HMCTS staff guidance on media access to tribunals and courts

Newly issued guidance drawn up in partnership with the media

... the Tribunals guide includes guidance on First-tier Social Security tribunals and the Upper Tribunal.

A reminder of course that the FtT (SEC) and the UT (AAC) are public venues and that all of the decisions and case papers are (at least hypothetically) available for public inspection - although you would have thought that such an application would be extremely unusual. Whilst the identities of claimants are conventionally obscured in published UT decisions, there is nothing to stop the UTO telling an enquirer the name of a claimant.

If more formal anonymity is required, an application can be made for an Order preventing publication under Rule 14 of the Rules in either Tribunal. An example is in LO v SSWP [2017] UKUT 440 (AAC)

See also the decision of the UT (AAC) President, Charles J in Adams v SSWP & Green [2017] UKUT 9 (AAC), [2017] AACR 28 - a very strange case which is well worth a read if you’re at a loose end.