Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 44
44
Rejected
Paragraph: 155
Target to publish 10% of judgments faces concerns about anonymisation unit resources.
Conclusion
We welcome the Transparency Review’s proposal to set a target of every judge publishing 10% of their judgments. If achieved, this would make a significant 56 Open justice: court reporting in the digital age contribution to the transparency of the Family Court and to open justice. It is crucial that the public and the media are able to access a greater number of judgments from the Family Court. However, we share the concern raised by witnesses as to whether sufficient resources will be allocated to enable the proposed anonymisation unit to function as effectively as it needs to in order to ensure that a consistent and representative number of judgments are published and to minimise the number of anonymisation errors.
Government Response Summary
The government states that setting the 10% judgment publication target and resourcing the anonymisation unit would require considerable resources, which must be balanced against existing commitments and priorities, especially reducing the family court backlog. They are exploring other options instead of committing to the proposed resourcing.
Paragraph Reference:
155
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
We have been working alongside the PFD to understand the impact of the recommendations from his recent report on transparency. We remain committed to increasing transparency in family justice and the principles of open justice. As per our response to similar recommendations above, delivering this recommendation would require considerable resources which must be carefully considered and balanced against existing Government’s commitments and priorities. We are working with the PFD to explore what other options might be available. Our main focus must be on reducing the family court backlog, recognising the adverse impact these delays have on families.