The high cost of public access to transcripts is neither inevitable nor accidental. It is a direct consequence of the way in which the court service has chosen to procure transcription services from private companies. Under this model, the court service pays suppliers for transcripts it requires. The transcription company is responsible for any anonymisation that may be required and applying any reporting restrictions that are in place. When a member of the public requests a transcript, they must make a request to the court the hearing took place at and pay the transcription company directly at commercial rates. If the hearing has already been transcribed for the court service or another member of the public, a lower copy rate will apply - although this varies between suppliers. While the court service sets a maximum cost per number of words for transcripts in civil, family or tribunal proceedings, the cost of applying for Crown court transcripts is less transparent - with costs generally only provided upon request.
High cost of court transcripts is neither inevitable nor accidental www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a... by Dr Natalie Byrom
Byrom sets out options, such as a requirement for transcripts that have already been produced to be deposited in a publicly accessible repository
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