Pitchford Inquiry fifth preliminary hearing

A fifth preliminary hearing will consider the legal approach to be taken in relation to applications for restriction orders under section 19 of the Inquiries Act 2005, including, for example, applications for measures to protect identity and applications for restrictions on the disclosure and publication of evidence.

This hearing will take place in court 73 of the Royal Courts of Justice on 22 and 23 March 2016.

These hearings are preliminary; evidence hearings are not expected to take place before the summer of 2016.

For more information on core participation and how to engage with the Inquiry please see the Inquiry’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

All hearings will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London WC2A 2LL.

General Information about the Royal Courts of Justice

Those attending the Inquiry should note that the Royal Courts of Justice conduct security checks and maintain the following restrictions:

• Camera and recording equipment are strictly prohibited and should not be brought into the Royal Courts of Justice.

• Mobile phones and Blackberry devices must be switched off or switched to ‘silent’.

• Telephone calls are not permitted in either hearing room when the Inquiry is in session. Telephone calls may be made in the hearing rooms during breaks in proceedings but must conclude before the hearing resumes. To make calls during the hearing attendees must leave the hearing room.

• Text-based media is allowed in the Inquiry hearing rooms and public areas of the Royal Courts of Justice. However, they must not cause a disturbance or distraction to proceedings and are subject to the Chairman’s right to remove that privilege if he believes it is harming the administration of justice; further, no transmission of any statement made during the course of a hearing may be made until a period of 60 seconds has elapsed after the statement is made.

• Laptops may be used in the Inquiry hearing rooms and public areas if they do not disturb others but they may not be used to make live recordings of proceedings. Laptops must be battery-powered as power sockets are not available.

• Personal entertainment devices such as MP3 players and iPods may not be used in either hearing room when the Inquiry hearing is in session.

• The Inquiry Secretariat reserves the right to eject (and if necessary to review the accreditation of) individuals who fail to comply with these conditions.

• Parking is not available within the Royal Courts of Justice and parking outside the court is extremely limited.