Today (10 December 2024), Luke Myer MP questioned the Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, on “what steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of Crown court cases.”
The previous Conservative Government left a record backlog of cases waiting to be heard – meaning victims faced huge delays to get justice.
“I am campaigning to put more police on our streets, but that is only part of the picture; this backlog in our courts means that the entire criminal justice system is creaking, and justice is being delayed. This time last year, there was a backlog in my region of more than 9,000 cases. Will the Minister ensure that this Conservative court chaos is dealt with and offenders are brought to justice?”
The Minister responded:
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to describe the situation as Conservative court chaos. Indeed, the full picture of the last Government’s terrible inheritance will become clear when we publish Crown court data later this week. Demand on the criminal courts is increasing at a faster rate than the actions we are able to take, and we must therefore go further. This Government understand the scale of the problem and are ready to confront it with the fundamental reforms that will be necessary.”
She explained that the Government had taken “important first steps”, including funding 106,500 Crown Court sitting days and increasing magistrates’ sentencing powers to free up more sitting days for serious cases, but acknowledged that “there is more to do”.