HMCTS Board meeting summary - 3 July 2020
Published 18 December 2020
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1. Present HMCTS members:
| Board member | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Parker | Independent Chairman |
| Victoria Cochrane | Senior Independent Non-Executive Member and Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair |
| Ian Playford | Non-Executive Member |
| Lakh Jemmett | Non-Executive Member |
| Susan Acland-Hood | Chief Executive, HM Courts & Tribunals Service |
| Kevin Sadler | Deputy Chief Executive & Operations Director |
| Andrew Baigent | Chief Finance Officer |
| Lady Justice Kate Thirlwall | Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) |
| District Judge Tim Jenkins | Judicial Board member |
| Annabel Burns | Ministry of Justice, Director, Judicial and Legal Services Policy |
1.1 Presenters and additional attendees:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Lord Justice Keith Lindblom | Vice-President of the Unified Tribunals |
| Gemma Hewison | Strategy and Change Director |
| Jan Gower | Non-Executive HMCTS Change Portfolio Board member/Critical Friend |
| Head of Courts & Tribunal Service Centres (CTSC) Data Exploitation Team | |
| Performance Analyst and Data Scientist – CTSC | |
| Amy Caldwell-Nichols | Deputy Director, Head of Insights & Analysis |
| Catherine Blair | Deputy Director, Strategic Finance |
| Simon Vowles | Deputy Director, Civil |
| Covid-19 Policy Coordination | |
| John Laverick | Chief Digital and Information Officer (Interim) |
| Graham Dickinson | Head of Digital Operations |
| Digital Architecture Team member | |
| Deputy Service Manager, Immigration & Asylum Reform Project | |
| Resident Judge Zucker | Immigration and Asylum Tribunal Judge |
| Clare Farren | Deputy Director, Judicial Private Offices |
| HMCTS Board Secretary | |
| Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat |
2. Welcome and introductions
Tim Parker welcomed attendees to the meeting.
3. Minutes and actions
The minutes from 5 June 2020 were approved and updates on actions were noted.
4. Performance and finance
The Board was informed that the main priority continued to be the response to COVID-19, though focus was now moving more towards the recovery of performance in the short and medium term from managing the immediate emergency response to the pandemic. To support this recovery, a number of measures were being considered which included:
- identifying potential additional locations that could be utilised to increase the amount of work being processed
- work continuing to take place remotely wherever appropriate
- the reopening of HMCTS buildings.
Consideration was also being given to varying operating hours to maximise the number of hearings that could be heard – options for this work were being taken forward through working groups involving the judiciary and legal professional groups. It was noted that magistrates’ courts already heard cases on Saturdays.
In relation to current performance, the Board was informed that whilst the amount of work taking place was increasing, there were still challenges around the level of outstanding work. To address this, senior judges, supported by HMCTS, were seeking to maximise the cases being held in the short term.
The Board was pleased to note that the staff absence rate had significantly reduced and that almost all HMCTS buildings had or were in the process of reopening. The Board considered performance levels and modelling for the different jurisdictions with particular focus on the crown court, magistrates’ courts, civil, family and employment tribunal jurisdictions.
The recent announcement confirming that £142m of additional capital funding had been allocated to HMCTS for this year was highlighted. This was recognised as a very positive development which would address a number of key maintenance and building sustainability matters.
A demonstration of the new analysis tool that had been developed by the HMCTS team in relation to divorce cases within the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres was provided. The Board was shown how the tool could be used to identify where there were delays in the process using live data from the Core Case Data system. This information was then used by continuous improvement teams to investigate and identify enhancements to processes.
The Board discussed the current financial position, the financial context to inform decision making, and assurance regarding the financial controls in place.
5. HMCTS COVID-19 business recovery plan
It was noted that an overarching recovery plan had been published earlier that week. Also, engagement was taking place with key stakeholders to increase the shared understanding of the level of the challenge and therefore the rationale for the plans being taken forward.
Updated scenario planning was expected, which would help further refine the approach, however, the complexity of the plans and their dependencies were recognised. The Board praised the team for the work that had been undertaken so far.
6. Mediation and alternative dispute resolution for court users in HMCTS
The Board noted the current state of mediation in the civil, family and tribunals jurisdictions. There was a discussion in relation to the factors that were constraining the successful use of mediation and how significant improvements might be achieved.
The Board concluded by recognising the potential benefits that increasing mediation and alternative dispute resolution could bring to improve efficiency and reduce the levels of outstanding work. It was agreed that further work should be taken forward looking at how its use could be maximised in the short and longer term.
7. Digital and technology services (DTS) current level risk and approach
The Board discussed the current risks and the approach set out to address them.
It was highlighted that the Application Performance Management (APM) Tool had been procured from one of the industry leaders to enable proactive and quicker identification of issues with digital systems. The key aspects of the new system and its practical use were highlighted.
8. Demonstration of Immigration and Asylum Chamber (IAC) Service
A demonstration of the new IAC platform was presented to the Board. The significant efficiencies made to processes were recognised, including the use of case workers with appropriate judicial supervision, which reduced unnecessary work and interactions.
The Board congratulated the team for the improvements that the new system provided to its users, judges and staff.