Found: Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 3 October 2026: Update on the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: Justice, dated 17 September 2026: Government Response to the Justice Committee's Report on the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: Lord Strathclyde, UPDATE ON CRIMINAL COURT REFORM I am writing to update you on the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: (2026) courts- and-tribunals-bill> accessed 11 September

Found: Courts and Tribunals Bill: Government Response Government Response

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal cases in England and Wales are listed for their next substantive hearing in a) 2027, b) 2028, c) 2029 and d) 2030 or later.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As at 30 September 2026 (the latest available data), the number of criminal cases in England and Wales listed for trial in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 are as follows:

HMCTS Management Information – extracted Crown Operational Dashboard 15 October 2026

1. The management information presented in this table reflects what is recorded on relevant case-management systems on the date of extraction. The case management systems are continually updated and so the information presented will differ from any previously provided or published information. Management Information is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale reporting system.
2. The number of listed trials for each year is defined as: a future trial date is listed where for that case a plea and trial preparation hearing (PTPH) has taken place. For context, the PTPH gives an indication of defendants' plea. Once a not guilty plea has been registered against any offence on the indictment, a trial may take place.
3. If a case has two trial dates listed, the latest trial date is captured.
4. Note that the data are quality assured to remove future trial dates that do not meet accuracy standards - this means there is potential for undercounting the true number of cases where a trial is listed in future years.

The Lord Chancellor has made clear his commitment to reduce the Crown Court backlog and enable victims to have their day in court faster – this is why we are acting on all fronts. We are investing heavily in Crown Court capacity, court infrastructure, uncapped sitting days, technology and legal aid. We are also driving greater efficiency in the courts through measures such as responsible AI innovation, case coordinators for every Crown Court centre, and close collaboration with the judiciary on their reforms to listing practices and virtual hearings guidance. The Government has also brought forward structural reforms through the Courts and Tribunals Bill – based on Lord Leveson’s recommendations in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts – to ease pressure on the Crown Court, ensure proportionate allocation of resource, and redress the balance between victims and defendants.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure family courts are empowered to prevent direct contact between a child and a domestic violence perpetrator.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that the family justice system fully supports survivors of domestic abuse and delivers the right outcomes for them.

Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 (‘the Act’) makes clear that the child’s welfare must be the court’s paramount consideration when making any decision about their upbringing, including making decisions about contact.

The courts are already empowered to restrict or prevent contact through orders, for example a Child Arrangements Order, where this would be in the child’s best interest and protect their safety and wellbeing.

The Government is also going one step further by repealing the presumption of parental involvement from the Act through the Courts and Tribunals Bill. This step will ensure the child’s wellbeing and safety remains at the heart of the court’s decision-making: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4083

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for domestic abuse cases to reach a court hearing on the number of victims withdrawing support for a prosecution before trial.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Delays in the criminal justice system can have a significant impact on victims of domestic abuse. This Government is taking decisive action to revive our criminal court system to reduce delays and the impact they have on all victims, including those involved in domestic abuse.

We are investing heavily in Crown Court capacity, court infrastructure, uncapped sitting days, technology and legal aid. We are driving greater efficiency in the courts through measures such as responsible AI innovation, case coordinators for every Crown Court centre, and close collaboration with the judiciary on their reforms to listing practices and virtual hearings guidance.

We have also brought forward structural reforms via the Courts and Tribunals Bill which is currently before Parliament. Measures in the Bill are designed ease pressure on the Crown Court, ensure proportionate allocation of resource, and redress the balance between victims and defendants. These measures make a commitment to reduce the Crown Court backlog and get victims their day in court more quickly.

Alongside wider support measures, pre-recorded cross-examination (section 28) can help reduce the impact of delays by enabling victims to give evidence earlier. The Ministry of Justice’s 2025 section 28 impact evaluation found that, between January 2019 and September 2022, the measure reduced the time between an alleged offence and cross-examination by around five months.

We are separately committed to improving the criminal court response to domestic abuse and as recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review. This includes looking at how to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts to achieve better outcomes for victims.

Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring all victims have access to the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is supporting victims with the largest ever investment of over £550 million in victim support services over the next three years. This includes Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local victim support services for all victims of crime, based on their assessment of local need, including those affected by domestic abuse.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of criminal court delays on survivors of child sexual abuse and other serious sexual offences; and whether his Department plans to introduce measures to reduce delays in such cases.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is taking decisive action to revive our criminal court system to reduce delays and the impact they have on all victims, including those of child sexual abuse and sexual offences.

