Recommendation 15

Since the start of the pandemic, the Department and HMCTS have significantly increased the use of hearings held remotely using video technology, and plan to continue to use them to reduce the backlog in the courts.25 We asked what impact the increased use of remote hearings has had on different groups of victims and witnesses, particularly those with cognitive impairment, mental health conditions or neurodiverse conditions. HMCTS published its formal evaluation of remote hearings on 10 December 2021, but said that the feedback from court users that are disabled or with accessibility difficulties was limited by the small number within its survey sample. The feedback it did receive was mixed, for example users felt safer in their own environment but found it difficult to access the support that they needed from their advocate or support services.26