Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the accessibility of York's courts.

HM Courts &Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is committed to ensuring our courts are accessible to all our users including those in York. In some circumstances cases may be listed into Leeds/Teesside to ensure certain access requirements can be met.

HMCTS will provide reasonable adjustments for court and tribunal users with disabilities and takes steps to avoid treating people less favourably because of their disability. Court and tribunal users are encouraged to get in touch before a hearing to discuss any particular adjustments they may need. Various mitigations will be explored, depending on the support required. For buildings, adjustments may include use of video-conferencing from a remote site, ensuring venues have ramps or accessible toilets, lifts able to accommodate wheelchairs, or hearing loops.

HMCTS also provides detailed information regarding accessibility for each of the three court buildings in York: York Crown Court; York Magistrates’ Court and Family Court; and York County Court and Family Court on GOV.UK. HMCTS encourages court and tribunal users to get in touch before a hearing to discuss any particular adjustments they may need.

As part of our wider Reform programme we are modernising the way in which we operate. This will mean that fewer people will need to attend court, as we make use of technology such as video-conferencing and online services. We have rapidly expanded our audio and video technology capability in direct response to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19), enabling more remote hearings which reduce the need for people to attend a physical court building.