In meeting its purpose, the Court Service aims to provide a good quality service in a cost- effective manner. In doing this, it will:

• provide a courteous, reliable and accurate service, relevant information and suitable facilities
• complete all administrative processes promptly
• reduce waiting times for trial or hearing
• reduce the cost of the services we provide
• achieve full cost recovery in the civil courts

Performance against the objective is measured by the Court Service's key performance indicators (KPIs), which are set out below, together with targets and forecast performance in 1997/98. The majority of the KPIs were revised for 1997/98 but it has been possible to calculate what performance would have been in 1995/96 and 1996/97 had these KPIs been in existence and details of this performance are also set out below.

The Court Service continues to be committed to the principles of the Citizen's Charter and to delivering high standards of service to all court users. A number of initiatives are being undertaken to continue to improve our service.

• Outstanding cases - There were 25,404 outstanding cases in the Crown Court at the end of March 1997 compared with 23,757 at the end of March 1996. Although an increase, this is still well below the total of 31,293 outstanding cases at the end of March 1994. It should also be set in the context of a 5.2% increase in committals for trial between the 1995/96 and 1996/97 financial year.
• Receipts in the financial year to October 1997 are 14.4% up on the same period in 1996.
• Sittings - The number of outstanding cases is forecast to rise only slightly, to 26,000 because it is anticipated that 90,800 days will be sat 3,800 more than originally planned. This level of sittings compares with 89,125 days sat in 1996/97 which was itself a record high.
• Average waiting times for bail and custody cases stood at 13.1 weeks and 8.5 weeks respectively in the financial year to October 1997, compared with 13.6/9.2 weeks respectively in 1996/97 and 16.3/11.4 weeks in 1995/96. Reducing waiting times and delays remain a priority in 1998/99 when it is planned to sit 87,000 days.

Civil business

The Court Service is continuing to work with LCD HQ to develop new policy and procedure for handling civil cases in line with Lord Woolf's recommendations. Case management is the central theme of the reforms. Monitoring adherence to bespoke or fixed timetables to trial will be supported by an IT system. The system is being developed with the assistance of the Department's PFI supplier, Electronic Data Services Ltd (EDS).

Part IV of the Family Law Act came into force on 1 October 1997. The Court Service worked closely with LCD HQ to ensure the necessary forms and procedures were developed and in place and that court staff received appropriate training. The Court Service is working with LCD HQ on the development of forms, procedures and training to support the introduction of Part II of the Family Law Act, the Disability Discrimination Act, the Fair Payment Act and the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Implementation of the case record module of the LOCCS computer system (known as 'CaseMan') began in March 1997. At the end of September 176 of the largest county courts had gone live on CaseMan representing nearly 85% of the total county court workload. Implementation into the remaining courts is to be completed by December 1997. Extensive work has been undertaken to identity further IT support for the county courts to build upon the CaseMan system.

The Court Service policy of centralising civil work continues within the Summons Production Centre (SPC) and the County Court Bulk Centre (CCBC). In 1996:

• SPC issued 1,019,431 default summonses which represents 48% of the national total issued. There are a number of interested users whose work will eventually take this figure to over 50%.
• The CCBC also issued 478,7541 default judgements (38% of the national total) and 233,701 warrants of execution (an increase to 33% of the national total).

The Department has an equal opportunities complaints procedure for investigation of complaints of harassment and a free phone helpline. The Court Service provides disability awareness training for managers.

The Lord Chancellor's Department and its agencies have no substantial environmental policy responsibilities, but review and develop environment strategies and action plans drawn up in response to those recommendations in the Environment White paper which affect it as a consumer. Senior managers responsible for areas of the Department's operations which influence the environment have drawn up plans to ensure they take account of the environmental implications of their activities.

The Lord Chancellor's Department does not procure new or replacement equipment which uses CFCs, and when existing equipment which uses them is replaced, it is disposed of by qualified contractors. The Department is committed to the targets for the reduction and elimination of CFCs and HCFCs established by the Montreal Protocol. Maintenance contracts require the routine testing, including leak detection, of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment owned and operated by the Court Service.

The Court Service made a 15% saving in energy consumption in the 6 years to 31 March 1997. The original campaign has been extended to 31 March 2000 with a new target reduction of 20%.

A contract energy management scheme is in operation at the Royal Courts of Justice, the Court Service's largest site. Managing agents are responsible for the energy efficiency of plant throughout the remainder of the estate. Over 500 accommodation liaison officers have attended an introduction to energy management training course, and energy managers at the Court Service's 60 largest energy consuming sites have been given advanced training on the optimisation of their buildings for summer and winter operation. A rolling programme of energy and environmental surveys has being introduced. All buildings where the Court Service is responsible for payment of fuel and utility invoices are to be surveyed in the next three years. The specification for energy surveys of major court buildings requires Environmental Assessments to be undertaken, with particular emphasis on environmental effects that impact on court user comfort levels, such as light and noise levels, and measurement of trace gases linked with sick building syndrome.

The Court Building Design Guide has undergone a green audit and an environmental guide has been produced to assist the design team in meeting the Service's environmental objectives for building projects. The guidance given is intended to ensure that new court buildings obtain a 'very good' rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method.

In particular design teams aim to:

• avoid air conditioning by the use of natural ventilation
• use energy conscious design
• minimise waste
• ensure health and safety, and
• protect the ecology.

Three new county courts were brought into use during 1997: Telford in April, Swansea in June, and Oldham in October. Annex B shows the expenditure and output of the Court Building Programme.

Projects are being pursued to provide new accommodation via the PFI procurement route. Pathfinder schemes are underway to provide: new Crown Court accommodation at Cambridge and Ipswich (known as the East Anglia Scheme), a family hearing centre at Sheffield, and a Probate Records Centre. All are in the early stages and it is not yet known whether the Court Service will be successful in attracting private sector partners.

Approximately a quarter of the Departmental estate is listed historic buildings. There is a continuing four-year programme of inspections by specialist conservation consultants to identify and prioritise the necessary repairs to allow the Department to maintain these important buildings to a standard which will meet the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's guidance.

The Department continues to review its accommodation strategy and to monitor costs. Opportunities to rationalise the estate, taking account of operational requirements, will continue to be taken wherever possible. For example, in 1997 the Court Service expects to complete the disposal of 9 freehold properties with total receipts of approximately £2m. As a contribution to reducing accommodation costs, the Court Service is developing an Internal Benchmarking System for Property. This will enable individual property costs to be compared and highlight areas where scope exists to achieve savings.

The environmental action plan pursues the maxim of reduce, re-use and recycle. Particular areas highlighted are:

• the use of refillable or recyclable toner cartridges
• buying furniture with timber from sustainable sources
• buying re-chargeable batteries.

Tenders are evaluated over the whole life cycle, including disposal and recycling costs and, where appropriate, weight is given to environmental points affecting the tender. Where no environmental conditions are specified, environmentally friendly products are sought from those that offer value for money. In the maintenance of the Court Service's existing estate, the use of timbers from non-sustainable sources is proscribed in all new works and where possible in renovations. The installation and maintenance of water management devices is part of a ongoing programme in each region.

Local recycling schemes are in operation in most Departmental locations where this is practicable. These schemes are encouraged as is the use of recycled materials. A review of sensitive waste collection agreements is underway, looking at the potential for measuring the amount of, and increasing the proportion of waste paper that goes for recycling.