More than half law courts in England closed

LONDON: More than half of the court houses in England and Wales have closed during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but a network of priority courts remain open to make sure the justice system continues to operate effectively, Britain’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced.

Starting from Monday, the work of courts and tribunals have been consolidated into fewer buildings, with the capacity for phone and video hearings significantly increased, the MoJ said.

The MoJ said 157 priority court and tribunal buildings stay open for essential face-to-face hearings. This represents 42 percent of the 370 crown, magistrates, county and family courts and tribunals across England and Wales.

“With each part of our justice system — from police to probation — dependent on one another, it is vital that we keep our courts running...This will only be done while ensuring the safety of the public, judges, legal professionals, staff and all those attending hearings,” said Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland.

“Technology is being used creatively to ensure that many cases can continue. Not everything can be dealt with remotely and so we need to maintain functioning courts,” Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett said.

Among the courthouses remaining open are the Royal Courts of Justice in London and the Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, also in London. Westminster Magistrates Court, which usually hosts terrorism cases, stays open too.The MoJ said any urgent or essential hearing that must be held in person, as decided by a judge, can be heard in priority buildings.