Source · National Audit Office

Progress on the courts and tribunals reform programme

Published: 23 Feb 2023 Recommendations: 6 Type: Value for Money NAO confirmed: 6 Department: Ministry of Justice

HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s £1.3bn court reform programme is nearing its end. This report examines progress implementing the programme.

Dept: Ministry of Justice Topics: Courts, sentencing and tribunalsCrime, justice and law nao.org.uk →

Recommendations

6 items

4 accepted 2 partially accepted 6 implemented

Rec	Recommendation	Addressee	Acceptance	Implementation
1	Get a better understanding of how efficiently reformed services are working so it can identify where improvements are needed. HMCTS should consider how to get more routine and timely data on how efficiently reformed services are working, including where variation exists. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point a · Implemented Q1 2024-25	Ministry of Justice	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
2	Develop an overarching benefits realisation plan. It should set out: ? the main improvements required to each service to ensure they deliver the intended scope and how it plans to prioritise changes to maximise benefits; ? how and when it can safely make changes that will deliver benefits; and ? how it plans to engage partners to ensure the required behaviour change is achieved. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point b · Implemented 02/2025	Ministry of Justice	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
3	Publish findings from its impact on access to justice assessments for each service as they are completed and explain how it will address any issues it identifies. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point c · Implemented 12/2024	Ministry of Justice	Partially accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
4	Prioritise and take forward common platform improvements that will make it easier to use, and communicate these plans to users. It should set out a prioritised list of upcoming upgrades to the system with expected completion dates, focusing on those that will relieve workload pressures or support users in assuring data quality. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point d · Implemented 02/2025	Ministry of Justice	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
5	Ensure that common platform users have sufficient support as it continues the rollout. It should assess whether its current remote support model is sufficient as the number of courts on common platform increases and avoid withdrawing support from courts until it is sure that doing so will not be detrimental to court processes. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point e · Implemented 12/2023	Ministry of Justice	Partially accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
6	Identify lessons learned from the reform programme as it comes to an end and feed those lessons into both reform and wider HMCTS and MoJ programmes. This should include a detailed section on lessons learned from the design and rollout of common platform. Ref Page 10, paragraph 18, point f · Implemented Q2 2024-25	Ministry of Justice	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO

Public Accounts Committee follow-up

1 report

The Public Accounts Committee examined this NAO report and published its own recommendations. The government responds to PAC recommendations via Treasury Minutes.

30 Jun 2023 Public Accounts C… Sixty-First Report - Progress on the courts and tribunals reform programme — 12 recommendations · parliament.uk