Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Court Delays: Attrition

Tuesday 24 May 2022 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Court delays have reduced the backlog in the Crown Court by 5% since June 2021.
  • Government funding for victim support has increased to 185 million by 2024-25.
  • Legislation and funding aim to address judicial capacity and physical court capacity issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Norris Labour (Co-op) Nottingham North and Kimberley
Justice & Courts
Context

Court delays have led to a backlog, with 57,800 cases outstanding as of March 2022. Last year saw 1.3 million cases dropped due to victim attrition.

Question

I am concerned about the impact of court delays on victim attrition rates. With 1.3 million cases dropped last year and low charge rates for certain crimes, how is the government addressing these issues adequately?

Answer from James Cartlidge

We are making progress on court delays in the Crown Court. The backlog has reduced by 5% since June 2021, but we recognise the need to address victim attrition rates. We have increased victim support funding to £185 million by 2024-25 and will fund over 1,000 independent sexual and domestic abuse advisers.

Answered
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Q2 Alex Norris Labour (Co-op) Nottingham North and Kimberley
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The Minister previously mentioned progress in reducing court delays but did not address low charge rates for certain crimes, such as robbery at 7% and theft at 3%. This issue affects crime statistics negatively.

Question

Last year saw the dropping of 1.3 million cases due to victim attrition, on top of low charge rates for crimes like robbery (7%) and theft (3%). How is progress quick enough given these factors?

Answer from James Cartlidge

Attrition is a significant issue, particularly for rape cases. Last year saw a 67% increase in rape convictions with an additional 15% increase in Q4. We have put measures in place to address capacity issues and improve court operations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The pace of progress and low charge rates were not specifically addressed, only improvements in conviction rates highlighted.

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Q3 Bob Neill Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The Justice Committee published a report highlighting significant delays and injustice caused by court backlogs. The committee called for sustained investment to address judicial capacity, physical capacity, data, technology, and improved processes.

Question

Despite efforts from the Government, delays in Crown Court have reached unjust levels. Will tackling this require not just victim measures but a comprehensive approach including judicial capacity, physical capacity, maintenance, data, technology, and improved processes?

Answer from James Cartlidge

We have committed £0.5 billion in funding to tackle Crown Court backlogs, and we are addressing judicial capacity through legislation. We reopened 60 courtrooms post-pandemic and recently had Royal Assent for a new pension scheme to improve recruitment of judges.

Answered
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Q4 Alex Cunningham Lab
Justice & Courts NHS
Context

The Ministry has secured funding to reduce the backlog to 53,000 cases by 2025. However, the recent criminal justice joint inspection report highlighted trauma for victims waiting years for justice.

Question

Can the Minister confirm average waiting times and how additional funding will cut these waiting times given that reducing the backlog still dwarfs pre-pandemic figures?

Answer from James Cartlidge

We are addressing capacity through measures such as removing the cap on sitting days in Crown Court and increasing magistrates' sentencing powers via legislation. The Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 will release up to 1,700 days for serious cases.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific average waiting times were not provided, only general measures taken.

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