Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) challenges of operating virtual courts.

In response to the pandemic, we have urgently scaled up our capacity to support hearings to take place using telephone or video technology, enabling hearings to continue remotely and reducing the number of people who need to come to a court or tribunal building. We are clear that audio or video-supported hearings provide another route to justice, but may not be right for everyone. The decision as to how a hearing is conducted is a matter for the judge, magistrates or panel, who will determine how best to uphold the interests of justice.

While we have rapidly increased the use of video and telephone hearings, they are not new. Audio and video technology has long played a part in the justice system and is now proving crucial to us in maintaining a functioning justice system during the pandemic. However the rapid increase in the use of video and telephone hearings represents significant change, and we are taking the opportunity to carefully monitor and evaluate the use of video and technology in courts, so that we can improve our services and ensure that they are as effective as possible in providing access to justice. In the process of continuous improvement, we are listening to feedback from the judiciary, users, staff and other key stakeholders, such as legal practitioners, to understand the impact and the success of the technology.