Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 32
32
Accepted
Paragraph: 111
Set out steps to reduce County Court delays and boost its overall operational capacity.
Recommendation
The County Court is vital to access to justice in England and Wales. The public relies on it to resolve disputes and vindicate their rights. As such, the significant increase in delays in certain cases in the County Court is concerning. It is imperative that the Government provides the resources to ensure that the County Court has the capacity to deal with cases in a timely fashion. It is imperative that the Government provides the resources to ensure that the County Court has the capacity to deal with cases in a timely fashion. The Government should set out what steps it is taking to reduce delays in the County Court and to improve the judicial, physical, digital and staff capacity of the County Court.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, detailing plans to maximise sitting days, provide administrative and staffing support, continue the Reform programme, and highlighted a £324 million investment over three years to improve timeliness in civil and family courts and tribunals.
Paragraph Reference:
111
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The civil courts play a crucial role in ensuring citizens have access to justice and in supporting the economy. Despite the impact of the pandemic our timeliness figures in civil courts remained stable over 2021. However, we are working to improve timeliness, across all tracks for claims that progress to a hearing. We took swift action in response to the pandemic, including introducing Covid-secure courtrooms and remote hearings. We will maximise the number of sitting days utilised across the jurisdiction, ensuring the administrative and staffing support required for those sitting days is in place, and will continue to deliver efficiencies through our Reform programme which will improve the user experience and remove some administrative tasks enabling cases to reach hearing readiness sooner. The Spending Review settlement includes a further £324 million over the next 3 years to improve timeliness in civil and family courts and tribunals. Due to timeliness metrics being recorded at the conclusion of a case, it will take time for improvements in timeliness to become evident in data. Following the Call for Evidence on Dispute Resolution, the Ministry of Justice is also exploring proposals to promote the early and consensual resolution of disputes where appropriate, ensuring that court resources are focussed on cases that require a judgment.