The agenda for the Tribunals conference taking place on Tuesday 7 September has been published and is available to view here.
The half-day virtual event, which will consider how Tribunals in Scotland have adapted to the pandemic and how that might inform their future development, is open to all those with an interest in the work of Tribunals in Scotland.
COVID 19 has required significant changes to the way in which Tribunals, like other parts of the justice system conduct their business. Much of that change has involved an increasing use of virtual technology, both video and telephone. The conference will provide an opportunity for those attending to get an insight into how this change might shape the future as the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland expands, and Tribunals in Scotland generally seek to raise their profile.
The conference will take place in the morning (09.00 – 13.00) of Tuesday 7 September and will be hosted online using the WebEx platform. Those wishing to attend the conference will simply need to click on the following link at any time after 08.45 on the day.
If asked for a password, please enter: nSZbmvW75b3 (using a copy and paste function will make this easier).
The highlight of the conference will be keynote speeches delivered by The Lord President, Lord Carloway, and the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Lord Hodge.
Other speakers and panellists in the sessions include Laura Dunlop QC, President of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland; Judge Susan Walker, Vice President of Employment Tribunals (Scotland), and from the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland: May Dunsmuir, President of the Health and Education Chamber, Alex Green, President of the General Regulatory Chamber, Aileen Devanny, President of the Housing and Property Chamber.
The core group of invited panellists, including all of those speaking at the conference will be able to see and hear all presentations and discussion and will also be able to contribute orally and be seen on camera.
The wider audience, known as attendees in WebEx, will be able to see and hear all presentations and discussion but will not be visible on camera and will be muted throughout.
Attendees will however be able to submit questions or comments via the WebEx chat function. These comments will be monitored by a moderator and submitted to the Chair of the event to be fed into the discussion as appropriate.
In addition all those attending are asked to submit any personal comments or questions in advance, if they wish speakers to consider them as part of the discussion. They should do so by emailing TribunalsOperationsSupport@scotcourts.gov.uk. The deadline for submissions is 30 August 2021.
It is intended to record the two keynote speakers. The rest of the conference and the discussion will not be electronically recorded but will be minuted and there will be a report of the conference published.