Sir Declan Morgan

Representatives of the DUP, Sinn Féin, UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party were invited to the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday for a briefing on progress on reforms and developments across criminal, civil and legacy business.

The meeting, chaired by Sir Declan and attended by judges from across the various court tiers, was the first of its kind since November 2017.

Matters discussed included problem solving justice; sentencing; legacy inquests; courtroom technology and digital reforms; vulnerable witnesses and victims; civil justice; Commercial Court reforms; family justice; and media in court.

Speaking after the meeting, Sir Declan said: “In the absence of a Justice Committee and a functioning Assembly, I have endeavoured to engage with political parties and I am delighted to welcome representatives from the main political parties today here to the High Court.

“Despite there being no functioning Assembly, where possible, and where appropriate, judges have taken the initiative to introduce reforms on a wide range of issues relating to the justice system.

“I have always said judicial independence does not mean judicial isolation and I am looking forward to meaningfully engaging with the political parties in relation to these reforms and developments this afternoon.

“My judges and I are happy to take this opportunity to discuss these reforms with the political parties, and also highlight areas where we consider reforms are not possible due to the need for primary legislation.”