*/
The government’s £1.2bn court modernisation programme faces a ‘daunting challenge’, its spending watchdog has warned.
A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) said the ‘ambitious reform programme’, which was already behind schedule and had been scaled back, was unlikely to achieve all of its aims in its extended timetable.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) estimates there will be a funding shortfall of £61m, assuming that the Treasury agrees that all previous years’ underspends can be carried forward. Without this agreement, the funding gap could be £177m.
The change programme to introduce new technology and working practices to reform and upgrade the justice system began in 2016. By March 2023, HMCTS expects to employ 5,000 fewer staff, hold 2.4 million fewer cases in physical courtrooms per year and reduce annual spending by £265m.
The timetable to complete the reforms has been extended from four to six years, but the NAO said that ‘delivering the reforms successfully remains extremely challenging’ and warned that ‘there is a significant risk that HMCTS will not be able to achieve all it wants within the time available’.
Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO said: ‘Modernising the justice system is an ambitious challenge. HMCTS has improved its approach, but overall it is behind where it expected to be and significant risks remain.’
The government’s £1.2bn court modernisation programme faces a ‘daunting challenge’, its spending watchdog has warned.
A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) said the ‘ambitious reform programme’, which was already behind schedule and had been scaled back, was unlikely to achieve all of its aims in its extended timetable.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) estimates there will be a funding shortfall of £61m, assuming that the Treasury agrees that all previous years’ underspends can be carried forward. Without this agreement, the funding gap could be £177m.
The change programme to introduce new technology and working practices to reform and upgrade the justice system began in 2016. By March 2023, HMCTS expects to employ 5,000 fewer staff, hold 2.4 million fewer cases in physical courtrooms per year and reduce annual spending by £265m.
The timetable to complete the reforms has been extended from four to six years, but the NAO said that ‘delivering the reforms successfully remains extremely challenging’ and warned that ‘there is a significant risk that HMCTS will not be able to achieve all it wants within the time available’.
Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO said: ‘Modernising the justice system is an ambitious challenge. HMCTS has improved its approach, but overall it is behind where it expected to be and significant risks remain.’
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC