HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) formally concluded the programme this week. Video technology for remote hearings now operates in 70% of courtrooms (90% of Crown courtrooms), and 14 modern digital services have been developed. More than 4.1 million cases have been digitally submitted since April 2019.
HMCTS chief executive Nick Goodwin said: ‘Originally due to conclude in 2022, the programme has taken longer which incurred more cost and we haven’t been able to deliver everything envisaged at the outset.
‘While the pandemic caused major disruption, it underlined the importance of modernised services and enabled us to operate when other justice systems closed around the world. Strike action and rising demand for many services added to the challenges. It is also clear, though, that the original scope was too ambitious.’
Goodwin said HMCTS will now focus on ‘incremental improvements’ in a ‘careful, managed way’.
