Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Common Platform

Tuesday 22 November 2022 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Common Platform has been rolled out at 173 criminal courts in England and Wales, with 76% of courts now live.
  • The Minister denied that the Common Platform was a disaster or a flawed project, emphasizing its role in replacing eight legacy systems.
  • The Minister stated that he is willing to discuss issues with staff groups and judges to address any particular concerns regarding the Common Platform.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rachel Hopkins Lab Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Justice & Courts
Context

The Common Platform is a new IT system for criminal courts in England and Wales. Issues with its implementation have been raised.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve the performance of the Common Platform?

Answer from Mike Freer

We have rolled out the Common Platform at 173 criminal courts in England and Wales and 76% of courts are now live. It has improved the format and timeliness of outcomes of hearings generated and shared with our criminal justice partner agencies and removed the need for staff to re-key information across different IT systems.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific steps taken to improve performance

How: Providing General Progress Instead Of Specific Steps

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Q2 Kate Hollern Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

The Common Platform has been criticised for its high costs and negative impact on legal jobs. The Lord Chief Justice has also raised concerns.

Question

The Common Platform has been nothing short of a disaster—one quarter of a billion wasted on a project that was fundamentally flawed from the start and designed primarily to slash thousands of highly skilled legal jobs. Even the Lord Chief Justice has raised serious concerns recently to the Justice Committee. Is it not time the Minister held up his hands, admitted this was a mistake and told His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service to build a better system that focuses on delivering justice instead of wasting money in such a damaging and short-sighted way?

Answer from Mike Freer

The simple answer to that question is no.

Not addressed: Did not address any of the criticisms raised or admit any issues with the Common Platform

How: Providing A Dismissive Response

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Q3 Rachel Hopkins Lab Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Justice & Courts
Context

Staff at courts, including those in Luton, went on strike over the flawed Common Platform IT system. Trade unions have also raised concerns.

Question

Last month, staff at courts across the country, including the magistrates court in Luton, went on strike—not over pay or pensions, but because the Common Platform IT system is so flawed that it is effectively unusable. That should have been enough to make the Government sit up and take notice, but if the Minister will not listen to his own workers and their trade union, the Public and Commercial Services Union, maybe he will listen to the judges who are speaking out? One judge called the Common Platform “completely unsuitable” and “not fit for purpose”. Does the Minister agree?

Answer from Mike Freer

No, I do not agree. All new IT systems take time to bed down and officials continue to work with user groups, both staff within the criminal justice system and judges. The system replaces eight legacy systems that are at the end of their lives, support for which is being withdrawn.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address concerns raised by workers or agree with judge's statements

How: General Explanation Instead Of Direct Agreement/Disagreement

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Q4 Bob Neill Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The questioner notes that the Common Platform is supposed to help track cases but fails in recording guilty pleas. He suggests practical changes are needed.

Question

The Minister is of course right to say that we need to modernise and improve IT systems and replace the legacy systems, but will he sit down and talk in some detail with users of the system, both judges and practitioners? For example, a platform that is unable to record whether a case concludes in a guilty plea will not be very much help in tracking the progress of cases or improving listing at a time when we have massive backlogs. Practical changes are surely what is needed.

Answer from Mike Freer

My hon. Friend makes a good point. I am always happy to speak to staff groups and my legal friends in the justice system to iron out any particular issues, but the roll-out of the Common Platform needs to continue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific commitments or timelines for meetings with users

How: General Willingness Instead Of Concrete Plans

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Q5 Alex Cunningham Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

The Common Platform was intended to improve court efficiency but has led to chaos, increased backlogs, and high costs. The questioner wants transparency on spending.

Question

Oh dear, dear, what a mess: our courts systems were in chaos before the pandemic, and now it is much worse, with some cases taking years to come to court and remand numbers at record levels. The Common Platform was supposed to make courts more efficient, but fails in everything from recording criminal convictions to getting crucial data to the Registry Trust on time. Worst of all, it is having an adverse effect on people's lives, including those who use it. Costs have soared from £236 million to more than £300 million, with Ministers ready to pay an IT firm another £20 million for product enhancements. Will the Minister tell us where the money has gone, why the system has not been sorted and whether he will pause the roll-out until it is?

Answer from Mike Freer

I point out that the backlogs were on a downward trajectory until the Criminal Bar Association action. The roll-out of the Common Platform is a necessary part of modernising our systems, and I am confident that we will ensure that the system is delivered for the benefit not just of users, but of everyone who touches our criminal justice system.

Not addressed: Did not provide transparency on spending or pause rollout

How: Broad Statements Without Specifics

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