HMCTS Weekly Operational Update - Week commencing Monday 12 December 2022

HMCTS weekly operational update

HMCTS operational summary for week commencing Monday 12 December 2022

Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 16 December 2022.

Crime

  • Update: From Monday 12 December 2022, use new contact details for any queries about Common Platform cases in magistrates’ courts in the south-west or Wales. Contact our service centre instead of the court where the case will be heard. Phone 0330 808 4407 or email professionalcontactcrime@justice.gov.uk.
  • Update: From Tuesday 3 January 2023, the Crown Court Digital Case system (DCS) will permit the use of a further non CPS prosecutor, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  This follows a period of successful testing and will apply to cases sent to the Crown Court on or after 3 January 2023. Find guidance and training materials for those who use DCS to access, prepare and present case information.  No further non CPS prosecutors will be onboarded to DCS.

Civil

  • Reminder: Medway County and Family Court has opened at its new base in Gun Wharf, Chatham. The project has created 6 hearing rooms, 6 judicial chambers, an advocates’ room and consultation rooms. Gun Wharf replaces the former site at Anchorage House, which was vacated in June 2021.

Family

  • Reminder: We’ve published a recording of our recent financial remedy webinar on YouTube. This provides an overview of the service on submitting and managing applications. We’ll be announcing more sessions via our Eventbrite channel in due course.
  • Reminder: On Tuesday 13 December 2022, we’re hosting a webinar on the probate service for legal professionals. This webinar will provide an overview of the performance of the probate service in the past year, information on the latest data on applications and plans to improve the service as well as an opportunity for you to ask questions.

Tribunals

  • Update: By increasing the number of days tribunals can operate, as many as 10,700 extra immigration and employment cases could be heard in the next 3 months. Thanks to a combined government investment of £8 million, up to 9,000 more immigration and asylum cases and up to 1,700 Employment Tribunals cases will be heard before the end of March 2023. This will speed up the process for people waiting for their cases to be heard and reduce the waiting time for legal decisions.
  • Reminder: On Monday 28 November 2022, The Employment Tribunals (ET) project went live with their first external release to introduce a new CitizenUI portal for Litigant in Person, single claimants with open track cases for those claims submitted online for Leeds and Scotland. This release will impact Leeds and Glasgow ET upon go-live and will be expanded to include Nottingham and Bristol ET cases from early December 2022, followed by a phased national rollout during 2023 to all ET regional offices.
  • Reminder: Leeds Employment Tribunal in City Exchange building will relocate to West Gate during the 2023-24 financial year, with the current lease ending on Monday 24 July 2023. The move to West Gate will allow us to exchange like for like and replicate the current location as closely as possible. We will ensure continuity of operations and that the new building meets the needs of all professional and public users therefore we will cease hearings and exit City Exchange once West Gate is ready.

Judicial guidance and announcements