Guidance

Protocol for sharing court lists in criminal proceedings with professional court users

HMCTS protocol to facilitate access to court lists in criminal hearings for professional court users

Documents

Details

On 6 April 2020, changes were made to the Criminal Procedure Rules to allow the Lord Chancellor to authorise new ways of providing information about criminal cases on request (Rule 5.8(5)). This allows HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to provide full court lists to professionals working in the courts, who had previously been refused access following the introduction of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.

As part of this, the Lord Chancellor has made arrangements to provide court lists to duty solicitors, independent domestic violence and sexual violence advisers, mental health workers and other health workers looking after the welfare of people in court custody. It accords with all legal obligations including the General Data Protection Regulation and the DPA 2018.

This protocol will help HMCTS staff deliver the best possible service to professional court users who need to access court lists. The protocol has been developed following engagement with solicitors and in consultation with NHS England.

Published 10 June 2020
Last updated 14 August 2023 + show all updates
  1. Converted the PDF attachment into HTML

  2. First published.