Courts and Tribunals Observers’ Network

After a long wait, during which time there was a change in Government, the Ministry of Justice has published a summary of responses to its 2023 consultation on open justice.

131 people (individuals and organisations from a range of professional backgrounds, as well as individual court users) responded. You can read some of the full submissions on our site (please contact us for yours to be added).

The 61 page report summarises responses to wide-ranging questions, mainly about the mechanics of open justice in courts and tribunals. The summary reflects many of the points made in submissions by members of this network, though the extent to which these suggestions will influence future policy development remains to be seen.

At this point, the MOJ hasn’t made its own conclusions or recommendations, stating: “This call for evidence will inform the government’s continuing work on supporting and strengthening the openness of our courts and tribunal services and upholding the rule of law. We will continue our engagement with interested stakeholders as we develop policies in this area.”