Original document : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmcts-reform-civil-fact-sheets

Change description : 2025-04-25 16:09:00: Republished temporarily to share information about early adopter courts. [Guidance and regulation]

Showing diff : 2024-02-27 16:15:13.064144047 +00:00..2025-04-25 15:09:46.890397838 +00:00

Promotional materialGuidance

HMCTSModernising Reform:courts Civiland facttribunals: sheets benefits of digital services

Fact This sheetsguidance onprovides ourinformation progressabout inhow HMCTS developed its digital services as part of the civilHMCTS jurisdiction.Reform Programme and the benefits to users.

Between 2016 and March 2025, HMCTS undertook a reform programme which digitised multiple services. It transformed the experience of using and administering many services across our courts and tribunals.

The vision, set by then Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals, was to transform the system and build on three core principles of being just, accessible and proportionate.

Through the programme we:

    Documents
  • launched 14 new digital services across all jurisdictions, from small civil money claims disputes to divorce proceedings in the Family Court and the management of criminal cases
  • processed over 4.1 million digitally submitted cases since April 2019
  • closed underused buildings or sites where upkeep was no longer sustainable, reinvesting proceeds back into the programme
  • invested in future sites, as well as tackling ongoing maintenance and repairs

Our digital transformation

Before the reform programme, courts and tribunals relied on outdated paper processes which were hard to navigate, ageing IT systems and an estate it had inherited from predecessor organisations where buildings were underused or no longer suitable.

Main achievements

Through the programme we:

Details
  • achieved consistently high user satisfaction rates, including 80% for online divorce, 92% for online civil money claims, 85% for social security and child support appeals

  • We’reExplore modernisingour digital transformation journey by reading our CEO’s blog post on Inside HMCTS.

    Benefits and impacts

    Faster, simpler services for those who need them

    We’ve made courts and tribunals systemservices easier to makeuse itand more straightforward,efficient accessibleto run. We can provide faster access to justice for those people who need it often when they’re facing very difficult periods in their lives.

    Among others, we provide services and efficient.support It’sfor:

    • every anvictim, ambitiouswitness programmeand designeddefendant who has experienced crime
    • businesses and their clients, who have not been paid or charged fairly
    • grieving families seeking probate
    • families that need courts and tribunals to improveprotect the systemvulnerable
    • those experiencing the breakdown of a relationship and divorce
    • claimants for bothservices who may be experiencing financial hardship
    • people needing to resolve disputes with their employer, such as discrimination or unfair dismissal
    • asylum seekers seeking safety
    • those whoappealing usebenefits itdecisions, holding the powerful to account

    We’re proud of our consistently high user satisfaction rates. For example, over 93 % of people were satisfied with their experience of applying for probate online.

    Resilience and flexibility

    New digital services have provided greater resilience. Where services have been moved onto a single digital platform, we can continue to administer justice in times of crisis - even when people may not be able to attend courts, tribunals or service centres physically for thoseexample, workingas withina it.result of bad weather, public health issues, transport disruption or building maintenance.

    SeeHaving developed many digital systems ourselves, we can continue to adapt, develop and improve them to meet changing circumstances, whether that’s as a result of policy, technological or user needs.

    Environmental benefits

    Sustainability benefits are significant as digital services replace paper files and the progressneed to move them between sites.

    Digital services have reduced paper usage and travel requirements, saving an estimated 3.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, which equates to taking 1,485 cars off road for a year.

    We also estimate that by enabling digital applications through our projectsservices, inwe’ve saved the civilequivalent jurisdiction.of nearly 55 million sheets of paper since 2019.

    Published

    Data 5and Septemberinsight

    Reformed 2022
    Lastdigital updatedsystems 27are Februarygiving 2024 + showus allquality updatesinsights and data to support further improvements to services. The data feeds into assessment reports that measure how effectively our reformed services are performing

    1. Updatedpre-defined criteria.

      The data also helps us to identify trends and potential issues quickly, so we can act on 27them Februaryeffectively 2024.to improve or resolve problems.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 March 2025
    Last updated 24 March 2025 href="#full-history">+ show all updates

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    Update history

    2025-04-25 16:09
    Republished temporarily to share information about early adopter courts.

    2024-02-27 16:15
    Updated on 27 February 2024.

    2024-02-05 16:47
    Updated damages and OCMC fact sheets.

    2024-02-05 12:07
    Updated Damages Claims fact sheet.

    2023-10-17 14:05
    Updated damages claims fact sheet.

    2023-10-11 13:36
    Update OCMC fact sheet.

    2023-03-20 15:32
    Updated Damages Claims fact sheet.

    2023-03-08 17:21
    Updated Online Civil Money Claims fact sheet.

    2023-01-13 16:15
    Added latest figures for damages claims and online civil money claims.

    2022-10-03 17:24
    Updated total figure of online civil money claims to date.

    2022-09-05 12:19
    First published.