Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Backlog

Tuesday 16 March 2021 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 5 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government has invested 250 million in covid recovery, including funding for 40 Nightingale courtrooms which will increase to 60 by the end of March.
  • Measures to ensure court buildings are covid-secure include installing plexiglass screens, ensuring social distancing, and having overspill rooms.
  • Currently, there are 49 Nightingale courtrooms open and available, with five more to open this week, bringing the total to 60 by the end of March.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Cherilyn Mackrory
Justice & Courts
Context

Courts are experiencing a significant backlog of criminal cases due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Question

What steps have been taken to help tackle the backlog of criminal cases before the courts? I am concerned about the impact of the pandemic on court operations and the need for recovery measures.

Answer from Chris Philp

The Government has invested a quarter of a billion pounds in covid recovery, paying for 40 Nightingale courtrooms which will increase to 60 by the end of this month. Video technology enables over 20,000 hearings per week across all jurisdictions, and as a result, the outstanding caseload in magistrates courts has dropped by about 50,000 cases over the past eight months.

Answered
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Q2 Cat Smith Lab Lancaster and Wyre
Justice & Courts
Context

Three court buildings have failed Health and Safety Executive safety inspections, raising questions about the government's claim that courts are covid-secure.

Question

What evidence is there to support the claim that courts are covid-secure? What steps will be taken to ensure no more court buildings fail safety inspections?

Answer from Chris Philp

We follow Public Health England guidelines. The number of coronavirus cases among court users is no higher than the general population. Measures include installing plexiglass screens, ensuring social distancing, and having overspill rooms. Where we have tested people in courts, extremely low levels of coronavirus cases were found.

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Q3 Andrew Jones Con
Justice & Courts
Context

Efforts to catch up on the backlog of cases include opening Nightingale courtrooms.

Question

How many Nightingale courts are now open and in use for Crown court work?

Answer from Chris Philp

Currently, there are 49 Nightingale courtrooms open and available. Five more will open this week, including one in Croydon, bringing the total to 60 by the end of this month. Many can be used for Crown court work or free up other centres.

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Q4 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Justice & Courts
Context

There is concern about the delay in bringing cases to court, particularly impacting victims of crime.

Question

Is it acceptable that the number of cases will be brought back to acceptable levels before Easter 2023? What confidence can victims have this late date will be met?

Answer from Chris Philp

The outstanding caseload in magistrates courts has reduced by 50,000 cases since last summer. In Crown courts, we are getting through about 2,000 cases a week now. Expecting listing levels to increase with the capacity of 290 jury courtrooms.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The target date and confidence in meeting it were not directly addressed.

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Q5 Gagan Mohindra Con South West Hertfordshire
Justice & Courts Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The use of remote hearings is crucial to ensuring the safety of people involved during the pandemic.

Question

How is the Department increasing use of remote hearings to ensure the safety of people involved during the pandemic?

Answer from Chris Philp

We have invested in IT, purchasing 10,000 laptops and rolling out cloud video platform. Now more than 20,000 hearings per week across all jurisdictions are held remotely, much higher than before the pandemic.

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Q6 Chris Matheson Lab
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

An application for bail at Chester Crown court will not be listed until February next year, highlighting a backlog issue that predates the pandemic.

Question

How can the Government claim to be the party of law and order when justice is being delayed? The backlog existed before due to closures and reduced sitting days.

Answer from Chris Philp

The Lord Chancellor has confirmed no constraint on sitting days currently. The judiciary can list as many cases as they like, with an expected increase for the next financial year. Since 2010, crime figures have shown a 41% reduction from 9.5 million to 5.6 million according to the crime survey.

How: Crime Rate Comparison

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Q7 Cherilyn Mackrory
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

Devon and Cornwall was the first area outside of London to set up virtual remand hearings in police custody during the pandemic.

Question

Will my hon. Friend join me in recognising the efforts made by the police and crime commissioner in Devon and Cornwall, Alison Hernandez, in helping to ensure that our area was the first outside of London to set up virtual remand hearings in police custody during the pandemic? Can he assure me that Devon and Cornwall will continue to receive its fair share of resources and funding to continue dealing with the backlog in criminal cases?

Answer from Chris Philp

I pay tribute to police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez and all those working in Devon and Cornwall and across the country. I congratulate them on being first out of the blocks on video remand hearings. We are continuing to do video remand hearing work, particularly during the recent lockdown, and we have made some funding available to support forces doing that. I am sure that Devon and Cornwall will be receiving its fair share of support as part of the Government's commitment to recruit 23,000 extra police officers, underlining our commitment to law and order.

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Q8 Alex Cunningham Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog has reached nearly 57,000 cases. Many victims of rape and sexual violence face waits of three or four years until their case comes to trial.

Question

As we have already heard, the Crown court backlog has reached nearly 57,000 cases. Many victims of rape and sexual violence face waits of three or four years until their case comes to trial, all the while unable to fully access the therapeutic support they desperately need. Will the Minister finally listen to calls from the Victims' Commissioner and urgently roll-out section 28 measures to all intimidated witnesses, so that victims of these horrific sexual crimes can give evidence as soon as possible?

Answer from Chris Philp

I share the shadow Minister's concern about rape prosecutions. There is a rape review currently under way, being worked on by the police Minister and the Lord Chancellor, which will be reporting very shortly. We are putting £85 million extra into the Crown Prosecution Service. The application of section 28 has been considerably widened recently, and we want to make that available as widely as we can, as quickly as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister acknowledged the issue but did not provide a specific timeline or commitment for rolling out section 28 measures.

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