Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Court Capacity

Tuesday 29 June 2021 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is continuing Nightingale courtrooms to address the backlog of nearly 60,000 cases in the Crown court.
  • Judiciary has no constraint on Crown court sitting days for the current financial year and can list as many cases as possible.
  • Budget for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service increased by 80 million to hire 400 additional prosecutors.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Navendu Mishra Lab Stockport
Justice & Courts
Context

The pandemic has affected court capacity, leading to delays and backlogs.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to increase court capacity. The Crown court backlog has reached a new record high of nearly 60,000 cases due to decade-long Conservative cuts and closures. Will the Government commit to continuing Nightingale courts until the backlog is cleared?

Answer from Chris Philp

We are continuing Nightingale courtrooms. We have said to the judiciary that there will be no constraint on Crown court sitting days this current financial year; the judiciary can list as many cases as they are physically able to. Thanks to steps taken, Crown court case numbers are beginning to edge down for the first time.

Answered
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Q2 Alex Davies-Jones Lab Pontypridd
Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent's fraud case against a former carer, initiated more than four years ago, has not seen justice served due to persistent court delays.

Question

The Minister's total failure to improve court waiting times is having a very real-world cost. My 100-year-old constituent whose fraud case amounts to over £250,000 is still waiting for justice after more than four years. Despite multiple communications with the Department, delays persist. What exactly does he have to say to my constituent?

Answer from Chris Philp

Listing of individual cases is a judicial function. During the pandemic, delays built up but half of the backlog has been removed since August last year. The outstanding case load in magistrates court is dropping at around 2,000 a week.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the constituent's specific case or provide any concrete response to it.

How: Listing Of Individual Cases Is Judicial Function

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Q3 Navendu Mishra Lab Stockport
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog has reached a new record high due to the pandemic, affecting judicial efficiency.

Question

Will the Government continue Nightingale courts until the backlog is cleared?

Answer from Chris Philp

We are continuing Nightingale courtrooms. We have said to the judiciary that there will be no constraint on Crown court sitting days this current financial year; the judiciary can list as many cases as they are physically able to.

Answered
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Q4 Bob Neill Con
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown Prosecution Service's total case load has increased by 53% since February 2020, leading to court backlog issues.

Question

Does the Minister agree that long-term continued investment in increased court capacity is needed for sustainable reduction of backlogs?

Answer from Chris Philp

The capacity exists with 1,600 extra staff hired for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. The budget recently went up by £80 million to enable 400 additional prosecutors to be hired.

Answered
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Q5 Alex Cunningham Lab
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

There is controversy surrounding the use of the single justice procedure in relation to coronavirus-related offences, with hundreds potentially wrongly charged and convicted.

Question

The Minister agrees that incompetence around prosecution decisions adds to court burdens and weakens justice. What will he do about it?

Answer from Chris Philp

Prosecution decisions are taken by the independent Crown Prosecution Service, not the courts system. Justice standards have been maintained during remote hearings.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the issue of wrongful prosecutions or provide specific measures to rectify it.

How: Independent Prosecution Decisions

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