HMCTS Board meeting summary - 1 July 2021
Published 31 August 2021
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1. HMCTS members present
| Board member | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Parker | Independent Chairman |
| Victoria Cochrane | Senior Independent Non-Executive Member |
| Lakh Jemmett | Non-Executive Member |
| Nicky Wilden | Non-Executive Member and Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair |
| Kevin Sadler | Acting Chief Executive |
| Andrew Baigent | Chief Financial Officer |
| Paul Harris | Operations Director |
| Gemma Hewison | Strategy and Change Director |
| Annabel Burns | Director, Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate, MoJ |
| Lord Justice Keith Lindblom | Senior President of Tribunals (SPT) |
| District Judge Tim Jenkins | Judicial Board member |
1.1 Presenters and additional attendees:
| Board member | Role |
|---|---|
| Lord Justice Charles Haddon-Cave | Deputy Senior Presiding Judge (DSPJ) |
| Jan Gower | Non-Executive HMCTS Change Portfolio Board member |
| Clare Farren | Deputy Director, Judicial Private Offices |
| HMCTS Board Secretary | |
| Deputy Head of Board Secretariat | |
| Georgia Jerram | Communications Director (observer) |
| Andrew Key | Chief Executive, Judicial Office |
| Ed Lidington | Senior Responsible Owner for Court Recovery |
| Melissa Case | Director, Family & Criminal Justice Policy |
| Criminal Justice Strategy Team Leader | |
| Fiona Rutherford | Director of Access to Justice Policy, MoJ |
| Charlotte Middleton | Dispute Resolution Deputy Director |
| Stakeholder Lead, Family & Criminal Justice | |
| Sir Andrew McFarlane | The President of the Family Division (PFD) |
| Adam Lennon | Deputy Director and Service Owner – Family |
| Senior Service Manager & Deputy Service Owner for Family | |
| Senior Service Manager – Civil | |
| CFT Reform Programme - Online Civil Money Claims | |
| Simon Vowles | Deputy Director – Civil |
| Mark Stewart | Acting Courts and Tribunals Director |
| Lisa Johns | Deputy Director, Royal Courts of Justice |
| Scott Findlay | Deputy Director, Facilities Management |
| Rupert Morgan | HMCTS Property Director |
1.2 Apologies:
| Board member | Role |
|---|---|
| Lady Justice Kate Thirlwall | Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) |
2. Welcome and introductions
Tim Parker welcomed attendees to the meeting and gave apologies.
3. Minutes and actions
The minutes from 4 June 2021 were approved and updates on actions were noted.
4. Review of HMCTS framework document
Following consideration of the proposals on setting objectives and Board responsibilities, the Board provided its views, including around the potential implementation of the proposals.
It was noted that a full draft of the framework document had yet to be finalised, and the views of the principals had not been sought.
5. Performance updates
The Board was informed that planning was continuing in advance of a government announcement about step four of the roadmap.
An overview covering the recovery of performance within HMCTS was provided. It was noted that sitting days had been steadily increasing since December, with month on month gains despite the limitations of social distancing. In addition, the outstanding caseload in the Crown Court remained stable which showed a positive picture compared to our most recent (April) forecast.
There were discussions in relation to other jurisdictions, including the Employment Tribunal and the Immigration & Asylum Chamber.
6. HMCTS Reform Programme - update of key achievements and challenges
The Board considered the key points from the monthly update on the Reform Programme.
7. Quarterly review by the principals
The Board discussed and provided feedback ahead of the principals’ quarterly review meeting.
8. Court recovery
There was a discussion in relation to the role, purpose and priorities of the Courts and Tribunals Recovery Oversight Group.
9. Criminal Justice System (CJS) scorecard metrics
The Board considered and approved the updated CJS metrics against which HMCTS reports and agreed that these should be sent to the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice for formal sign off.
10. Dispute Resolution Project – update
The Board was provided with an update on the Dispute Resolution Project.
11. Family Public Law Service digital uptake
Sir Andrew McFarlane, The President of the Family Division, was welcomed to the meeting.
The Board was provided with an update on the current digital uptake for the Family Public Law service and the activity being undertaken to increase it.
12. Demonstration of Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC)
The team demonstrated the feature in OCMC that allows a district judge or legal adviser to consider the claim and the defendant’s response and to make the necessary directions in advance of the final hearing.
13. Deep dive on London – workload, performance and recovery plans
The importance of the London region in HMCTS, its place in the national picture, and performance implications in terms of hearing capacity and outstanding workload were highlighted.
The Board discussed the issues and challenges affecting performance in London, noting the historical context. It was highlighted that, from a HMCTS perspective, a key part of the Reform Programme was to allow for better management of work, enabling it to be spread more effectively across the different regions. It was agreed that a more detailed session would be presented to a future meeting.
14. Royal Courts of Justice deep dive
The item was noted but deferred to a future meeting.
15. Estate maintenance
The Board discussed the current condition of the HMCTS estate and potential action that could be taken to make material improvements.