Pilot Practice Direction: Video/Audio Hearings in the First-Tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal (2/4/20)
Public/private hearings and access to recordings (1) This PD, which applied to the FTT and UT, stated that (paraphrased): (a) where it is not practicable to broadcast a remote hearing in a court or tribunal building, the tribunal may direct that the hearing will take place in private; (b) where a media representative is able to access proceedings remotely then the hearing is a public hearing; (c) any such private hearing must be recorded if practicable, and the tribunal may consent to any person accessing that recording. (2) This PD had no impact on normal MHT hearings (which are private by default anyway). Also, following the Tribunal Procedure (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Rules 2020 amendments (which were inserted into the part of the rules which do not apply to mental health cases) there is no need to refer to this PD: see Senior President of Tribunals, 'Judges' and Members' Administrative Instruction No 4' (14/4/20).