Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5765 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Standards, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) HMCTS personnel are aware that complaints and feedback can be provided in person at HMCTS premises, (b) a remedy is provided to people who have been misinformed of this right by officials, and (c) HMCTS personnel facilitate in person complains and feedback at HMCTS premises.

HMCTS personnel follow the complaints procedure which is published on Gov.UK: Complaints procedure - HM Courts & Tribunals Service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Complaints and feedback can be provided in person at HMCTS premises. Where a user of HMCTS services is not satisfied, they can speak to a member of staff and a record will be made on HMCTS complaints handling system OPTIC.

HMCTS will not be able to identify people who have been misinformed of the option to raise a complaint in person. However, if it is clear when handling complaints or feedback that someone has been refused the opportunity to provide it in person, without a valid reason, they will be given an apology. Where possible HMCTS personnel will take down in person complaints and feedback at HMCTS premises – which will then be followed by a response in writing.

There will be some instances where it’s not possible to take feedback in person. This is where officials believe that the person giving the feedback is a risk to staff or other court users, is being deliberately disruptive or is using the opportunity to revisit complaints that have already been answered through the administrative complaints process. In those instances, other communication channels will still be open to them to use.