Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how long it will take to clear the backlog of Crown Court cases resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are already seeing the effects of our efforts to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on our justice system.

We allocated over a quarter of a billion pounds on recovery last financial year, making court buildings safe, rolling out new technology for remote hearings, recruiting additional staff and opening Nightingale courtrooms, including retaining 32 Nightingale courtrooms until the end of March 2022.

We are now focused both on increasing capacity of the criminal courts and maximising use of existing facilities in areas where they are needed most. There is no limit on the number of days Crown Courts can sit this financial year. The department is also working closely with the judiciary to ensure we have the capacity required to maximise the number of court hearings taking place this year and to minimise disruption to cases listed for hearings.

The Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement provides £477 million to improve waiting times for victims and to reduce Crown Court backlogs caused by the pandemic.