The National Audit Office (NAO) has slammed the Lord Chancellor’s Department (LCD) for allowing the costs of a flagship IT scheme for the magistrates courts to spiral out of control.

In a report unveiled on 29 January, the NAO lists a catalogue of delays and extra costs associated with the development of Libra, a standardised IT system for the country’s magistrates courts, although Bird & Bird, the LCD’s legal adviser, is not criticised.