Legal News

The digitalisation of courtrooms across England and Wales is being delayed as the timetable for rolling out Wifi in courtrooms falls behind schedule.

The Law Society Gazette reports that the East and North Devon Magistrates’ group has been advised that courtrooms in Devon will not receive Wifi until 2017 at the earliest – at least one year behind the government’s deadline of 2016 for all courtrooms.

Justice Minister Damien Green said in March that courtrooms across England and Wales were entering a Wifi era. The government has announced a further £75 million in annual funding for the project over the next five years.

Last year the Justice Minister announced an extra £160m in funding to help rollout Wifi to all courtrooms in England and Wales by 2016.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) told the East and North Devon Magistrates’ group, however, that it would be included in the fourth stage of rolling out Wifi to courtrooms under a nine-stage delivery scheme. A local law firm in Exeter has called the delays “farcical”.

The Gazette reports that apart from East and North Devon, there will be many other criminal justice areas which will not be connected to Wifi until 2017.

Justice Minister Damien Green has insisted that the Wifi delivery scheme is on schedule to meet its 2016 target, however.

Mr Green told the Gazette:

“This is an ambitious project but one that is on schedule. This is government is investing more than £100 million in digitising our courts, which will help us better meet the needs of victims and witnesses.

“By relying less on outdated paper systems, we will make courts more efficient and remove many of the common causes of court delays.”

Wifi connection in courtrooms may speed up cases and allow vulnerable witnesses to give evidence without having to attend courts in person.

Prisoners may also be allowed to testify using Wifi, saving money on transporting prisoners to courts.

However, there have already been delays to the £444m case management system “Libra” which is being installed in the High Court to replace a failed upgrade of the IT system – installed in 2010 at a cost of £10m.

The Gazette also reports that one law firm claims the HMCTS is also preventing local courtrooms from installing their own Wifi before the Ministry of Justice’s own scheme is rolled out – and that cabling which was previously installed in courtrooms “at huge expense some years ago” will now go to waste as a result of the Wifi scheme for courtrooms.

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