We are investing heavily in Crown Court capacity, court infrastructure, uncapped sitting days, technology and legal aid. And we are driving greater efficiency in the courts through measures such as responsible AI innovation, case coordinators for every Crown Court centre, and close collaboration with the judiciary on their reforms to listing practices and virtual hearings guidance.

We have also brought forward structural reforms via the Courts and Tribunals Bill which is currently before Parliament. Measures in the Bill are designed to reduce demand on the Crown Court, protect children and modernise our court system. These measures will mean that more serious cases, including child sexual abuse and other sexual offences, can be heard.

We are delivering a package of measures to ensure that victims of rape and sexual offences experience better, more tailored support and fewer delays. Backed by a £23 million investment, these measures will ensure every single Crown Court building in England and Wales has at least one specialist rape and serious sexual offence courtroom by 2028. Alongside this, we will establish a new Rape Justice Taskforce, chaired by the Lord Chancellor, bringing together leaders from across criminal justice system to directly tackle the rising rate of postponed rape trials and confront the rape myths that cause victims to withdraw from their own cases.

The judiciary has also published a new national listing framework, which makes explicit for the first time that rape and other sexual offence cases, including those involving children, should be prioritised.

We are also taking forward a range of measures to improve the experience of these victims through the criminal justice system. This includes introducing independent legal advisors for adult rape victims, rolling out trauma-informed training to all court staff, and delivering legislative reforms to protect victims, particularly victims of sexual offences, from unnecessary and intrusive cross-examination about their personal lives at court. The Ministry of Justice has also committed £550 million to victim support services over the next three years.

Alongside wider support measures, pre-recorded cross-examination (section 28) can help reduce the impact of delays by enabling victims to give evidence earlier. The Ministry of Justice’s 2025 section 28 impact evaluation found that, between January 2019 and September 2022, the measure reduced the time between an alleged offence and cross-examination by around five months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to reduce delays and support the wellbeing of victims and survivors involved in domestic abuse and ABH cases.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Lord Chancellor has made clear his commitment to reduce the Crown Court backlog and get victims their day in court more quickly, including victims and survivors involved in domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour cases – and we are already acting on all fronts.

We are investing heavily in Crown Court capacity, court infrastructure, uncapped sitting days, technology and legal aid. We are also driving greater efficiency in the courts through measures such as responsible AI innovation, case coordinators for every Crown Court centre, and close collaboration with the judiciary on their reforms to listing practices and virtual hearings guidance.

We have brought forward structural reforms via the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Measures in the Bill are designed to ease pressure on the Crown Court, ensure proportionate allocation of resource, and redress the balance between victims and defendants. It returned to the House of Commons for Report Stage and Third Reading on 13 October.

We are separately committed to improving the criminal court response to domestic abuse and, as recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review, we are considering how to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts to achieve better outcomes for victims.

Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring all victims have access to the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is supporting victims with the largest ever investment of over £550 million in victim support services over the next three years. This includes Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local victim support services for all victims of crime, based on their assessment of local need, including those affected by domestic abuse and ABH. We have also announced a further £18.9 million investment to support victims affected by the Progression Model. This includes more funding for local and specialist services, including a specialist VAWG programme.

Found: Courts and Tribunals Bill: HL Bill 57 of 2026–27

Found: Courts and Tribunals Bill 2026-27: Progress of the bill

Found: The Courts and Tribunals Bill was backed by overwhelming support in the House of Commons and entered

Found: country  Government responds to all 180 recommendations in Criminal Courts Review Comes as the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: The expansion coincides with the Courts and Tribunals Bill returns to Parliament on Tuesday, where the

Found: drive to cut the court backlog and get fast, fair justice for victims Expansion comes as the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: Services Sarah Sackman KC MP Responsibilities include: ● criminal courts policy ● Courts and Tribunals Bill

Found: The Courts and Tribunals Bill which was introduced in February 2026, brings forward structural reform

Found: And the Courts and Tribunals Bill, currently before Parliament, introduces pragmatic structural reforms

Found: The Courts and Tribunals Bill which was introduced in February 2026, brings forward structural reform

Found: At time of writing, the Courts and Tribunals Bill is at report stage in the House of Commons.