By Lucy Caulkett-
A government pilot scheme designed to ease the inconvenience caused by long security checks to barristers and solicitors attending court has faced its first stumbling block.
The scheme was designed to bypass onerous court security measures that delay members of the legal profession when attending courts in the Uk has been hit by controversy after it emerged that several courts will not be participating in the fast-track scheme – and that barristers may have to pay a fee.
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The Ministry of Justice confirmed that several courts in the country will not be participating in the pilot programme while arrangements are made with their PFI [private finance initiative] operators. The courts are: Ipswich and Cambridge Crown courts; magistrates’ courts in Hereford, Kidderminster, Worcester, Redditch, Hull, Beverley and Bridlington; and the combined courts in Exeter and North Somerset.
The pilot scheme which was intended to be spread nationwide would have seen barristers and solicitors allowed to bypass checks at Brighton Magistrates’ Court, Maidstone Combined Court, Southwark Crown Court, Tameside Magistrates’ Court and Wood Green Crown Court as part of a ‘Professional Entry Scheme’ piloted by HM Courts & Tribunals Service.
Under the scheme, Barristers will identify themselves with a Bar Council app and Law Society members will be required to show an approved photo ID. In a ‘second strand’ to the pilot, members of the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association and London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association will be able to access other courts with their professional IDs. This would drastically improve the speed at which solicitors and barristers are able to get into courts and prepare their case.
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The Eye Of Media.Com has been told that the Bar Council will charge fees to cover the costs involved in developing the app that will facilitate the process for barristers to have the appropriate ID system for fast-track court entry. The priority is to make sure barristers can access the courts through a system that works effectively.’ Insiders from the bar council told The Eye Of Media.Com that a number of Barristers who do not wish to be identified find the idea of being charged a fee an insult. It can still not be denied that provided the charge is not much, the privilege would be worth the cost.
Picture Credits: Anglotopia.net
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