4th Report - Work of the County Court
Select Committee
Justice Committee
HC 677
21 July 2025
Government response
2nd Special Report – Work of the County Court: Government Response · published 17 Oct 2025
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Make County Court improvement a key priority for the Ministry of Justice.
Conclusion
The criminal justice system is often the focus of mainstream attention and gets recognition for delivering justice, but with over a million claims each year, and a vast jurisdiction, the County Court is where most citizens and businesses encounter the …
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Government Response Summary
The government vaguely commits to reviewing its civil justice data and considering whether improvements could be made to its publication processes, without directly addressing the recommendation to make County Court improvement a key priority.
Ministry of Justice
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3
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Lack of transparency and data on regional County Court performance hinders effective scrutiny.
Conclusion
The civil justice quarterly statistics do not aid transparency or allow for effective data-led scrutiny into the performances of individual courts. The County Court is known to house significant regional variation across England and Wales yet there is no evidence …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of data-informed listing practices and states that HMCTS is currently exploring the development of predictive analytical tools using machine learning to support better administration of listing.
Ministry of Justice
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9
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Facilitate greater use of remote hearings and provide national guidance on their application.
Conclusion
HMCTS, and the Ministry of Justice, must facilitate the greater use of remote hearings, working alongside the Senior Judiciary to provide national guidance outlining when virtual hearings should be used. (Recommendation, Paragraph 44) Contacting the County Court
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is progressing work by planning to review and restate the County Court operating model and revisit its resource model to align with workload demand and post-Reform ways of working, but does not commit to producing specific national guidance on the use of virtual hearings.
Ministry of Justice
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10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Centralisation of County Court operations has devastated justice delivery, causing debilitating delays.
Conclusion
Despite its intended aim of simplifying the operation of the County Court, the centralisation of essential court operations has had a devastating impact on the delivery of justice, entrenching the postcode lottery and results in debilitating delays for all parties. …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it already publishes some information on claimant representation status and will review existing court data to consider whether further granular data can be made available.
Ministry of Justice
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25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Prioritise and deliver accessibility improvements for the court estate with clear targets and budget.
Conclusion
All works to increase accessibility, in all of its aspects, of the court estate must be prioritised and delivered at pace. It is not satisfactory for lift repairs to take months, or for disabled users to be taken through back …
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Government Response Summary
The government stated it is focusing on tangible steps to improve the County Court and highlighted general operational improvements, but it did not commit to specific measurable targets, timelines, or a costed budget for accessibility works as requested.
Ministry of Justice
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27
Conclusion
Acknowledged
County Court Reform Programme over-ambitious and under-delivered on digital transformation.
Conclusion
The Reform programme was over ambitious and ultimately under-delivered. We acknowledge the diverse range of jurisdictions that fall within the County Court which may have contributed to the challenges the programme faced. However, we are not satisfied with HMCTS’ evidence: …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts the committee's findings and states that HMCTS has learned lessons from the Reform programme, adjusting and improving its approach to designing future digital services through user research, co-design, piloting, and testing.
Ministry of Justice
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28
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Reform programme civil projects insufficiently tested, causing County Court inefficiencies and dual running
Conclusion
The civil projects that were delivered under the Reform programme were not sufficiently tested with practitioners in mind. As a result, the avoidable failures of Reform have led to unacceptable amounts of dual running, with one claim requiring interactions with …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts the committee's findings and confirms that HMCTS has learned from the Reform programme, now adopting an improved approach to designing digital services that includes extensive user research, co-design, piloting, and testing for all future reforms.
Ministry of Justice
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