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| Gove says sorry for MoJ divorce settlement software error | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Michael Gove, the justice secretary, has said it is “deeply regrettable” that thousands of couples who have settled their divorces in the past 20 months might have to reopen negotiations due to a software error revealed by the Guardian. | Michael Gove, the justice secretary, has said it is “deeply regrettable” that thousands of couples who have settled their divorces in the past 20 months might have to reopen negotiations due to a software error revealed by the Guardian. |
| Gove apologised to all those hit by faults with “Form E” on the Ministry of Justice website, which has been miscalculating assets since April 2014, potentially inflating the financial worth of a wife or husband. | Gove apologised to all those hit by faults with “Form E” on the Ministry of Justice website, which has been miscalculating assets since April 2014, potentially inflating the financial worth of a wife or husband. |
| The error was spotted earlier this month by a family law specialist, Nicola Matheson-Durrant of the Family Law Clinic in Ascot, Berkshire. The MoJ only publicly admitted the problem on Thursday and has published an email address – formE@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk – asking anyone who believes they have been affected to contact the department. | The error was spotted earlier this month by a family law specialist, Nicola Matheson-Durrant of the Family Law Clinic in Ascot, Berkshire. The MoJ only publicly admitted the problem on Thursday and has published an email address – formE@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk – asking anyone who believes they have been affected to contact the department. |
| Speaking on the World at One on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Gove said: “It is deeply regrettable that a form was online since April 2014, which has meant … up to 17,000 people may have had the allocation of resources, at what is an inevitably stressful time in their life, miscalculated.” | |
| Gove offered apologies to all those affected during the interview. | Gove offered apologies to all those affected during the interview. |
| One particular paragraph, numbered 2.20, which is supposed to produce totals, fails to reflect the minus figure of final liabilities entered earlier on, producing a simple mathematical error. If a party had significant debts or liabilities, they were not recognised or recorded on the electronic form, potentially inflating their true worth. Distorted net figures of applicants’ assets were therefore being produced. | One particular paragraph, numbered 2.20, which is supposed to produce totals, fails to reflect the minus figure of final liabilities entered earlier on, producing a simple mathematical error. If a party had significant debts or liabilities, they were not recognised or recorded on the electronic form, potentially inflating their true worth. Distorted net figures of applicants’ assets were therefore being produced. |
| Not all divorcing or separating couples use the online form – some prefer pen and paper calculations – but the impact of the errors could be widespread. | Not all divorcing or separating couples use the online form – some prefer pen and paper calculations – but the impact of the errors could be widespread. |
| The discovery comes at a time when the senior judiciary and the justice secretary are encouraging the development of online justice as a means of improving courtroom efficiency and making further economies. | The discovery comes at a time when the senior judiciary and the justice secretary are encouraging the development of online justice as a means of improving courtroom efficiency and making further economies. |
| Earlier this year an official report backed by the master of the rolls, Lord Dyson, recommended that the UK civil justice system undergo a radical overhaul for the digital age, with the creation of an online court to expand access to justice and resolve claims of up to £25,000. | Earlier this year an official report backed by the master of the rolls, Lord Dyson, recommended that the UK civil justice system undergo a radical overhaul for the digital age, with the creation of an online court to expand access to justice and resolve claims of up to £25,000. |