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Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 29 May 2021.
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Updated: We actively encourage our staff and all court users to support their local authorities by taking part in surge testing in areas affected by variants of concern. We also strongly encourage everyone to continue with twice-weekly asymptomatic rapid testing regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive should self-isolate and follow the latest NHS advice.
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Updated: We published a blog from our Operations Director, Paul Harris, on how we’re ensuring the safety of everyone who attends our buildings following the latest announcement on the relaxation of COVID restrictions.
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Updated: We published a blog by Deputy Service Manager, Dan Hodges, on the recent rollout of sobriety tags.
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Updated: While we carry out IT service improvements in our Court and Tribunal Service Centres, from 3.30pm on Friday 21 May 2021 Social Security and Child Support services will be temporarily unavailable. Single Justice Service and Welsh Language Unit services will be temporarily unavailable from 4pm. These services resume at 8am on Monday 24 May 2021. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
- Home tests are available from all English and Welsh courts and tribunal sites and will be offered to all professional court users, legal professionals, judiciary, contractors, jurors, witness services and staff who attend scheduled hearings.
- We are currently undertaking an evaluation of remote hearings to understand more about the remote hearing practice implemented during the COVID outbreak, and to make recommendations for use of remote hearings in the longer term. We encourage legal professionals to submit their views for consideration. The survey will close on Tuesday 1 June 2021.
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If you received an email from us on Friday 21 May 2021 titled ‘Register for LegalEx2021’ we should have made it clearer in the body of the email that this is a third party event, and we were sharing LegalEx21 promotional material. We’ll be one of the LegalEx21 exhibitors – at Stand 140 – but we’re not involved in organising the event, arranging speakers or seminars. Find out more about LegalEx21 and we look forward to seeing you there next month.
Crime
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Updated: The senior judiciary and HMCTS have developed a 5-point plan for the recovery of magistrates’ adult and youth courts dealing with criminal matters.
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Updated: The Crime Programme has successfully completed early adopter rollout of Common Platform to all seven early adopter sites with the final early adopter site in London (Kingston and Wimbledon) went live on 11 May 2021. Common Platform continues national rollout (NRO) with the Midlands, South West, North East and more recently the North West (Chester and Crewe Magistrates’ Courts) went live on 18 May 2021. The next sites to go live in May will be in the South East (Lewes Crown Court and Brighton, Hastings, Crawley, Horsham and Worthing Magistrates’ Courts). As of 20 May 2021, a total of 40 courts (12 Crown Courts and 28 magistrates’ courts) are now using the Common Platform in all the live sites. We have updated the page of participating courts on GOV.UK with those that went live up to 11 May 2021. We have also published a new video: What is Common Platform?
Civil
Royal Courts of Justice
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Updated: The Royal Courts of Justice remains open to the public, however some counters and court facilities have temporarily closed. There is currently no counter service in the Court of Appeal (Civil and Criminal), Queen’s Bench Division, Administrative Court or Mayor’s and City Court. There is a counter service by appointment only in the Fees Office, High Court Family and Central London County Court. Café 26 remains closed.
Judicial Announcements
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