Courts: Coronavirus

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State fo Justice, what plans he has to ensure that members of the (a) public and (b) media can attend face-to-face court hearings during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

Open justice remains a fundamental principle of the operation of courts and tribunals and access to our ‘Open’ courts remains available. In all other jurisdictions where there is a public hearing, we are committed to ensuring that the media and other members of the public can continue to access these hearings.

A range of measures are available that will continue to support the principles of open justice. The media will have access to court lists that state the method in which the hearing is being held, so they can make arrangements to attend in person or request remote observation.

We are working hard to keep our justice system functioning during this unprecedented public health emergency. Our priorities are to maintain access to justice and to protect the safety of all who are involved, including court staff, judges, jurors, witnesses, legal professionals and observers.

We are keeping our estate under regular review to ensure that all buildings in use support this priority and apply equally to those entering our buildings.

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