Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 makes provision for HM Courts and Tribunals Service to allow people seeking to bring a private prosecution to do so via a video link.

The circumstances in which live-links may be used are the same for private prosecutions as for other cases. A court would consider any relevant statutory provisions, procedure rules, and inherent powers when determining whether live links may be used at a hearing.

More generally, HMCTS operates a reasonable adjustments policy to give customers with disabilities access to information and services. Users wishing to request a reasonable adjustment should speak to a member of staff at the court where their case is being heard. A request for a reasonable adjustment at a hearing is referred to a judge.