The Chairperson of the Justice Committee is calling for submissions on the COVID-19 (Court Safety) Legislation Bill.

In-person court proceedings risk people transmitting COVID-19. People in court have often travelled from many locations, are in closed rooms for long periods, and may be disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19. This bill seeks to removes legal barriers to addressing those risks.

Without the COVID-19 Response (Courts Safety) Legislation Bill, some people may be unwilling or unable to attend court because of safety concerns. This could delay access to justice, disrupt court business, and worsen existing jury trial backlogs.

This bill would strengthen the ability of the judiciary and the Ministry of Health to set and enforce conditions for entering and remaining in any court and some tribunals. It would also let the judiciary set additional requirements for selecting and managing juries through secondary legislation. The bill also seeks to clarify that health and safety measures and remote hearings are not inconsistent with legislative open justice protections.

Most of the bill’s amendments would only be in force for the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020. However, because jury service may be deferred under the bill for two years, some provisions would continue to have effect for another two years.

Please note: The proposed date for the committee to report back to the House on this bill is 31 March. If you are invited by the committee to speak on your submission, we may only be able to provide one or two days’ notice.

Tell the Justice Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by midnight on 17 March 2022.

For more details about the bill:

· Read the full content of the bill

· Get more details about the bill

· What’s been said in Parliament about the bill?

· Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates

· Read the bills digest

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