Briggs report and COVID 19

Lord Briggs put forward several proposals: the main one was for setting up an online court. The COVID-19 pandemic and the need for remote hearings means that this proposal has already started to develop already.

• His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service have piloted flexible opening hours (between 8:30am and 8.30pm) in some civil courts to see if this will provide greater flexibility and accessibility for litigants and other court users Civil courts and the COVID-19 pandemic

• To help ensure the court service continued during the pandemic, His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) permitted hearings to be conducted via phone and video. Digitisation of the courts and online hearings have developed rapidly since March 2020.

• The Law Society reported in July 2021 that:‘Feedback from our members suggests that some cases can be dealt with perfectly well remotely, and this should remain a permanent feature of the justice system.’