By James Simons-
Several courts and tribunals in the Uk will be closed to the public from next week, the Ministry of Justice has announced. The closures are to limit the number of physical hearings in order to avoid the transmission of coronavirus infections.
Work is being developed across the entire estate, following enormous changes to everyday life, and capacity for phone and video hearings has been significantly increased, the Ministry Of Justice has said. There will be 157 priority court and tribunal buildings open for essential face-to-face hearings. This represents 42% of the 370 crown, magistrates, county and family courts and tribunals across England and Wales.
All housing repossession actions will be suspended immediately and the suspension will last for at least 90 days. Immigration and asylum cases have also been halted. Only urgent cases will go ahead in the rest of the courts system unless they can be heard remotely via video or telephone links. The MoJ also said that new jury trials will start.
A total of 157 priority court and tribunal buildings will remain open for “essential face-to-face” hearings – which represents 42% of the 370 crown, magistrates, county and family courts in England and Wales. The MoJ has published the list of those staying open.
Announcing the changes, the Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, said:
”We are facing an unprecedented challenge and the government’s absolute priority is to save lives and protect the NHS. With each part of our justice system – from police to probation – dependent on one another, it is vital that we keep our courts running.”
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, said: “An extraordinary amount of hard work has gone into keeping our justice system functioning. Technology is being used creatively to ensure that many cases can continue.”
Reacting to the restrictions, Simon Davis, president of the Law Society said:
”Balancing safety with the need to keep the wheels of justice turning is incredibly difficult. We recognise that it is impossible for HMCTS to maintain a full complement of courts open to the public at this time; in some courts it is challenging to ensure that people can maintain social distancing. This was already posing health risks that have been of serious concern to the legal professionals trying to help the public in need.”
”Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar, said: “In the face of this extraordinary pandemic, it makes sense to consolidate our constrained resources to keep the justice system on track. It is in the public interest that justice keeps going and….. we welcome the use of remote hearings.”