Recommendation 33

HM Government Not Addressed

While the Criminal Procedure Rules oblige courts to give certain additional information on cases upon request from the media and other interested third parties, courts are currently obliged to give more information on SJP cases. Special provision has been made to provide the media with the additional information beyond what is routinely made available to the public. This is outlined in the HMCTS Media Protocol, here. HMCTS314_ Protocol_on_sharing_court_lists. For example, the media are entitled to the prosecution statements of facts and the defendant’s statement in mitigation. In order to further improve transparency arrangements, a list of pending SJP cases on the Common Platform is published each day online which is available to the public. The media receive a more detailed list of pending SJP cases and also the court register which details the outcomes of SJP cases including COVID-19 offences, so that they can report on such cases. The result is that cases dealt with under the SJP are more transparent than traditional proceedings, where the media only receive the details if they actually attend the hearing. As such, the Ministry of Justice does not agree with the recommendation of the Report but provides assurance that the Government will continue to work with the media to ensure that SJP proceedings are both accessible and open.