The Government response to @BarristerSecret damning assessment of our criminal justice system is inaccurate and woefully inadequate. The legal aid criminal Bar has received no support from Government in anyway. Our members are angry. The CBA are furious. https://www.channel4.com/news/the-secret-barrister-justice-in-a-pandemic

Since March the CBA have been constructive, and engaged in multiple meetings and working groups every week. We have engaged with all stakeholders nationwide to try and provide solutions to ensure the profession gets back to work in an acceptable way.

Some examples of those groups are: a working group on the return to jury trials, working groups on the return to court buildings, national and regional magistrates' court working groups, youth court working group, a working group to increased use and capacity of CVP and videolink

Over 4 months since lockdown begun the criminal Bar has received no support whatsoever from Government. @HMCTSgovuk and @MoJGovUK have shown no willingness to spend what is required on the CJS. Magistrates Court cases are being listed in 2023.

The profession is owed money. CLAR1 has not yet been implemented. Despite repeated promises. CLAR2 stutters and splutters with no signs of progress. The review of the inadequate fees is a priority. @MoJGovUK must expedite it and make decisions on implementation at speed.

We requested financial support for legal aid practitioners direct to @hmtreasury. It was rejected. We requested support for legal aid chambers. Rejected. We requested support for pupillage recruitment. Rejected. Diversity and retention are not the concern of this Government.

Despite the financial difficulties faced individually and collectively our brilliant membership voted outright to reject any encroachment on trial by jury. Principled and courageous, they demonstrated the best attributes of the Bar. We deserve better conditions to work in.

The farcical attempts to blame the court backlog on Covid19 are manifestly wrong. We have suffered from a policy of cutting sitting days for years. Even now the courts continue to be under-utilised. Courtrooms lay empty. Nightingale courts that were promised have not materialised

We support all our members. EOH will be to the detriment of women and primary care givers. There has been no progress on extra money. Our membership will be consulted on EOH. But when the current estate is not being used to capacity how can @HMCTSgovuk justify such disruption?

Where is the modelling on the new social distancing guidelines. How many more courts can be used at 1 metre plus? Where are the other nightingale courts and what is their capacity? These are fundamental questions that must be answered for our membership.

Throughout Covid19 our most junior members have attended magistrates’ courts in the most difficult conditions. The most junior exposed to the challenges of fulfilling their professional duties while juggling their own safety. Absolute keyworkers with no recognition from this Gov.

Enough. Invest now. Spend on courts. Spend on recorders. Give us the money owed. The profession is angry. The CBA are furious. We want ALL our members back to work. If meaningful steps are not taken to do that then we will be forced to consider other routes of action.