Measures introduced to reduce number of people required to attend court

The Lord Chief Justice has announced measures to reduce the number of people required to attend court during the Coronavirus pandemic.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Mar 2020, 12:01 BST
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.
The courthouse at Bishop Street, Derry.

Sir Declan Morgan introduced the measures after meeting with representatives of the legal profession.

Earlier this week, local barrister Joe Brolly raised concerns that Bishop Street Courthouse was a ‘petri dish’ for Covid-19.

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Mr Brolly posted on social media that the courthouse was ‘packed’ with members of the public, lawyers and defendants and there were ‘no hand sanitiser anywhere. No precautions of any kind.”

The Lord Chief Justice has announced that there will now be an increased amount of court business will be dealt with by way of video link, skype or telephone conference. 

There will be no new jury trials commencing until further notice and advice has been issued to crown court judges about what to do if a serving juror indicates they are experiencing symptoms of the virus.
Judges will continue to deal with priority proceedings including some criminal proceedings, some family cases and urgent civil proceedings.

Applications are to be made in writing to the court office in respect of any other proceedings.
From today, judges will not require the attendance of people who do not need to be in court or anyone who expresses individual concerns.

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People have been advised to contact their legal representatives in relation to this.     

The Lord Chief Justice has also made arrangements for adjournment applications to be made administratively in writing or by email.   

In family cases, orders may be continued on consent without requiring the parties to attend. 

If a party wishes to challenge the extension of the order they should contact the court office.

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The Office of the Lord Chief Justice (OLCJ) and Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) have said they will continue to work together on continuity plans which may include the timetabling of cases.

For more information about the running of courts, visit the Judiciary NI website (https://judiciaryni.uk/) and Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/topics/courts-and-tribunals).