Courts: Coronavirus

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on public access to court proceedings during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

Open justice remains a fundamental principle of the operation of courts and tribunals, so that what happens during proceedings can be done transparently. In all jurisdictions where there is an open hearing, in a physical setting, the longstanding arrangements for media and public access remain in place albeit with rules relating to social distancing. We would ask members of the public to observe the Government guidance on social distancing to ensure the safety of themselves and others. In addition, the media, public and other interested parties can contact the court, in advance, to make arrangements to observe open hearings remotely. As before, the court may determine that a hearing should be held in private if it is in the interests of justice to do so.

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