Dear Supporters,
It's emerged recently that the Tribunal backtracked from recording all hearings despite rollout plan and funds allocated: Transparency data Minutes of the National User Group meeting held on 27 February 2019 published 04 Jul 2019 read in Employment Tribunal-President Report:
"The President addressed the need for audio-recording of ET hearings. Resources had been found to enable this to be achieved and both the Employment Tribunal and the First-tier Tribunal would benefit from the acquisition of recording equipment in hearing rooms. It was planned to be a gradual rollout from April 2019 to March 2020. Currently there was a pilot in Exeter being held in Social Security & Child Support hearings, which had been successful. Testing of equipment would be required. A nationally agreed protocol would cover the practice of recording hearings and the provision of transcripts. If a party were to ask for a transcript, as in the courts it would be on the payment of a fee. The President said that audio-recording would be welcome for a number of reasons: reducing the need for the judges to take verbatim notes; providing parties with a transcript of the hearing; improving the conduct of hearings generally; providing some discouragement for litigants or witnesses to misconduct themselves in hearings; and giving leadership judges the means to check complaints about how a judge allegedly behaved in a hearing (and thereby perhaps discouraging unmeritorious complaints)."
And
The Modernisation of Tribunals Innovation Plan for 2019/2020, Senior President of Tribunals concluded:
"7. ALL TRIBUNALS (DIGITAL RECORDING):
Aim: To digitally record all hearings in the Tribunals.
Objectives:
▪ To provide one of the means by which open access to justice i.e. the scrutiny of public hearings is facilitated.
▪ To provide a record independent of the judge and panel members which is capable, where appropriate, of transcription."
Please share my Petition and again Thank You for signing!