Select Committee on the Constitution
COVID-19 and the Courts
22nd Report of Session 2019-21 - published 30 March 2021 - HL Paper 257
Contents
Chapter 2: Impact of the pandemic on the justice system
The resilience of the justice system
Figure 2: Annual legal aid expenditure, change compared to 2010/11 in real terms
Delayed digital transformation
Operation of courts and tribunals during the pandemic
Box 1: COVID-19 and the courts—a timeline
Figure 3: Number of case hearings per week, by the method conducted, March 2020–January 2021
Figure 4: Audio and video cases as a proportion of all hearings, March 2020–January 2021
Fair, accessible and effective hearings
Legal advice and representation
Chapter 3: Managing the backlog
Figure 5: Outstanding cases in the Crown Court
Figure 6: Outstanding cases in magistrates’ courts
Figure 7: Outstanding cases in the family courts (public law and private law combined)
Figure 8: Outstanding cases in the Employment Tribunal (multiple and single claims combined)
Government response to the backlog
Criticisms of Government efforts
Further action to address the backlog
Alternative dispute resolution
Chapter 4: Data in the courts system
Courts data during the pandemic
Data collection and publication
Experiences of non-professional users
Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010
Remote hearings’ influence on case outcomes
Chapter 5: Technology and the future of the justice system
Summary of conclusions and recommendations
Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest
Evidence is published online at https://committees.parliament.uk/work/298/constitutional-implications-of-covid19/ and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7219 3074).
Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.