15 June 2021
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has updated its operational summary on court and tribunal operations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Lexis®Library update: The summary for the week commencing (w/c) 14 June 2021 collates information on service closure due to IT improvements, the continuing roll out of the Common Platform, the rollout of the new service which will allow judges to draw direction orders digitally, and the announcement that the Medway County and Family Court will sit at the Holiday Inn Rochester, for a period of 18 months. The weekly operational summary has changed format and is sent to subscribers on Sunday evenings and published on the HMCTS Twitter account on Monday mornings.
All courts and tribunals
New announcements
- HMCTS will be carrying out IT service improvements in the Court and Tribunal Service Centres. The divorce service will be temporarily unavailable from 4:30 pm on 18 June 2021 until 8 am on 21 June 2021
Maintained announcements
The summary for the w/c 14 June 2021 retains from previous summaries that:
- HMCTS encourages its staff and court users to take part in surge testing in areas affected by variants of concern. It also encourages everyone to take a test twice a week regardless of their vaccination status. If you test positive, self-isolate and follow the latest NHS advice
- HMCTS is encouraging everyone that attends court to make use of the coronavirus testing available to them, including home-testing kits which can be ordered online via the government scheme. Home-testing kits are now available from all English and Welsh courts and tribunal sites
- the Administrative Court Office user guidance has been updated
- for the latest practice directions, advice, and guidance please visit the Judicial Office website
Criminal courts
New announcements
- the Common Platform continues national rollout and is now live in 48 courts, after Teesside Magistrates’ Court and Teesside Crown Court in the North East successfully went live on 8 June 2021. The Common Platform will go live in nine courts in Wales during the week commencing 14 June 2021
Maintained announcements
The summary for the w/c 14 June 2021 retains from previous summaries that:
- HMCTS has published a video: What is Common Platform?
Civil courts
New announcements
- the Medway County and Family Court will sit at the Holiday Inn Rochester, for a period of 18 months, from 14 June 2021. Longer-term arrangements will be determined in a consultation response to be published soon
- a new service is being rolled out to the online civil money claims system, which will allow judges to draw direction orders digitally for cases that are valued between £300.01 and £10,000. The system will initially be rolled out across the North East from 15 June 2021
Maintained announcements
The summary for the w/c 14 June 2021 retains from previous summaries that:
- HMCTS has announced pilot digital service for Damages Claims, which allows legal professionals to submit a personal injury claim or other type of unspecified claim digitally. The pilot will begin with a few firms for three months, with the number of solicitors’ firms taking part to be extended from early autumn. For further information, see News Analysis: 132nd Practice Direction update—damages claims pilot scheme introduced under CPR PD 51ZB
There is no information in the summary for tribunals and the family courts.
Source: HMCTS weekly operational summary
This content was first published by LNB News / Lexis®Library, a LexisNexis® company, on 14 June 2021 and is published with permission. Further information can be found at: www.lexisnexis.co.uk.
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