Clause 41
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill
3:00 pm
Vera Baird (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Redcar, Labour)
It is intended that there should be a tribunal location in every significant centre. It is clearly not practical to have them in very small areas, when they have such diverse jurisdiction. I hear what the hon. Gentleman says about courts being closed, but other community courts are being opened in different localities. I imagine we will see the use of technology increasing in tribunals hereafter. Clearly, people might not be able to travel to a centre, for example when disability is an issue. It seems inevitable that there should be video provision. When we refer to the senior president having a duty to consider innovative ways to ensure that the tribunal functions, that is what he is likely to consider. That is the plan at the moment. I suspect that there is likely to be some sharing between the Courts Service and the Tribunals Service, but the intention is to have an installation in every major centre.