Covid recovery consultation: easy read version
The Scottish Government and Disability Equality Scotland co-produced this Easy Read document to support a virtual Disability Consultation Workshop. The Workshop invited disabled people to share their views on Covid recovery and changes to the law.
Theme 2 – Online Meetings and Hearings
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A hearing is a formal meeting where a court, tribunal or council or government committee makes a decision.
A tribunal is a meeting to settle a disagreement about an issue with the law like a housing issue.
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Before the pandemic some laws said some meetings and hearings had to take place in person.
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To reduce the spread of Covid the Government temporarily changed these laws so some meetings and hearings could be held online on a computer or smartphone.
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The Scottish Government thinks some of these laws should be made permanent and some of these laws should be extended.
This would mean:
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- more people could take part in these meetings and hearings because they would not need to travel far.
- people would not need to meet in person if there was a public health emergency in the future.
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Examples of meetings and hearings that could be held online (permanent):
- public meetings about changes in schools.
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- hearings about getting a license to do certain things like selling alcohol or having a taxi service.
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- meetings about bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy can be a way for someone to deal with their debts they cannot pay, or for someone to get money they are owed.
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- meetings about legal documents.
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- hearings to decide if prisoners can be released from jail.
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Examples of meetings and hearings that could be held online (extended):
- court and tribunal hearings.
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/consultation-paper/2021/10/easy-read-covid-recovery-consultation/SCT10214757661_g37.png)
People would still be able to attend meetings and hearings in person but could do this online if that would be easier.
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