The government has set up a scheme aimed at improving access to justice by enabling people to complete application forms and pay fees for county court cases on-line.

From the beginning of next week - 17 January - people in nine pilot areas will be able to fill in a selection of county court forms via their home computers or by visiting agencies such as Citizens Advice, rather than printing them out and delivering them to the court.


The court areas taking part are: Basildon, Birmingham, Bourne-mouth, Coventry, Dartford, Leicester, Llangefni, Norwich and Preston. The pilot will last for six months, but the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) hopes it will eventually be rolled out nationally.


Among the 20 forms that are expected to be available on-line through the pilot are acknowledgements of service, defence and counterclaims, requests for judgment and requests for attachment of earnings order.


A DCA spokesman said they were 'among the most popularly requested court forms and should help those who are less mobile'. Applicants will use simple instructions to complete forms on their screen and can make credit or debit card payments via a secure link; they can also apply for a fee exemption on-line. Court fees will be processed in a central office, while the local courts will deal with the applications.


The new system is being run by the Cable and Wireless Web Technology Group and data capture and processing company Mandoforms.


Courts minister Christopher Leslie said: 'With this new service, court users will not have to leave their homes to fill in and submit commonly used county court forms. I am sure this will benefit those who don't find it easy to get out and about, as it makes public services closer to those who need them.'