The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2018

Insertion of new rule 30.12A

6.  After rule 30.12 (hearing of appeals) insert—

“Appeal court’s power to order that hearing of appeal be held in public

30.12A.— (1) This rule applies where by virtue of rule 27.10 the hearing of an appeal is to be held in private.

(2) The appeal court may make an order—

(a) for the hearing of the appeal to be in public;

(b) for a part of the hearing of the appeal to be in public; or

(c) excluding any person or class of persons from attending a public hearing of an appeal or any part of it.

(3) Where the appeal court makes an order under paragraph (2), it may in the same order or in a subsequent order—

(a) impose restrictions on the publication of the identity of—

(i) any party;

(ii) any child (whether or not a party);

(iii) any witness; or

(iv) any other person;

(b) prohibit the publication of any information which may lead to any such person being identified;

(c) prohibit the publication of any information relating to the proceedings from such date as the court may specify; or

(d) impose such other restrictions on the publication of information relating to the proceedings as the court may specify.

(4) A practice direction may provide for—

(a) circumstances (which may be of general application or applicable only to specified appeal courts or proceedings) in which the appeal court will ordinarily make an order under paragraph (2); and

(b) the terms of the order under paragraph (3) which the court will ordinarily make in such circumstances.”