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Courts Service: Key Performance Indicators

Volume 703: debated on Tuesday 22 July 2008

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Maria Eagle) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The following list of key performance indicators has been set for Her Majesty's Courts Service for 2008-09:

To commence 78 per cent of cases within the following timescales in the Crown Court:

defendants' cases that are sent for trial within 26 weeks of sending;

defendants' committal for trial cases within 16 weeks of committal;

appeals within 14 weeks of the appeal; and

committals for sentence within 10 weeks of committal.

To speed up criminal cases in the magistrates’ courts so that, for charged cases, the average time from charge to disposal—less than six weeks.

Time taken to produce and send court results to the police (historical KPI):

95 per cent court registers produced and dispatched within three working days; and

100 per cent court registers produced and dispatched within six working days.

To achieve an 85 per cent payment rate for financial penalties in the magistrates’ courts.

For 60 per cent of all breached community penalties to be resolved within 25 working days of the relevant failure to comply.

To increase the proportion of defended small claims that are completed otherwise than by court hearing to 65 per cent.

To increase the proportion of defended small claims that are completed (from issue to final hearing) within 30 weeks to at least 70 per cent.

Increase the amount of civil work initiated online—55 per cent of eligible possession claims through PCOL and 70 per cent of specified money claims through MCOL.

To ensure that 48 per cent of care and supervision cases in the county court and 56 per cent in the magistrates' court are completed within 40 weeks.

To increase the proportion of residence and contact orders made by consent in the county courts (excluding cases involving allegations of harm) to at least 37 per cent in each HMCS area.

To increase the “very satisfied” element of the HMCS court user satisfaction survey from the 2007-08 baseline.

More information on these and other key supporting targets are published in the HM Courts Service business plan for 2008-09.  Copies of the business plan for 2008-09 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies are also available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.