Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Darling Excerpts
Tuesday 10th September 2024

(1 month, 3 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
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Jonathan Brash Portrait Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)
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10. What steps she is taking to tackle the court backlog.

Steve Darling Portrait Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)
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25. What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the backlog of cases in courts.

Heidi Alexander Portrait The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Heidi Alexander)
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It is good to be back. Mr Speaker.

The Government are committed to reducing caseloads and bringing waiting times down for court users across all jurisdictions. We continue to keep 18 Nightingale courtrooms open across eight venues, so that we have more physical capacity to hear cases in all jurisdictions. We plan to sit more than 105,000 days in the Crown court and more than 102,000 days in the family court this financial year, enabling us to work through as many cases as possible.

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Steve Darling Portrait Steve Darling
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Torquay magistrates court closed in the last decade, and therefore justice is served somewhat distantly from our communities in Torbay. Can the Minister assure the House that there will be some reviews to ensure that justice is served more locally to our communities in south Devon?

Heidi Alexander Portrait Heidi Alexander
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I may be having another meeting, with the hon. Gentleman, as well as looking at the court in Chorley, and I am happy to discuss that matter with him.