Open justice: court reporting in the digital age

The government highlights that the President of the Family Division already encouraged District Family Judges to invite local MPs to visit their courts, and HMCTS will support and facilitate such visits.

The government states it has already taken considerable steps to improve access to court information and hearings, detailing initiatives like the new Court and Tribunal Hearings service (CATHs) and existing guidance and legislation.

The government commits to continuing close collaboration with the judiciary to monitor the impact of remote observation legislation and broader technology, and will bring forward further measures, including legislation, if required to safeguard justice.

The government outlines steps already taken to increase court transparency, such as broadcasting sentencing remarks from Crown Courts and HMCTS providing information to the public. They acknowledge the media's vital role but state the state cannot replace it, focusing on improving direct access to court …

The government refers to existing steps to make court information more accessible, highlights the already implemented legislation allowing broadcast of judges' sentencing remarks, and notes ongoing training for HMCTS staff to facilitate media access.

The government states that HMCTS already has guidance for staff to support media access, and that the Lord Chief Justice has drawn attention to the Reporters’ Charter. It asserts that HMCTS continues to provide support and guidance through various engagements to ensure accessibility.

The government highlights the launch of the Court and Tribunal Hearings service (CATHs) in July 2022, which digitises and standardises hearing lists to make information more accessible for both the public and media. It also plans a wider call for evidence in 2023 exploring open …

HMCTS commits to developing and publishing a charter for members of the public in 2023 that will summarise existing rules for public access to court hearings and information.

The government highlights existing locally-led community outreach, school visits, mock trial competitions, and judicial engagement programmes already in place to improve public legal education and court awareness.

The government states that its existing Find a Court or Tribunal (FCT) service and the new Court and Tribunal Hearings (CATH) service already provide contact details, including email addresses, for requesting remote hearing access.

HMCTS commits to making the Video Hearing (VH) service its sole platform for all remote and hybrid hearings, and as it is developed, it will have in-built functionality to automatically collect anonymised data on the number of observers at each hearing.

The government states it has already launched the first phase of its new Court and Tribunal Hearings service (CATHs) in July 2022, which digitises, consolidates, and standardises hearing lists as welcomed by the committee.

The government acknowledges inconsistency in courts' approach to reporting restrictions and commits to embedding greater consistency and improving service to the media. They highlight updated AGO guidance on contempt of court referrals and bespoke training for HMCTS operational staff and court ushers as measures to …

The government did not commit to creating a centralised database of reporting restrictions on a digital portal but outlined existing guidance and protocols and stated HMCTS has developed bespoke training for operational staff to improve consistency.

The government acknowledges the Find Case Law service is in early stages with incremental improvements underway and shares the ambition for greater access to judgments. It will use a 2023 call for evidence to gauge public views on expanding the service, with a long-term goal …

The government highlighted the recently launched free-to-access FCL (Find Case Law) service, which provides public access to over 2,700 judgments since April 2022, and stated it will use a 2023 call for evidence to gauge views on further expansion.

The government outlined its £1.3bn HMCTS reform programme, launched in 2016, which includes projects like the CATH service, Video Hearings, Single Justice Procedure, and Common Platform, stating these are designed to make the courts system more accessible and efficient.

In response to the welcomed legislative framework for remote observation, the MoJ commits to undertaking a qualitative review in 2023, engaging with the HMCTS Media Working Group, and including the framework in a public call for evidence to understand its impact.

The MoJ will undertake a light-touch qualitative review in 2023, work with HMCTS’ Media Working Group, and include the remote observation framework in a call for evidence, to evaluate the impact and operation of the new framework as recommended.

The MoJ will undertake a light-touch qualitative review with court and tribunal staff and the judiciary in 2023, work with the Media Working Group, and include the remote observation framework in a 2023 call for evidence to understand its impact.

The government states that these changes, as part of the HMCTS reform programme, will be subject to a review in line with HMCTS’s public commitment to evaluate reform measures after a reasonable operating period.

The government states that information about cases dealt with via the new criminal procedures in the JRCA 2022 will be made available to the media and other interested parties in line with existing Criminal Procedure Rules.

The government claims existing provisions for the Single Justice Procedure already provide more information to the public and media than traditional open court proceedings, citing online publication of case lists and detailed information for media. It states it may explore the SJP further through a …

The government states that courts already provide more detailed information on SJP cases than traditional proceedings, and *may* explore SJP transparency further through a 2023 call for evidence.

Family court lists are currently available on CourtServe, and in 2023 they will also be available on the new CATH service to ensure consistent publication.