Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 14 January 2021.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of measures introduced during the covid-19 outbreak in supporting Court administration.
Maintaining access to justice while keeping people safe is HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) top priority. As an essential public service, the courts and tribunals have remained open throughout the pandemic.
A national risk assessment was carried out at the start of the pandemic, and all buildings are required to complete and regularly review local risk assessments. We have invested an additional £110m so all of our buildings are Covid-secure and can continue to operate safely. For example, we have introduced installed plexiglass screens in over 400 court rooms, provided additional touchpoint cleaning, mandated the use of face coverings in all communal areas, introduced one-way systems and taken steps to reduce footfall and remodelled office areas to ensure social distancing.
We rapidly expanded audio and video technology capability. Video and audio links were distributed to all courts and tribunals. The judiciary prioritised the most important cases at the start of the pandemic. When the judiciary decide a case is suitable for a remote hearing, HMCTS has the trained staff and required equipment in place to allow a remote hearing to take place. By utilising technology more hearings have been conducted by video or audio link and this has further reduced footfall in our buildings. HMCTS is undergoing an ambitious reform program and earlier digital reforms to divorce and probate services allow these systems to continue to operate while some tribunals managed to operate exclusively through audio and video hearings. Cases that are not suitable for a remote hearing are heard in a Covid-secure environment .
To support working from home we have rolled-out over 9,000 laptops and reviewed our administrative processes to support flexible working.
Public health experts agree that our policies on mitigations are sufficient for dealing with the challenges provided by the new variant of the virus. Current available evidence on the new variant shows it is spreading faster than other SARS-CoV-2 strains currently circulating in the UK. Therefore the existing mitigation measures (social distancing, hand hygiene, ventilation and face covering usage) must be rigorously adhered to and everyone must unfailingly follow the hands-face-space-guidance. We continue to act on the standards, advice and guidance available for workplaces, and where those change we will update our policies to meet any new guidelines.
All suspected incidents and / or confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our court and tribunal buildings in England and Wales, and tribunals in Scotland, are reported to HMCTS. Where there are two or more confirmed cases or an increase in suspected incidents within 14 days linked to a single site, a national team provides additional support and guidance to local court and tribunals in managing the response, and early identification of close contacts so they can be informed to self-isolate in support of NHS Test and Trace. In line with public health guidance, where there are five or more confirmed cases (for England) or two or more confirmed cases (for Wales and Scotland) within a 14 day period we will, in accordance with public health guidance, refer to local health protection teams who will assess the individual circumstances and provide any further advice and guidance.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.