Civil claims tap into on-line era

Modernisation: video conferencing making big strides, says Court Service report

The on-line issue of civil claims is to go live next week as a trial project as the Court Service continues its modernisation programme.The launch follows publication of the service's annual report last week, which detailed a series of pilot schemes to be run in the next 12 months with a view to modernising the courts.These also include projects on video conferencing facilities and the provision of electronic information through partnerships with advice agencies.'The entire modernisation programme is highly complex and a number of pilot schemes are running and will be run over the next five years or so until its completion,' said Bernadette Kenny, director of operational policy at the Court Service.'IT now plays a very important role in the service and video conferencing in particular has made the service far more user friendly.'She said video links now meant that not only could witnesses give evidence in trials from outside the courthouse, but also defendants could stay in secure facilities when involved in bail proceedings.

Such an operation is now up and running between Manchester Crown Court and Strangeways Prison.

'We are also running a live trial of our on-line issue of civil claims to the public,' Ms Kenny said.

'It is impossible to pilot such a project so we are going to go ahead and launch it on 17 December and wait for feedback from users.'Ms Kenny said a pilot scheme will be run to test how advice agencies, such as the Citizens' Advice Bureaux, can help the public use on-line information, and that also a pilot business centre will be set up to handle courts' back office work.'We are always looking for ways to make life easier for the court user and witnesses, as opposed to what is good for the service,' said Ms Kenny.

'Over the next year we will be checking the progress of pilots and rolling out new ones, with the aim of sustaining this.'Andrew Towler