Work of the County Court

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 21 Jan 2025 Closed: 22 Apr 2026 Parliament page
This inquiry examines the Work of the County Court amid long-standing concerns over court capacity and resources. It comes as data on the work of the County Court shows the time taken from claim to hearing continues to rise. Read the Call for evidence to find out more about this inquiry .
13 Recommendations
30 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 11 events
9 Dec
2025
Correspondence
17 Oct
2025
Report published
21 Jul
2025
Report published
10 Jun
2025
Correspondence
21 May
2025
Correspondence
8 Apr
2025
Oral evidence
8 Apr
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
18 Mar
2025
Oral evidence
18 Mar
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
7 May
2024
Oral evidence
7 May
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
8 Apr 2025
View on parliament.uk
Daniel Flury · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Jason Latham · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Sarah Sackman MP · Ministry of Justice Steven Jarman · Ministry of Justice
18 Mar 2025
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Lord Justice Colin Birss · Judiciary of England and Wales Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Vos · Judiciary of England and Wales
7 May 2024
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Dr Natalie Byrom · Faculty of Laws, UCL Elizabeth Gallagher · Temple Garden Chambers Emily Giles · The Hyde Group Matthew Maxwell Scott · The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO)
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Work of the County Court HC 677 21 Jul 2025 43 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
17 results
Clear
2 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court delays are unacceptable and exacerbated pre-existing trends in the justice system.
‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ has never been more relevant to the work of the County Court: the current level of delays is unacceptable. Whilst we recognise the pandemic significantly contributed to the backlog in cases, the available data clearly … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges unacceptable delays for trials and commits to increasing judicial recruitment, enhancing digital working, and implementing the Civil Auto File Share (CAFS) project to streamline document management and improve case progression.
Ministry of Justice
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5 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Develop programme to reduce County Court delays to pre-2015 levels by end of Parliament.
As part of any future review, HMCTS must develop a manageable programme to reduce the delays to pre-2015 levels by the end of this Parliament. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) 55
Government Response
The government commits to developing a cross-jurisdictional Remote Participation Strategy to improve consistency, efficiency, and accessibility in using remote hearings, aiming to reduce County Court delays and ease pressure on resources.
Ministry of Justice
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6 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Block listing negatively impacts court users and undermines trust in the County Court system.
We recognise the role that block listing plays in providing flexibility to the schedule considering the high settlement rate in the County Court. However, we have heard concerns that it negatively impacts court users through financial implications and the increased … Read more
Government Response
The government details an action plan to improve County Court contact services, including integrating Civil Auto File Share (CAFS), implementing a multiskilling programme for call handlers, introducing clearer contact points, and rolling out webchat and query management tools.
Ministry of Justice
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7 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Collect data on listing and settlement rates to minimise County Court over-listing practices.
HMCTS, together with the Judiciary, must work together to collect the necessary data on listing and settlement rates to allow for data-informed listing practices ensuring any over-listing is minimised. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Government Response
The government states a roadmap is developed to improve the Find a Court or Tribunal (FaCT) system, including auditing content, reviewing policies, engaging user groups, and delivering improvements by September 2026.
Ministry of Justice
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8 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Enable litigants to recover wasted costs from HMCTS due to poor court administration.
Litigants must be able to recover the legal, travel, and subsistence costs from HMCTS wasted as a result of over-listing and/or poor court administration preventing their cases from being heard. (Recommendation, Paragraph 43)
Government Response
The government states it commissioned the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) to review judicial salary structures, with a report due in November 2026, and will concurrently review regional District Judge recruitment exercises concluding in Spring 2026.
Ministry of Justice
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11 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Integrate CNBC with local court systems and introduce allocated claims handlers for claimants.
The CNBC must be integrated with local court case management systems to improve coordination and responsiveness. Allocated claims handlers and a clear point of contact must be introduced to ensure claimants can speak with someone knowledgeable and responsible for their … Read more
Government Response
The government details work by the Online Procedure Rules Committee on new procedure rules for digital services, provides existing grant funding for legal support, and commits to working with the judiciary on further guidance and considering AI support for this program from October.
Ministry of Justice
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26 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Introduce standardised process for court staff to proactively engage on user access requirements.
HMCTS must introduce a standardised process by which Court and judicial listing staff proactively engage with court users on any access requirements for litigants, witnesses or legal practitioners prior to listing cases. (Recommendation, Paragraph 112) 58 Digitisation Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the objective but states that a system is already in place for court users to notify HMCTS of any reasonable adjustment requests, with the process outlined on the GOV.UK website.
Ministry of Justice
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29 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Co-design all future digital reforms with users and extensively pilot before rollout
All future digital reforms must be co-designed with users and stakeholders and should not be rolled out until they have proven reliable through extensive piloting and testing. (Recommendation, Paragraph 128)
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, affirming that HMCTS's approach to designing digital services already involves extensive user research, co-design with users, and thorough piloting and testing, which will continue for all future digital reforms.
