Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to remove the requirement for face coverings to be worn in courts by people completing jury service.

The announcement of the ‘Living With Covid’ strategy means all Covid-related restrictions across the courts in England and Wales have been reviewed, and will be removed as quickly as possible. There is no longer a requirement to wear a face covering in our buildings in England and Wales. This applies both to staff offices, and to the public parts of our courts and tribunals. While the requirement has now been removed, government guidance still recommends wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you are likely to come into contact with people you don’t normally meet.

We expect to be able to confirm what (if any) other measures will remain beyond April, which is when existing Government guidance on workplace/venue safety will be replaced. For the interim period, however, jurors who are using certain deliberation rooms assessed as too small to use without protection of fluid resistant face masks will continue to be asked to wear those masks in those areas of our buildings. This reflects ongoing Public Health advice, which we continue to observe so as to ensure both safety of all using our buildings, and public confidence in those safety standards.