The implementation of the Common Platform for criminal courts in England and Wales is now expected to be completed by March 2025, a year later than earlier indicated.
Nick Goodwin, chief executive of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), outlined the expectation in a letter to Parliament's Public Accounts Committee on the progress of the programme.
He said it was necessary to correct a detail of an earlier statement he had made to the committee that the platform – a digital case management system which is a major element of HMCTS’s court reform programme – would be fully in place by March 20204.
“While it is correct that all core functionality will be delivered by this date, there will be two further releases that significantly impact Crown Court processes and ways of working that will not be fully rolled out until March 2025,” he said.
“This will allow us to complete the rigorous testing we need with our justice partners before we commence a measured roll out of these processes, to ensure we protect recovery within the Crown Courts.”
Development delays
In February the National Audit Office published a report on progress with the court reform programme, saying it has been hindered by the delays in developing the Common Platform. Work on this began in 2012 and the first stages of roll out took place in 2020, but it has been beset by development issues and there has been a significant change in plans so that it will not, as originally intended, be shared with the Crown Prosecution Service. Instead, information will be exchanges via interfaces.
