NJ -v- Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (anonymity order)

Administrative Appeals Chamber (Upper Tribunal)Court of Appeal Civil DivisionAnonymity Order

Case number: CA-2024-002698-A

In the Court of Appeal
On appeal from Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)
UA-2023-000576-ESA

10 November 2025

Before:

Lord Justice Holgate

Between:

NJ
(Respondent/APPLICANT)

-v-

Secretary of State for Work & Pensions
(Applicant/RESPONDENT)

Order

UPON the application made by the Respondent dated 6 October 2025.

AND UPON
(1) Considering the Article 8 ECHR rights of the Respondent to respect for private and family life, the Article 10 ECHR right to freedom of expression and the principle of open justice;
(2) Considering the order of Upper Tribunal Judge Stout, dated 5 July 2024, made under rule 14 of the Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) Rules 2008, prohibiting any person from disclosing or publishing any matter likely to lead to the identification of the Respondent in these proceedings;
(3) Noting the practice of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) of initialising the names of individual parties in welfare benefits and child support appeals by default, as explained by Mr Justice Charles CP in Adams v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Green [2017] AACR 28, at [145];
(4) The Appellant having been served with this application and having indicated that he has no objection to it;
(5) The court being satisfied on the basis of the skeleton argument and witness
statement filed in support of the application that non-disclosure of the identity of the Respondent and of her husband, together with the other restrictions in this order, are necessary to secure the proper administration of justice and in order to protect her interests and that there is no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure of the identity of the Respondent or her husband.

WHEREAS, for the purposes of this order:
(1) ‘Publication’ includes any speech, writing, broadcast, or other communication in whatever form (including internet and social media), which is addressed to the public at large or any section of the public.
(2) Publication for the purpose of this Order includes any further publication (as defined in subparagraph (1) above) from the date of this Order, even if such information has derived from a previous stage or stages of these proceedings.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, pursuant to CPR Rule 39.2(4), CPR Rules 5.4C and 5.4D, CPR PD52C para 33, and/or section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981:

  1. The name and identity of the Respondent and her husband are to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in proceedings in open court.
  2. There shall be substituted for all purposes in this case, in place of references to the Respondent by name, references to “Mrs NJ” and her husband shall be referred to as “Dr J”.
  3. The Respondent and her husband are to be so described in all documents to be filed and served in the proceedings and in documents for provision to accredited law reporters and accredited media reporters.
  4. A non-party may not inspect or obtain a copy of any document from the Court file in accordance with CPR Rule 5.4C unless any references to the Respondent or her husband are anonymised in accordance with the terms of this order.
  5. The case is to be listed and referred to as “Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v NJ”.
  6. There shall be no disclosure or publication by the press or otherwise of the name or any address of the Respondent or her husband.
  7. Pursuant to the ‘Practice Guidance: Publication of Privacy and Anonymity Orders’ issued by the Master of the Rolls dated 16 April 2019 a copy of this Order shall be published on the Judicial Website of the High Court of Justice (www.judiciary.uk) in anonymised form, referring to the Respondent as “Mrs NJ” and her husband as “Dr J.” For that purpose, a court officer will send a copy of the order by email to the Judicial Office at judicialwebupdates@judiciary.uk.
  8. Any non-Party affected by this Order may apply on written notice to all parties to have this Order set aside or varied.
  9. There be no order as to costs.

BY THE COURT