Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 41
Need for a single point of contact for all media and public court inquiries
Conclusion
The Reporters’ Charter helpfully directs the media to the MOJ press office and the Judicial Press Office to deal with enquiries and issues on accessing court proceedings and information. There should be a single point of contact for all accessibility and open justice inquiries from the media and from the public. The Lord Chief Justice told us that, if a journalist encounters an issue accessing a court, he or she should “get in touch with their local court and ask why”. In reality, at present there is no formal official mechanism for the media or the public to raise accessibility enquiries or complaints in relation to the courts. The creation of regional communication and information officers within HMCTS could provide that point of contact for reporters and the public. The courts’ inspectorate, as we proposed in our report on court capacity, could have a specific remit to examine the operation of open justice.
Government response summary AI-generated
The response text provided is incomplete, but it appears to be restating the recommendation.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
41
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
50. Please refer to paragraph 42 to 44 in relation to the JSC’s proposal to create regional communication and information officers. 51. Our online Find a Court or Tribunal (FCT) service 49 , and the new CATH service, help people swiftly find the correct contact details for individual courts. Where issues are brought to HMCTS’s attention, it works swiftly with its frontline staff to address these and ensure guidance is being adhered to. 52. Through its reform programme, HMCTS will continue to consider how it can make it easier for the public and media to contact court officials and support staff, and improve consistency and efficiency when it comes to accessing information and services. It is right and proper, however, that the Government and judiciary maintain separate press offices.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