Ministry of Justice
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30 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Review and urgently prioritise digitisation of all descoped work within the Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice must, as a matter of urgency, review all descoped work and prioritise its digitisation. Without this, we are left with an incomplete and inefficient system at significant public expense. (Recommendation, Paragraph 129)
Government Response
The government states HMCTS has reviewed the descoped civil work, acknowledges the need for further digitalization, and is implementing the Civil Auto File Share (CAFS) system to modernize case file handling and improve efficiency.
Ministry of Justice
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32 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court's continued reliance on paper files causes significant delays and inefficiencies
It is very difficult to understand why the County Court continues to rely on paper files, which need to be shipped around the country at great cost. Paper is a serious cause of the delays in the County Court, caused … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the concern and is already implementing the Civil Auto File Share (CAFS) project to digitize paper files, enable electronic transfer between courts, and work towards a fully paperless Civil National Business Centre.
Ministry of Justice
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34 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Replace postal services for paper files with electronic methods; implement opt-in postal options
Use of postal services for sending paper files must be replaced with email or other electronic methods. Postal options should be an opt-in service as already implemented across multiple Government agencies to effectively mitigate against digital exclusion. (Recommendation, Paragraph 138) Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation and is rolling out the Civil Auto File Share (CAFS) project via Microsoft PowerApps to increase electronic document management, aiming to eliminate reliance on physical post and ensure electronic transfer of case files.
Ministry of Justice
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35 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Enhance existing electronic systems to support uploading of larger documents for all County Court claims
HMCTS must enhance existing electronic systems to support the upload of larger documents for all types of claims heard in the County Court. (Recommendation, Paragraph 139) 59 Other opportunities for reform
Government Response
The government accepts, stating that new digital systems already support most documents with limits of 1GB for documents and 500MB for multimedia, and they will complete a review of the more restrictive limits for email submissions.
Ministry of Justice
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36 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Mediation demonstrates early success as a viable, quicker out-of-court route in County Court
Mediation is a viable out of court route with early signs of success in the County Court. It offers claimants a quicker route to seeking justice, one not beset by delays or missing files. (Conclusion, Paragraph 146)
Government Response
The government accepts the conclusion, noting that a pilot for mandatory small claims mediation is in place until May 2026 and will be evaluated to inform decisions on its extension or expansion to other claim types.
Ministry of Justice
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37 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Evaluate mandatory mediation deployment in other claim types as part of future County Court reviews
As part of any future review into the County Court, an evaluation of mandatory mediation must be undertaken to understand whether it can be effectively deployed in other claim types. (Recommendation, Paragraph 147)
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating that an evaluation and review of the mandatory mediation pilot (running until May 2026) will be undertaken, with findings informing decisions on future expansion to other claim types.
Ministry of Justice
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39 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Prioritise rolling out well-regarded existing digital systems from other jurisdictions for HMCTS
Following the completion of the £1 billion Reform Programme, HMCTS must prioritise the roll out of existing systems from other jurisdictions, such as CE Filing, which are well-regarded by legal professionals. These should not be replaced for the sake of … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts and has a project underway to continue providing a digital case management and e-Filing solution in the High Court, with a key requirement for improved operability with existing Civil, Family, and Tribunals platforms.
Ministry of Justice
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40 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Launch consultation on effectively using AI to improve County Court performance and operations by 2026
The Ministry of Justice must launch a consultation, into how it plans to effectively use AI to improve the performance and operations of the County Court and report its conclusions by the end of 2026. (Recommendation, Paragraph 156) Conclusions on … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts in part, stating that the Ministry of Justice has already conducted consultations and published the AI Action Plan for Justice in July 2025, which outlines their approach and ongoing pilots for AI adoption in the justice system.
Ministry of Justice
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42 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Lack of clear plans to address well-established County Court inefficiencies and delays persists
The causes of the inefficiencies and delays in the County Court are well- established, and openly recognised by Ministers and officials, yet it is unclear how HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), together with the Judiciary and the Ministry of … Read more
Government Response
HMCTS is exploring the development of predictive analytical tools, underpinned by machine learning, to support better administration of listing.
Ministry of Justice
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Government Response AI assessment · 43 of 13 classified
Accepted 17
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 7
Deferred 13
Rejected 3
Total 13 recs + 30 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
9 Dec 2025 Correspondence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 8 December 2025: HMCTS Capital Estate Investment Spending (April 2023 - March 2025)
Parliament page
10 Jun 2025 Correspondence from Daniel Flury, HMCTS Operations Director, dated 29 May 2025 relating to the oral evidence session held on 8 April 2025
Parliament page
21 May 2025 Correspondence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 15 May 2025 relating to the oral evidence session held on 8 April 2025
Parliament page