All High Court Enforcement Officer Association members are following strict government guidelines in relation to Covid 19.
Our members are working closely with their clients to help protect the health and safety of everybody across the country at this challenging time.
Below is a copy of the latest update we have issued to members today in light of the latest government guidance.
Dear Colleague,
I hope you and your team are well and finding an effective way to work through this difficult period we are all experiencing. These are certainly unprecedented times.
We appreciate things are challenging for everyone, with life changing on an almost daily basis and I know all of you are working night and day to adapt business operations to suit the current climate.
I wanted to get in touch to ensure you have the latest information to hand, and to stress that the Association is here to help.
We have contacted the Ministry of Justice to ask for any specific industry guidance it can share. If and when we receive this, we will share it immediately.
Civil and family courts are continuing to operate – but in a radically different way as you can see from the latest update from the Lord Chief Justice.
- I have attached a letter from Susan Acland-Hood, Chief Executive of HMCTS, giving an overview of its response so far.
- HMCTS has also published three pieces of guidance on GOV.UK in relation to the coronavirus outbreak to ensure it can continue its work, specifically in relation to:
- cleanliness and hygiene across court and tribunal buildings:
- guidance for staff around video and audio hearings
- details on HMCTS priorities during the coronavirus pandemic.
I know that you are all working closely with clients to manage this situation in line with government guidance. We also know that some clients have already asked for enforcement visits to be put on hold, and we expect more requests of this type over the coming days.
Like you and your teams, clients and debtors are facing extraordinary challenges and we must all be sensitive to that as an industry.
Overall this remains a fast-moving and very challenging situation. We urge you to follow the government guidelines and to practice social distancing as far as possible in order to safeguard staff, clients and the wider general public as much as possible.
Please feel free to share and cascade this update.
If you have any queries or require any support at all, do not hesitate to get in touch. We will be glad to be of help.
Stay safe.
Many thanks
Andrew Wilson
Chair of the HCEOA
