Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Baynes Excerpts

Tuesday 27th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for the tone in which she asks about this issue. Obviously, the role of the Parole Board and the probation service is vital, and the Parole Board is regularly looking at cases. I welcome what she said about continuing to look at this matter, and the Government welcome the Justice Committee’s recent report, which was an important opportunity to take stock. The Lord Chancellor will speak further on this matter in due course.

[Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of criminal court cases.

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

16. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of criminal court cases.

[Simon Baynes]

Will the Minister give the figures for the backlog in north Wales, where my constituency of Clwyd South is located, and for Wales overall? Will he also comment on any particular factors that are affecting those figures in Wales?

[Mike Freer]

As of December 2022, the outstanding case load in north Wales was 337 and the outstanding case load in Wales was 2,106—a 34% increase from pre-pandemic levels. As with every region, the outstanding case load in Wales has been impacted by the pandemic and the disruptive action by the Criminal Bar Association. As I have said, the Government remain committed to reducing the outstanding case load in the Crown courts, working with partners across the system.