Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Crown Court Backlog

Tuesday 9 November 2021 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The number of outstanding cases in magistrates courts has dropped by around 80,000 since its peak.
  • The spending review provides an extra 477 million for the criminal justice system to reduce Crown court backlogs.
  • The Government is investing 500 million to clear backlogs in the criminal justice system.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Justice & Courts
Context

The number of outstanding Crown court cases increased by 23% before the pandemic, causing concern about government's handling.

Question

What is his timescale for clearing the backlog of Crown court cases resulting from the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from James Cartlidge

We are already seeing results with the number of outstanding cases in magistrates courts dropping by around 80,000 since its peak. The spending review provides an extra £477 million for the criminal justice system to reduce Crown court backlogs from 60,000 today to an estimated 53,000 by March 2025.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline or commitment beyond the reduction estimate provided.

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Q2 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog had already increased by 23% before the pandemic, raising questions about government's pre-pandemic decisions.

Question

The Government try to blame covid-19 for the backlog, but the Crown court backlog had already increased by 23% in the year leading up to the pandemic. Does the Minister regret the decision to slash sitting days in 2019?

Answer from James Cartlidge

The hon. Lady's suggestion that the pandemic has nothing to do with the backlog is extraordinary. Extraordinary measures are being used in Crown courts to uphold public health rules, including social distancing requirements. The Government is investing £500 million to clear backlogs.

Not addressed: Did not address whether there was regret for decisions made before the pandemic.

How: Blaming The Pandemic

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Q3 Bob Neill Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The Justice Committee visited Crown court in Manchester and observed challenges with jury trials due to social distancing requirements.

Question

Does he agree that it is extremely difficult to deal with jury trials when social distancing is required, and that we have to be realistic about that? Will he also note that the magistrates courts are now dealing with cases in a timely fashion?

Answer from James Cartlidge

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. I visited Manchester Crown court and saw a new super court at a cost of £2.5 million to the Treasury for multi-handed cases. The Judicial Review and Courts Bill will increase remission from Crown courts to magistrates, saving 400 days in Crown court.

Answered
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Q4 Jake Berry Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Officers from the Waterfoot police station in Rawtenstall faced challenges getting cases to court due to full disclosure requirements by CPS.

Question

Will my hon. Friend go away and look at that? It is currently warranted officers doing that disclosure, when it could easily be a civilianised job. Will he agree to speak to the Crown Prosecution Service and his colleagues in the Home Office to ensure Lancashire constabulary can be out getting criminals and not doing paperwork?

Answer from James Cartlidge

My right hon. Friend makes a good point as a lawyer himself. Extra resource for the CPS is available in the spending review, and the Home Office works closely with our Department on improving processes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to specific actions or timelines regarding civilianisation of disclosure work.

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Q5 David Lammy Lab Tottenham
Justice & Courts
Context

The Secretary of State previously stated that backlog would stabilise within a year, but now the Ministry of Justice predicts it may take until 2025.

Question

On 5 October, the Secretary of State said it would take up to 12 months to get the backlog down to pre-pandemic levels. Yet we know now that the backlog may not return to those levels until 2025. Just this morning, he said it could take up to eight years. Was he mistaken when he said it would only take a year?

Answer from James Cartlidge

What my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor actually said was that cases would start to stabilise now, at around 60,000 backlog. We accept it is still significant but see a very significant improvement in timeliness since July when Crown courts disposed of more cases than any time since November 2018.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a definitive timeline or acknowledge discrepancy between previous and current statements.

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Q6 David Lammy Lab Tottenham
Justice & Courts
Context

The workforce in the criminal justice system is facing a major crisis, with solicitors and barristers leaving in droves.

Question

I am glad to see the Minister come to the aid of the Secretary of State, but he has not answered whether it is a year, eight years or 2025. The Secretary of State told Sky News today that he did not recognise that there was a workforce crisis in the criminal justice system. The Lord Chancellor has got to get real.

Answer from James Cartlidge

It is extraordinary: 43 minutes ago, Labour voted to keep clogging up courts with immigration cases. Those take up precious court time. We are taking measures to address this issue.

Not addressed: Did not acknowledge or address the workforce crisis.

How: Attacking Opposition

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