Justice Committee launches new inquiry on the work of the County Court
21 January 2025
The Justice Committee is today (Tuesday, 21 January) launching a new inquiry to examine the work of the County Court amid persistent concerns over capacity and resources.
MPs on the cross-party Committee chaired by Labour MP Andy Slaughter decided to look afresh at the work of the County Court after its major inquiry begun last year was halted by the July 2024 General Election.
The Committee’s relaunched inquiry comes as the latest official data on the work of the County Court shows the average time taken for small claims and multi/fast track claims to go to trial was 50.6 weeks and 79.3 weeks. Compared to 2019, these measures are 14.0 weeks longer for small claims and 20.2 weeks longer for multi/fast track claims.
Members undertook a recent visit to the Central London County Court to witness firsthand the issues affecting civil justice.
In its 2022 report, the predecessor Justice Committee called on the then Government to provide the “resources to ensure that the County Court has the capacity to deal with cases in a timely fashion”.
The report also urged Ministers to set out what steps it was taking to reduce delays in the County Court and to improve the judicial, physical, digital and staff capacity of the County Court.
Chair comment
Chair of the Justice Committee Andy Slaughter said: “Recurrent concerns around delays, resourcing and capacity have persisted for years, affecting the lives of all those who rely on a functioning County Court to deliver timely justice.
“It’s right that the Justice Committee early in this Parliament examines in detail why these issues remain unresolved and takes evidence from those impacted. As the latest claims data shows, the time taken from claim to hearing for multi/fast track claims is still much longer than the pre-covid baseline.
“Improving the effectiveness of the County Court could help with the Government’s mission to strengthen economic growth, as we know that small businesses rely on the County Court to resolve disputes.
“The Committee’s inquiry will look at areas including the condition of the County Court estate, the use of technology and data, plus current staffing levels and judicial capacity to see where possible further reforms are needed across this important sphere of justice.”
Terms of Reference
The Committee is launching a call for written evidence on the work of the County Court.
It will consider evidence already submitted, though it is open to consultees to update this.
The Committee invites evidence submissions through the website addressing any or all of the issues raised in the following terms of reference by Thursday, 13 February 2025:
- What the current level of delay in the County Court is; the extent of any regional variations; and the effect of delays on litigants and the administration of justice;
- The ways in which the County Court engages with litigants in person, and how this could be improved;
- The accessibility of the County Court for people with disabilities;
- The condition of the court estate, and its effect on the work of the County Court;
- The use of technology in the County Court and how it could be used to improve the service provided by the County Court;
- The effect of the court reform programme on the County Court, including the new Online Civil Money Claims service and the Damages Claims service;
- The current level of fees and the approach taken to costs in the County Court, and how the fees collected are used as part of the current funding arrangements for the County Court;
- Whether there is sufficient judicial capacity in the County Court, and current steps to improve judicial capacity;
- Whether there is sufficient staffing of the County Court;
- The causes of action giving rise to claims in the County Court;
- The current procedural mechanisms used by the County Court to resolve disputes;
- The quality of data available on the work of the County Court; and
- What future reforms to the County Court should be considered.
Further information
Image: House of Commons