Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will suspend the rollout of the Common Platform.

Common Platform is a fundamental part of the HMCTS Reform programme. It is essential if we are to successfully increase the efficiency of the criminal justice system overall and bring people speedier access to justice. It is replacing whole networks of outdated systems that are no longer fit for purpose.

Common Platform is a large but vital system that will help make the criminal justice system more efficient and effective – allowing all parties involved in a case to access information on one system for the first time.  Once Common Platform is operating at full capacity it will cut down on duplication and unnecessary wasted time for admin teams, freeing up resources to focus on things that really matter.

Common Platform will continue to roll out to all criminal courts in England and Wales, and as of 14^th November is now live in 173 sites (58 Crown Courts and 115 Magistrates’ Courts). This equates to 76% of criminal courts that are now live with the system.