Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trials have been fully adjourned due to contractors failing to deliver prisoners to trial in each region in 2025.

We have interpreted your question to mean ineffective trials that do not start on their intended start date and need rescheduling. Trials can become ineffective for many reasons – due to the action or inaction of the parties or the courts. Delays or failures to bring prisoners to court are one such reason.

Data on trial effectiveness at the criminal courts is published by region and reason, including “14. Ineffective reason: Defendant not produced by prisoner escort custody services” (although it should be noted that this may not have been as a direct result of PECS supplier failure). This data can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e29a65d4a1b0665b8ee201/trials_tool.xlsx.