Research and analysis

HMCTS remote hearing evaluation - fair processing notice

Updated 10 December 2021

1. About this study

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. We are currently carrying out a study of the use of remote hearings during Covid-19 pandemic. The study will help us to understand and evaluate how remote hearings have been implemented during the covid-19 outbreak and to make recommendations for use of remote hearings in the longer term.

We will use the data collected through this study to improve our services by:

• understanding the remote hearing practices implemented during Covid-19

• understanding the characteristics, experiences and perceptions of those attending remote hearings during Covid-19

• identifying issues experienced and barriers faced by users

• informing the future use of remote hearings

2. What data we collect from you

The study will include court and tribunal user surveys, qualitative interviews with user groups and analysis of a snapshot of monitoring data which will be collected from the courts and tribunals. Some strands of the work will be carried out by HMCTS analysts whilst the public user survey and qualitative interviews with publics users, the judiciary and observers will be conducted by an external research organisation. We will use data from existing management information records to contact potential participants and collect data on experiences of attending hearings during the Covid-19 pandemic. HMCTS will process personal data supplied in this service in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We have a privacy notice explaining what you can expect from the HMCTS when we hold or request personal information (‘personal data’) about you; how you can get access to a copy of your personal data; and what you can do if you think we’ve done something wrong.

3. What we will do with your data

We have appointed an external research company to carry out parts of the evaluation and we will share contact details and case information with the research company and their sub-contractors to enable them to invite those using the court services to participate in the evaluation.

The external research company will anonymise answers to the data they collect by removing the name and other details that could identify participants from the data. This means that it will not be possible to tell who the information is from or about. The anonymised responses may later be used by HMCTS and/or other researchers for the purpose of further research.

Any personal information collected by the external research company will be stored separately and securely and will be deleted one year after the research project ends.

4. Third party data sharing

Third parties with whom the information will be shared are IFF as the lead research agency and their sub-contractors UK Changes to undertake tele-matching services and UK Mailing to undertake mailing services.

5. To find out more

Taking part in the research is voluntary. If you prefer not to take part, you don’t need to do anything. If you receive a telephone call from one of the interviewer team inviting you to take part over the phone, you are welcome to decline that request. If you fill in the survey but decide later that you do not want your answers to be used, please contact IFF Research and they will delete your response and not use it in the research.

IFF Research can be contact on (Freephone) 0808 169 9375 or at RecentCourtExperience@iffresearch.com

For any specific queries about the study you can email hmcts.evaluation@justice.gov.uk. Please include your reference number in any correspondence.