Video Hearings (Party-to-State): A Process Evaluation

The following research reports on a process evaluation of the user experience of the HMCTS video hearings pilot for party-to-state hearings, in this instance the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber). This is the first pilot conducted in England and Wales for Fully Video Hearings (hereafter: video hearings), where all parties participate in a hearing remotely. The pilot used an early technical product to test the concept of video hearings. The research draws on interviews with video hearing users – appellants, their representatives, and HMRC representatives; observations of video hearings and traditional in-person hearings; and interviews with Judges managing the hearings. The research is small scale and exploratory. We recommend that the video hearings pilot is expanded, data collection on the process continues, and data on outcomes is collected.