The bill is needed to clarify and strengthen the powers of the judiciary and the ministry to respond to changing health risks. We cannot predict how the pandemic will evolve and the bill ensures the judiciary and the ministry can assess what requirements are needed for the courts and implement them, informed by public health advice. This could encompass requirements relating to COVID-19 testing and masks, for example. Even as we pass the peak of the current outbreak, there is an ongoing need to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the courts, and we need to avoid COVID-19 further disrupting or delaying cases as much as possible, as has been the experience of the last two years. 