HM Courts & Tribunals Service has burnt through nearly the entire £1.3bn budget for a programme of court reform that is only just over halfway complete, the chair of the House of Commons public accounts committee said today.
The cross-party group of MPs tasked with holding officials to account over public spending published its latest damning report on HMCTS’ court reform programme.
When the committee last examined the programme in 2019, HMCTS had already extended the time it expected to deliver the reforms twice – from four to six, then seven years. By November 2022, only 24 of its 44 projects had been completed. The overall timetable for most projects has now been extended to March 2024 – three months later than planned. The Common Platform project will be completed in March 2025 – over a year later than planned.
HMCTS has only £120m left to deliver outstanding reforms. Some projects, such as the online divorce portal, have been moved out of the programme into its ‘business as usual’ activities even though they require further work. Funding allocated to the reform programme will no longer cover several projects that were paused as part of the latest programme reset because they could not be finished in time. The impact of recent changes on the promised savings is unclear.
The committee was also disappointed to learn that court staff and stakeholders still feel the quality of engagement from HMCTS regarding the troubled Common Platform programme is insufficient.
Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier said: 'We would expect HMCTS to appreciate by now that complex reform such as this cannot be properly implemented while failing to engage with those impacted, but our report paints a picture of a service now rushing to introduce its plans following multiple delays. HMCTS has now burnt through almost its entire budget for a programme of reform only a little over halfway complete.
'The government told us that the complexity of managing some of these reforms was like "redesigning the jet engine while it is in flight". It must explain how it intends to land the plane.'
A spokesperson for HMCTS said: 'We are modernising our courts so they are fit for the 21st century and the digital services we have introduced have been used over two million times. The Common Platform is a vital part of this reform, replacing old systems that are fragmented and unsustainable, but we have listened to our staff, partners and those using the system in order to make its rollout smoother.
'We will consider the findings of this report and are already acting on many of its recommendations, including ensuring we’re using lessons learned so far to improve the remainder of the programme.'
Law Society president Lubna Shuja said: 'Feedback from our members has been that the speed of change and the number of changes all at once has been problematic. Technology can drive efficiency in courts, however, rolling out unfinished or untested software drives delays and costs, as we have seen with Common Platform. Completion dates of projects still in development should be adjusted so they are realistic and achievable.'
Bar Council chair Nick Vineall KC said the committee's criticisms echo barristers' experiences, especially in relation to Common Platform which, in some cases, has slowed the system down.
Vineall called for a 'culture shift' at HMCTS which will lead to earlier and better engagement with those who use the new systems.
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