The Court of Protection is scheduled to begin a pilot scheme at the end of this month which will reverse the normal position that all cases are heard in private, and instead all cases will be heard in public unless and the Court will make an anonymity order to protect those involved.
Previously, most Court of Protection cases have been heard in private with only those directly involved in the case attending, which has invoked criticism from the media and led to the Court being called "the secret court".
The aim of the pilot scheme is to bring greater transparency, while still protecting the privacy of individuals involved.
Vice President of the Court of Protection Mr Justice Charles said:
"I support a move towards more public hearings to promote a wider understanding of the work and approach of the Court of Protection and the improvement of the performance of the Court and those who appear in it. I am aware that others hold different views on whether hearings should generally be in public and hope that the pilot will provide useful evidence to weigh the rival arguments."
Justice Minister Caroline Dinenage said:
"I'm pleased that we are piloting a new more open, more transparent Court of Protection. It's right the public and the media should be able to see justice being done in this important court, while protecting the privacy of the people involved."
The pilot will run in all the regions where the court sits from the end of this month for six month, with a possibility of extension.
If you would like to speak to a member of our Wills, Trusts and Probate team please contact 01603 693500.
For more information on the services the Wills, Trusts and Probate team provide please visit the dedicated webpages following this link
For more information listed on the Government webpages please see the following links:-
https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/announcements/court-of-protection-prepares-to-open-up/
