Extract:

The people and organisations we heard from in developing this Briefing mostly felt that the courts run fairly well, but they are concerned about barriers to accessing justice. They are worried about the cost of lawyers and of travelling to court, and they feel that the system is not working well for everyone. In particular, they are worried that the system isn’t working well for disadvantaged groups, victims, or children.

Consultation during the development of this Briefing identified some opportunities for improving the operation of the courts and justice services. The Ministry agrees that many of these opportunities are worth exploring. Some are straightforward areas where we just need to keep innovating or working to embed change that everyone agrees is useful. Using digital technology to help with administrative tasks is one example.

Other opportunities highlighted through this process are strategic choices for decision-makers.

These choices are:

• whether we should find ways to address unmet legal need

• whether we should undertake structural reform of the court system

• whether we should substantially increase navigation and support

• whether we should look at more ambitious uses for AI

• whether we should make greater use of remote participation

• whether we should more actively shape the future workforce for the court system.

These are fundamental considerations for the future operation of the courts and justice services. They are not easy issues to decide, and they will need close attention and discussion between the Judiciary and the Executive going forward.

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