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UK court chiefs defend longer hours

Britain’s lord chancellor has said the country’s government is not trying to permanently change the way its courts work by extending operating hours to clear a backlog of cases.

The UK Gazette reports that Robert Buckland and HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) chief Susan Acland-Hood were questioned about the controversial measure by the House of Lords constitution committee yesterday (22 July).

Staggered

From practitioners’ point of view, Acland-Hood said it should not be the case that their hours are extended: “We are not expecting anyone to work extremely long, whole days in court. It’s court buildings hours that we want to extend.”

Under the plan, sitting times might be staggered, according to the Gazette. HMCTS is looking at morning, afternoon and evening sessions in the magistrates’ court, and it is looking at potential patterns in the Crown court.

More matters are being listed on Saturdays. The HMCTS chief said the magistrates’ court traditionally sits on Saturdays to hear overnight remand cases.

'Change the dial'

Buckland told the committee that any alterations to hours would be linked to COVID-19. “This is not some attempt to permanently move the dial or change the way in which the courts work,” he said.

“Having said that, there is clearly a strong case for looking carefully at how work is managed in the Crown court. The idea we want to open the court at 8am and close 12 hours later, expecting court users and professionals to sit there or come in all day couldn’t be further from the truth,” he added.

Users

The lord chancellor said the changes were not only about trial management, but also safety, though he accepted that they could have an effect on working patterns.

“While the professionals are absolutely important – and I was one of them for many years – it is not just about them, it is about the users as well, the witnesses and the people who want to access justice too,” he said.