating content for accuracy, reviewing related policies such as the Ministry of Justice’s Reasonable Adjustments Policy, and engaging with user groups to improve accessibility for all. Improvements will be supported by quality assurance measures and delivered by September 2026.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