Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve courtroom availability through court estate restoration and renewal.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service seeks to make sure that the court and tribunal estate is in the best possible condition to provide appropriate court and hearing room facilities.

Since the commencement of the Reform Programme, we have spent over £167m on capital projects investing in our buildings. This has delivered significant improvements, including replacing heating and cooling systems, lifts, roofs and windows.

We have also re-procured our facilities management contracts from April this year, which will allow us to improve the way our buildings are maintained day to day. Under the new arrangements, facilities management work will be more user focused with new objectives based on previous customer experiences. Repair and improvement works will also be more efficient, with response times that match industry standards.