HM Courts Service needs to improve the accuracy of its recording of case results ‘as a matter of urgency’, a report by HM Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) found last week.

The inspectorate said the Courts Service was not recording case results on the courts register accurately because of poor handwriting by legal advisers, insufficient use of computers in court, and staff who are too junior for the task.

The report noted that the new electronic system to be introduced following the Bichard inquiry into the Soham murders means many court results will soon be automatically uploaded onto the Police National Computer, with the risk that errors will be transferred.

The inspectorate criticised the Courts Service for failing to monitor the accuracy of the court register. An inspection by HMICA at Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court between September 2008 and February 2009 found an error rate of 25%, although the errors were not serious.

HMCIA criticised the Courts Service’s failure to understand or reduce the number of sick days taken by staff, who take an average of 10.8 sick days per year, well above the target of 7.5 days.

Commenting on the report, HMCS chief executive Chris Mayer said: ‘I acknowledge that only 100% in accuracy and timeliness [in recording court results] is acceptable. The introduction of our new case management processes and of Libra has strengthened [this] considerably.’

A spokeswoman added that sickness absence was falling.