The House of
Commons Justice Committee is to investigate the unprecedented
impact of Covid-19 on the work of the courts and the legal
professions at an evidence session on Monday,
4th May
at 0930.
Some barristers
have told the Bar Council that the system of justice has “ground
to a halt” as social distancing and illness have caused court
closures and delays. Meanwhile, around half of solicitors’ firms
that responded to a Law Society survey have said they are likely
to make redundancies or cancel hiring plans because of reduced
work – with most small practices adding that they feared they
might not survive at all.
The Committee
will take evidence from legal professionals and the Ministry of
Justice about a situation where, even before the pandemic, there
was a backlog of over 37,000 Crown Court cases and delays of many
months in Family Court cases getting under way.
Social
distancing has further exacerbated this situation with some
courts being closed and others being re-configured to make them
safe during the pandemic. Jury trials have been
delayed.
The use of
remote video hearings has increased, partly in response to the
crisis, but this has presented another set of challenges –
including, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission,
“a heightened risk that disabled people may not be able to
realise their right to a fair trial”. Difficulties have also been
encountered with making remote hearings open to the public and
the press.
During the
Committee evidence session questions will be asked of legal
professionals and the government about the safety of holding
trials during the pandemic, what the priorities should now be and
to what extent the system needs financial support.
The session on
4th May will be split into three panels:
Panel 1 –
The effect of Covid-19 on the courts
Witnesses: Ellie
Cumbo, Head of Public Law, The Law
Society
John Bache, National Chair, The Magistrates’
Association.
Panel 2 –
The effect of Covid-19 on the legal professions and the
not-for-profit sector
Witnesses:
Amanda Pinto QC, Chair, The Bar Society
Simon
Davis, President, The Law Society
Bill Waddington, Criminal Law Solicitors
Association
Elspeth
Thomson, Co-Chair, Resolution (a family justice professionals’
group)
Panel 3 –
The response of the Ministry of
Justice
Witnesses:
,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office and the
Ministry of Justice
, Parliamentary Under Secretary
of State at the Ministry of Justice
Susan
Acland-Hood, Chief Executive of HM Court and Tribunal
Service
Jelena Lentzos,
Deputy Director, Legal Aid Policy, Ministry of
Justice
