Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Court Cases Backlog

Tuesday 28 March 2023 · 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 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The outstanding case load has reduced across the UK.
  • We have removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown court.
  • Implementation of the common platform has been paused due to identified issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Bridgen Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The backlog in court cases has become a significant concern, affecting the justice system's efficiency and public confidence.

Question

What progress have you made on tackling the backlog of court cases? I am concerned about the outstanding case load across the UK and its impact on justice delivery.

Answer from Mike Freer

The outstanding case load has reduced across the UK. We are taking action to bring backlogs down and improve waiting times for those who use our courts, though I do not have specific numbers for constituencies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific constituency data

How: I Do Not Have Specific Numbers For My Hon. Friend'S Constituency, As We Do Not Calculate Them By Constituency.

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Q2 Andrew Bridgen Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The delay in justice delivery has raised concerns about the effectiveness of measures taken to clear backlogs.

Question

My hon. Friend will be aware of the saying that justice delayed is justice denied. What steps are being taken to ensure courts sit for as long as possible to try to get the backlog down?

Answer from Mike Freer

We have removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown court, courts will continue to work at full capacity. We are continuing with the use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms into the 7th financial year and recruiting 1,000 new members of the judiciary.

Answered
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Q3 Mike Amesbury Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

Victims are facing long delays with up to four and a half years wait for their day in court. Since 2010, over half of magistrates courts have been closed.

Question

Do the Secretary of State and the Minister believe that victims having to wait up to four and a half years for their day in court and the closure of 50% of magistrates courts since 2010 is a coincidence?

Answer from Mike Freer

I am less concerned about building availability across towns and cities than ensuring sitting days and judges to ensure swift justice. We focus on having sufficient capacity in courts rather than specific buildings.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific stance on coincidence of issues

How: I Am Less Hung Up About The Availability Of Buildings In Every Town And City

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Q4 Alex Cunningham Lab
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

The National Audit Office reported significant issues with the common platform system, including ailing projects and failing processes.

Question

When will Ministers be able to quantify the decreasing benefits of the programme and demonstrate that it has improved access to justice? Do you agree with the NAO's findings?

Answer from Mike Freer

We have paused implementation due to identified issues. While staff using common platform understand its benefits, we are pausing it until better implemented. Returning to legacy systems is not an option as they will soon be unsupported.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Quantifying decreasing benefits and timeline for improvements

How: We Are Pausing It, The Alternative Is To Return To Legacy Systems

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