Belfast - Northern Ireland’s Department of Justice has extended the legal powers that let courts and tribunals run hearings over video or audio, pushing the expiry to 24 September 2026. Justice Minister Naomi Long signed and sealed the Order on 16 March 2026, keeping remote attendance available across the system.

The move is set out in the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026. According to the Department’s notice on legislation.gov.uk, Parts 1 and 2 of Schedule 27 - which authorise live links and set rules for public observation - and the related part of section 57 will now remain in force until late September rather than lapsing this month.

Crucially, the Order is subject to the Assembly’s approval, with MLAs required to sign it off within 40 days of it being made under section 96(2) of the Coronavirus Act 2020. The Department has laid the measure before the Assembly for that vote.

For practitioners across Belfast, Derry and the rural circuit, this is continuity rather than change. Routine mentions and short case management hearings can still be handled by link where a judge directs, with prisons spared unnecessary movements for remand appearances and vulnerable witnesses able to give evidence remotely where permitted.

The Department’s explanatory note makes clear that the extension also keeps the rules around public participation intact. Members of the press and public can continue to observe when live links are used, but recording, retransmitting or sharing feeds without permission remains against the law.

Nothing materially new is created by this Order; it simply shifts the sunset date. The legal authority comes from section 90(2) of the Coronavirus Act 2020, the same route used last year to keep the powers running.

Stormont has been here before. In 2025, Statutory Rule 2025 No. 151 extended the live link provisions to 24 March 2026. As a devolved matter, the timetable is set in Belfast, not Whitehall; the latest instrument moves that line again - this time to 24 September 2026.

The rationale is straightforward: live links remain a working part of court business six years on from the first lockdowns. Judges decide when to use them and when to require people to attend in person; the Order ensures the option does not vanish mid‑year.

For the public, the takeaway is simple. Remote access to justice in Northern Ireland will continue through the summer, subject to Assembly sign‑off, with listings mixing in‑person and virtual appearances as directed by the court.