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Statement on national restrictions

The UK government has announced that the whole of England will come under new national restrictions from 5 November for a period of four weeks.

The MPTS will continue to run hearings, in order to meet our statutory responsibility to protect the public by making decisions.

During the period of national restrictions, MPTS hearings will be held virtually unless there is a particular need for a hearing to be held in our Manchester hearing centre. Hearings may be held in Manchester if:

  • The needs of the participants cannot be met by a virtual hearing.
  • The circumstances of the case make it unsuitable for a virtual hearing.

Our hearing centre will remain open, operating in line with the UK government’s COVID-secure guidance. The health and safety of everyone attending our hearing centre is important to us and we are committed to working to the highest safety standards.

We have carried out a thorough risk assessment as well as a significant programme of work to put safety and hygiene measures in place throughout the building.

For hearings yet to be listed, we will continue to actively consider whether they should proceed virtually or at our hearing centre, taking into account the circumstances of all parties.

Further information about how hearings are operating, as well as a video of the measures we have put in place throughout the hearing centre, is available on our FAQs page.

All parties to hearings listed to commence at our hearing centre during the period of the restrictions from 5 November are being contacted by the MPTS.

Hearings listed to commence virtually will continue as planned.

If you have a specific query about a hearing you are involved in, please email enquiries@mpts-uk.org.