Senior President of Tribunals issues amended Pilot Practice Directions in response to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Directions relating to contingency arrangements and panel composition in the First-tier and Upper Tribunal extended to 18 September 2021

The Senior President of Tribunals, the Rt.Hon. Sir Keith Lindblom, has issued amended Pilot Practice Directions in response to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the working of the First-tier and Upper Tribunal.

In his introduction to Amended General Pilot Practice Direction: Contingency Arrangements in the First-Tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal, Sir Keith says -

'On 19 March 2020, Sir Ernest Ryder, [the then] Senior President of Tribunals, issued a Pilot Practice Direction setting out how the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal might adjust their ways of working during the Covid-19 pandemic, to limit the spread of the virus and manage their workloads appropriately. On 14 September 2020, that Pilot Practice Direction was amended and extended to 18 March 2021.

Having reviewed that amended Pilot Practice Direction, I have decided to extend it to 18 September 2021 ...'

In addition, Sir Keith advises that Amended Pilot Practice Direction: Panel Composition in the First-Tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal, that sets out how the First-tier and Upper Tribunal might adjust their ways of working in relation to panel composition during the pandemic, is also extended to 18 September 2021.