Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Tuesday 16th May 2023 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Sir Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

1. What recent estimate he has made of the size of the backlog of criminal court cases in Preston constituency.

[Sarah Champion (Rotherham) (Lab)]

11. What steps he is taking to tackle court backlogs.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mike Freer)]

The outstanding case load at Preston Crown court stood at 1,454 cases at the end of December 2022. We are taking action across the criminal justice system to bring the caseload down and improve waiting times for those who use our courts. We have ramped up the additional capacity, we have recently announced the continued use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms in this financial year, and we are investing a significant amount of funding in the criminal justice system.

[Sir Mark Hendrick]

The backlog of court cases means that victims of rape, sexual abuse and violent crime face years of delay in their fight for justice. The emotional burden of the trial and delays have led to victims dropping out of the process and feeling that they would be unwilling to engage again in future. That has happened to a Preston constituent of mine who, after five years, is still waiting for her court case. Does the Secretary of State believe that that is an acceptable state for the British justice system to be in?

[Mike Freer]

I appreciate, and I know that colleagues in the judiciary appreciate, the sensitivities around such cases. They will always do their best to bring vulnerable cases forward so that victims are seen as fast as possible. There can be a variety of reasons why cases are delayed. If the hon. Gentleman wishes to write to me with the specifics of the case, I can try to find out exactly what caused the delays.