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Courts (Remote Hearings) Bill

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A bill to Allow for certain civil and family court hearings to be conducted remotely.

Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Amendments to legislation about court hearings

(1) In section 47 of the Family Law Act 1996 (arrest for breach of order), at the end insert—
(13) In this section, a reference to a person being brought before a relevant judicial authority or a court includes the person appearing before the relevant judicial authority or the court through a live video link or live audio link (within the meaning given by section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003).
(2) In section 9 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (arrest without warrant), at the end insert—
(7) In this section, a reference to a person being brought before a judge or a justice of the peace includes the person appearing before the judge or the justice of the peace through a live video link or live audio link (within the meaning given by section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003).
(3) In section 43 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 (arrest without warrant), at the end insert—
(8) In this section, a reference to a person being brought before a judge includes the person appearing before the judge through a live video link or live audio link (within the meaning given by section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003).
(4) In Schedule 4 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (enforcement: England and Wales), in paragraph 8(1A)—
(a) the words from “the reference to” to the end become sub-paragraph (a);
(b) at the end, insert “, and
(b) the reference to a debtor’s presence includes the debtor’s presence by way of a live video link or live audio link (within the meaning given by section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003).

2 Commencement and short title

(1) This Act comes into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which it is passed.
(2) This Act may be cited as the Courts (Remote Hearings) Act 2024.