By Cate McCurry, PA
Virtual court hearings and online filing of appeals has helped clear the backlog of cases in the Supreme Court and slashed waiting times from a five-year high, a report has found.
Changes in the court system brought about by the pandemic and new rules introduced last year has made the system more efficient, the report added.
The annual report of the Supreme Court was launched on Wednesday by Chief Justice Frank Clarke.
During what was described as an unprecedented and challenging year, the report shows significant improvements in waiting times for appeals to be heard, to a historic low of below 14 weeks.
The Chief Justice said that some could have their hearings scheduled as early as June.
Within weeks the Court was conducting all its business through remote hearings.
The numbers of reserved judgments stood at six today, compared with up to 20 in other years.
Justice Clarke said that the Supreme Court was operating with waiting times shorter than in living memory, and that it was approaching a point of being the shortest possible waiting time.
Justice Clarke added: “In a truly unprecedented year, the Supreme Court moved quickly to conducting its work remotely, ensuring continuity in the Court’s core function – the determination of cases that come before it.
“Following the announcement of Covid restrictions in March 2020, the Supreme Court in conjunction with the Courts Service, began to explore the possibility of remote hearings.
“Within weeks the Court was conducting all its business through remote hearings. All apart from one appeal occurred by remote hearing.”
