HMCTS Board meeting summary 7 October 2021
Published 30 November 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 & Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair |
| Kevin Sadler | Acting Chief Executive |
| Andrew Baigent | Chief Financial Officer |
| Paul Harris | Operations Director |
| Annabel Burns | Judicial & Legal Services Policy Directorate Director, MoJ Representative |
| Lord Justice Charles Haddon-Cave | Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) |
| Lord Justice Keith Lindblom | Senior President of Tribunals (SPT) |
| District Judge Tim Jenkins | Judicial Board member |
1.1 Presenters and additional attendees
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Jan Gower | Non-Executive Change Portfolio Board member/Critical Friend |
| Paula Potter | Interim Crime Programme Director |
| Edward Wagstaff | Head of Business Strategy |
| HMCTS Strategy Lead | |
| Head of Unit Costing | |
| Tom Ring | Deputy Director, Legal Operations |
| Tracy Parker-Priest | Deputy Director Tribunals |
| Senior Legal Manager (Tribunals) | |
| Mark Stewart | Acting Courts and Tribunals Director |
| Lisa John | Deputy Director, Royal Courts of Justice |
| Sir Andrew McFarlane | The President of the Family Division (PFD) |
| Adam Lennon | Deputy Director and Service Owner – Family |
| Neal Barcoe | MoJ Deputy Director, Family Justice Policy Division |
| John Michalski | Commercial Director |
| Julie Howkins | Deputy Director, Commercial and Contract Management |
| Clare Farren | Deputy Director, Judicial Private Offices (operations and modernisation) |
| Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance & Board Secretariat | |
| HMCTS Board Secretariat Officer |
1.2 Apologies
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Gemma Hewison | Strategy and Change Director |
2. Welcome and introductions
Attendees were welcomed to the meeting and the apologies were given.
3. Minutes and actions
The minutes from 8 September 2021 were approved and updates on actions were noted.
4. Performance and finance updates
The ministerial changes that had taken place in the previous month were highlighted.
The Board was informed that the first tranche of the pay award had now been implemented and had been generally positively received.
COVID infection rates in HMCTS were continuing to be monitored on a daily basis, though it was noted that almost all transmission associated with positive cases among HMCTS staff was taking place outside of the workplace.
There was currently an ongoing issue with the delivery of prisoners to courts on time for hearings in the south of England. It was noted that HMCTS was working with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the supplier to improve performance.
An overview of recovery within HMCTS was provided. An update was provided on the sitting days in the Crown Court and the performance in the magistrates’ court and the Board considered the position in relation to custody times.
There were substantive discussions in relation to the civil jurisdiction, the Employment Tribunal and the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
It was highlighted that the financial position was relatively stable, however, work was taking place to formalise the mid-year position taking account of the pay deal and other factors.
5. HMCTS Reform Programme - Common Platform update
There was a substantive discussion in relation to the Common Platform and steps being taken to improve performance.
6. Quarterly review by the principals
The Board discussed and provided feedback in relation to the draft paper prepared for the principals’ second quarterly performance review meeting.
7. HMCTS Spending Review 2021 bid
An update on the 2021 HMCTS Spending Review bid was provided.
8. Update on tribunal caseworkers
The Board noted the success of the introduction of the tribunal caseworkers and discussed opportunities for further benefits if this work was extended.
9. Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) deep dive
Consideration was given to the RCJ’s current workload, performance position and the condition of its estate.
10. Focus on family
There was a discussion on the performance of Public and Private Law cases, covering trends and trajectories for receipts and disposals, judicial sittings and measures aimed at improving the position.
11. Lessons learned on procurement and contract management
The Board considered the lessons learned that had been identified and proposed areas for future focus.
It was confirmed that contract-specific lessons learned from particularly difficult contracts were also being progressed.
12. Establishing unit costs for service lines to enable Reform benefit realisation tracking
An update was provided on the work to establish unit costs capturing the work that was undertaken by HMCTS staff and judicial activity.
The Board looked forward to receiving further updates as this work progressed and thanked all those involved thus far.