Textual Amendments
20C.—(1) Where a pre-hearing panel has determined in accordance with paragraph (2) or (4) that a person, or category of persons, should be allowed to attend a children’s hearing only by electronic means—
(a)the person, or persons, may attend the hearing by electronic means only, and
(b)the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration must take all reasonable steps to enable the person, or persons, to attend the hearing by electronic means.
(2) A pre-hearing panel may determine that a person mentioned in paragraph (3) should be allowed to attend a children’s hearing only by electronic means if satisfied that the person’s physical presence at the hearing, or any part of it, is likely to—
(a)prevent the hearing from obtaining the views of the child or a relevant person, or
(b)cause significant distress to the child or a relevant person.
(3) The persons referred to in paragraph (2) are—
(a)a relevant person,
(b)a person representing a relevant person,
(c)a person who is to authorised to attend the hearing by virtue of rule 19,
(d)a person representing a person who is authorised to attend the hearing by virtue of rule 19,
(e)a particular representative of a newspaper or news agency.
(4) A pre-hearing panel may determine that all representatives of newspapers and news agencies should be allowed to attend a children’s hearing only by electronic means if satisfied that the physical presence at the hearing, or any part of it, of any person in that category of persons is likely to—
(a)prevent the hearing from obtaining the views of the child or a relevant person, or
(b)cause significant to distress to the child or a relevant person.
(5) In this rule, “electronic means” is to be construed in accordance with rule 20B.]