A new digital case management system, common platform, was
delayed and is unpopular with staff, causing stress and sometimes
interfering with the smooth running of live court cases. In some
instances (35), IT problems meant criminals not being fitted with
electronic tags when they should have been. Before rolling out
the system out nationally, HMCTS had only partly evaluated one
early adopter site and had not completed robust technical
testing. Introducing the new platform before it was ready created
extra burdens for courts when they were already under pressure.
HMCTS now expects lifetime savings of £2bn from the reforms. This
is £310mn lower than estimates in 2019 owing to revised
assumptions, design changes and higher ongoing costs. HMCTS also
now expects to see recurrent savings from reform in 2025-26, a
year later than when the NAO last reported. These may be delayed
further if HMCTS goes ahead with further changes.
HMCTS has a limited understanding of whether reforms are
delivering intended efficiencies. While it recorded a net total
of £311mn in savings from running costs between 2014-15 and
2021-22, it acknowledges that these figures may not be fully
attributable to reform. Costs of running many services are higher
than pre-reform and it lacks routine data on how efficiently
reformed services are operating.
Some services are not yet operating as expected. For example,
many online divorce and probate cases needed manual interventions
by court staff despite the relevant project being marked as
complete. As yet, HMCTS has no overarching benefits realisation
plan.
, head of the NAO,
said:
“This has been a complex and challenging programme for HMCTS to
deliver, not least due to the impact of the pandemic. While the
programme has continued to make progress, the decision to rollout
the common platform without sufficient assurance has put
avoidable pressure on the courts at a critical time.
“As HMCTS develops plans to adjust the programme it is essential
that it builds in sufficient time to learn as it goes and
promptly address any performance concerns. It must also develop
its approach to benefits realisation to secure value for money
from the £1.3 billion of taxpayers’ money it has invested.”
