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
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.
Before the pandemic some laws said some meetings and hearings had to take place in person.
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.
The Scottish Government thinks some of these laws should be made permanent and some of these laws should be extended.
This would mean:
- 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.
Examples of meetings and hearings that could be held online (permanent):
- public meetings about changes in schools.
- hearings about getting a license to do certain things like selling alcohol or having a taxi service.
- 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.
- meetings about legal documents.
- hearings to decide if prisoners can be released from jail.
Examples of meetings and hearings that could be held online (extended):
- court and tribunal hearings.
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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