Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the current number of either-way cases in the present Crown Court backlog that have yet to elect mode of trial.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the proportion of cases in the backlog are still pending the decision of the defendant to elect mode of trial.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has information on the median age of cases that have yet to elect mode of trial.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the cases awaiting a Crown Court trial that have a potential sentence of up to three years imprisonment and that would go before a Judge-only court under his proposed court reforms.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of cases in the overall Crown Court backlog are either way cases that would be no longer eligible for jury trial under the government’s proposed reforms.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the percentage of the current Crown Court backlog would be sent for judge alone trials under the government’s proposed court reforms.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of publicly funded fellowship programmes for training overseas doctors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to review publicly funded fellowship programmes for training overseas doctors. A range of international postgraduate medical training schemes operate across the National Health Service. These are governed by individual NHS trusts, medical royal colleges, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and indirectly, NHS England, and the General Medical Council. These programmes are expected to be properly governed, provide value for money, and ensure fair treatment for all participants. We expect all NHS organisations to operate in line with these principles.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce diagnostic waiting times for endometriosis in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis may receive diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, though the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopic procedure. The laparoscopy is also used to treat endometriosis.
To improve diagnosis times, we are transforming diagnostic services and taking steps to increase diagnostic capacity. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs), building up to five new ones as part of £600 million capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 and opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week.
NHS Sussex ICB have increased diagnostic capacity by setting up a well-established CDC programme. Seven CDCs operate across Sussex, including University of Chichester Bognor CDC, and are expected to deliver an additional 460,000 diagnostic tests in 2025/26, including 40,000 MRI scans, and nearly 90,000 ultrasound scans.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether foundation trusts will retain the option to maintain councils of governors under the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Council of Governors at National Health Service foundation trusts have a range of statutory roles and powers including representing the views of local populations, staff, and other stakeholders to the foundation trusts’ board.
The removal of the Council of Governors forms part of the wider 10-Year Health Plan’s aim to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. While governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some foundation trusts, we now need to move to a more dynamic model of drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight.
The removal of the Council of Governors will require primary legislation which the Government will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether foundation trusts will retain the option to have councils of governors under the 10‑Year Health Plan for England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Council of Governors at National Health Service foundation trusts have a range of statutory roles and powers including representing the views of local populations, staff, and other stakeholders to the foundation trusts’ board.
The removal of the Council of Governors forms part of the wider 10-Year Health Plan’s aim to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. While governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some foundation trusts, we now need to move to a more dynamic model of drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight.
The removal of the Council of Governors will require primary legislation which the Government will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows.