Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the letter to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South and the hon. Member for Sunderland Central from the former Minister of State for Courts and Justice of 11 December 2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals to integrate Sunderland County Court into the Sunderland Magistrates’ Court building on the daily business of both courts.

The effective operation and continuity of court business was a primary consideration in developing plans for the integration of the court buildings. The integration will not interfere with the current criminal sitting pattern determined in October 2017 following a public listing consultation. Measures are being taken to ensure sufficient capacity at the site, with enabling works staggered to avoid disruption to people using the court. Integration of the courts into one building will improve court room utilisation and the operational efficiency of the court estate in Sunderland.