The Justice Committee is today (Tuesday, 21 January) launching a
new inquiry to examine the work of the County Court amid
persistent concerns over capacity and resources.
MPs on the cross-party Committee chaired by Labour MP decided to look afresh at
the work of the County Court after its major inquiry begun last
year was halted by the July 2024 General Election.
The Committee's relaunched inquiry comes as the latest official
data on the work of
the County Court shows the average time taken for small claims
and multi/fast track claims to go to trial was 50.6 weeks and
79.3 weeks. Compared to 2019, these measures are 14.0
weeks longer for small claims and 20.2 weeks longer for
multi/fast track claims.
Members undertook a recent visit to the Central London County
Court to witness firsthand the issues affecting civil justice.
In its 2022 report, the predecessor Justice Committee called on
the then Government to provide the “resources to ensure that the
County Court has the capacity to deal with cases in a timely
fashion”.
The report also urged Ministers to set out what steps it was
taking to reduce delays in the County Court and to improve the
judicial, physical, digital and staff capacity of the County
Court.
Chair of the Justice Committee said:
“Recurrent concerns around delays, resourcing and capacity
have persisted for years, affecting the lives of all those who
rely on a functioning County Court to deliver timely
justice.
“It's right that the Justice Committee early in this
Parliament examines in detail why these issues remain unresolved
and takes evidence from those impacted. As the latest claims data
shows, the time taken from claim to hearing for multi/fast track
claims is still much longer than the pre-covid
baseline.
“Improving the effectiveness of the County Court could help
with the Government's mission to strengthen economic growth, as
we know that small businesses rely on the County Court to resolve
disputes.
“The Committee's inquiry will look at areas including the
condition of the County Court estate, the use of technology and
data, plus current staffing levels and judicial capacity to see
where possible further reforms are needed across this important
sphere of justice.”
Terms of Reference
The Committee is launching a call for written evidence on the
work of the County Court. It will consider evidence already
submitted, though it is open to consultees to update this.
The Committee invites evidence submissions through the website addressing any
or all of the issues raised in the following terms of reference
by Thursday, 13 February 2025:
- What the current level of delay in
the County Court is; the extent of any regional variations; and
the effect of delays on litigants and the administration of
justice;
- The ways in which the County Court
engages with litigants in person, and how this could be
improved;
- The accessibility of the County
Court for people with disabilities;
- The condition of the court estate,
and its effect on the work of the County Court;
- The use of technology in the County
Court and how it could be used to improve the service provided by
the County Court;
- The effect of the court reform
programme on the County Court, including the new Online Civil
Money Claims service and the Damages Claims service;
- The current level of fees and the
approach taken to costs in the County Court, and how the fees
collected are used as part of the current funding arrangements
for the County Court;
- Whether there is sufficient
judicial capacity in the County Court, and current steps to
improve judicial capacity;
- Whether there is sufficient
staffing of the County Court;
- The causes of action giving rise to
claims in the County Court;
- The current procedural mechanisms
used by the County Court to resolve disputes;
- The quality of data available on
the work of the County Court; and
- What future reforms to the County
Court should be considered.
