Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes in courts staffing and courts closures on access to justice.

Any decision to close a court is not taken lightly, but in circumstances where 41% of our courts operated in 2016-17 at half their available capacity and where we are investing £1 billion in courts and bringing them up to date, the Ministry of Justice has to think carefully about where our court resources are most effectively and efficiently spent.