This consultation arose from the drive to establish effective and modern courts and tribunals, making the best use of resources and to improve access to justice for the people of Northern Ireland.
Increased use of technology for court and tribunal business not only forms part of the Department’s plan but more recently the Lady Chief Justice, Dame Siobhan Keegan KC, in her opening of term address in September 2022 identified as a key priority moving forward with modernisation of the system. [1]
[1] The Judicial Modernisation Paper issued in autumn 2021 by the Lady Chief Justice established a shared view of the way forward across the inter-reliant areas of courts estate, service re-design, and digital transformation. It fed into the Vision 2030 project which is a shared commitment by the Northern Ireland Courts & Tribunals Service, the Department of Justice and the judiciary to deliver a modernised, efficient and effective courts and tribunals system. Judicial Modernisation Paper September 2021.pdf (judiciaryni.uk)
Summary of responses