Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to expand the number of judges authorised to sit in the Crown Court to address the backlog in criminal cases.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have ambitious but realistic recruitment plans for judges for the Crown Court. In January 2026, recruitment for Circuit Judges, including 45 in Crime, commenced. We are expecting a positive outcome from the 2024/25 Recorder recruitment exercise for 70 judges, most of whom work in Crime. More recruitment for both salaried and fee-paid Judges is planned for 2026/27.
The authorisation and deployment of judges is a matter for the judiciary. High Court Judges contribute sitting days in Crown, as do some District Judges (Magistrates Court), with the appropriate authorisation. Judges sitting in retirement are also used in Crown.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to help ensure there are sufficient a) prosecutors, b) defence barristers and c) court staff to increase the number of Crown Court trials.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Deputy Prime Minister has announced that the Crown Court in England and Wales will be funded to hear as many cases as possible next year to speed up justice for victims. We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that there are sufficient prosecutors, and funding has been provided for this.
We are taking significant action to support defence barristers and the wider criminal defence profession. In December 2025, we announced additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates, and a commitment to work with the profession to match-fund a number of criminal barrister pupillages to open a career at the Criminal Bar to even more young people from across society. The support for advocates is on top of up to £92 million per year in additional investment, announced in December 2024, we have implemented for criminal legal aid solicitors, which built on a £24 million per year investment in criminal solicitors earlier in the Parliament. This investment reflects the valuable role of criminal defence and will help them to continue to make sure justice is served.
An increase in Crown Court staff to support additional sitting days is funded and factored into HMCTS’ workforce planning, and recruitment for these roles is already progressing in each region.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of available courtrooms currently sitting in the Crown Court estate, and whether additional courtrooms could be brought into use.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In January 2026 there were 508 Crown courtrooms available for use in the court estate.
In respect of whether additional courtrooms can be brought into use, Harrow Crown Court which has been closed since August 2023, will reopen in April following significant roof replacement works, bringing back into operation an eight-courtroom building. Two temporary Crown courtrooms at Willesden Magistrates’ Court, used as a contingency for Harrow, will revert back to magistrates’ courtrooms. Additionally, the City of London Law Courts is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2027, providing eight additional Crown courtrooms.
We continue to keep the court estate under regular review to ensure it aligns with operational priorities.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure specialist domestic abuse training across the family courts.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to delivering long-term reform of the Family Courts to better support and protect both adults and children, including those who are victims of domestic abuse or serious violence.
All court staff within HM Courts and Tribunals Service undertake mandatory safeguarding and domestic abuse awareness training as part of their induction and refresher training.
Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru each deliver mandatory domestic abuse practitioner training, which they design and maintain. This ensures Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru practitioners can effectively identify, assess and respond to domestic abuse in Family Court proceedings, and that they maintain up to date, trauma informed, evidence-based skills.
To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for the training of the judiciary in England and Wales rests with the Lady Chief Justice and is conducted by the Judicial College. Domestic Abuse training forms part of both induction and continuation training for all judges, magistrates and legal representatives who sit in the Family Courts. This training is routinely evaluated and refreshed by the Judicial College.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds information on the number of children who have not been granted contact with their mothers on the basis of reports by unregulated psychological experts in private family law proceedings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government does not hold data on the number of cases, or their outcomes, where allegations of “parental alienation” were made or where unregulated psychological experts were instructed in Family Court proceedings. This information is not held centrally. It may be held in court records but to obtain this data would require a review of individual case files at disproportionate costs.
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not believe it is capable of diagnosis.
The Family Justice Council’s guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour” provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons a child may reject a parent, including from witnessing domestic abuse and harmful parenting. The guidance also outlines the appropriate timing, scope, and nature of expert witness evidence.
The Government shares the concerns that unregulated experts, often using the title psychologist, have been instructed in Family Court proceedings to give evidence on “parental alienation”. We are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these experts.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children his Department estimates have been separated from their mothers in private proceedings on the basis of parental alienation allegations.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government does not hold data on the number of cases, or their outcomes, where allegations of “parental alienation” were made or where unregulated psychological experts were instructed in Family Court proceedings. This information is not held centrally. It may be held in court records but to obtain this data would require a review of individual case files at disproportionate costs.
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not believe it is capable of diagnosis.
The Family Justice Council’s guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour” provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons a child may reject a parent, including from witnessing domestic abuse and harmful parenting. The guidance also outlines the appropriate timing, scope, and nature of expert witness evidence.
The Government shares the concerns that unregulated experts, often using the title psychologist, have been instructed in Family Court proceedings to give evidence on “parental alienation”. We are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these experts.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many instances of an individual being charged relating to domestic abuse was there also charges laid for animal abuse in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions by offence through the Outcomes by Offences data tool on GOV.UK. It is not currently possible to separately identify prosecutions for domestic abuse, as such cases are prosecuted under a range of different criminal offences. However, the Government recognises the importance of consistently identifying domestic abuse offenders at every stage of the system. That is why we are moving at pace to implement a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing in criminal cases, delivering on a recommendation made in the Independent Sentencing Review.
Statutory guidance on the definition of domestic abuse under Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is clear that domestic abuse can include harming or threatening to harm animals, for example as a form coercive and controlling behaviour. In our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published last December, we committed to ensuring all victims and survivors are protected, including those with pets, including to:
As part of this work, Defra has also commissioned research, led by the University of Bristol, into the relationship between animal abuse and domestic abuse, and will consider the findings once the research concludes.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received advice on the potential link between domestic abuse and animal abuse.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions by offence through the Outcomes by Offences data tool on GOV.UK. It is not currently possible to separately identify prosecutions for domestic abuse, as such cases are prosecuted under a range of different criminal offences. However, the Government recognises the importance of consistently identifying domestic abuse offenders at every stage of the system. That is why we are moving at pace to implement a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing in criminal cases, delivering on a recommendation made in the Independent Sentencing Review.
Statutory guidance on the definition of domestic abuse under Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is clear that domestic abuse can include harming or threatening to harm animals, for example as a form coercive and controlling behaviour. In our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published last December, we committed to ensuring all victims and survivors are protected, including those with pets, including to:
As part of this work, Defra has also commissioned research, led by the University of Bristol, into the relationship between animal abuse and domestic abuse, and will consider the findings once the research concludes.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Aarhus Convention provisions on costs in planning cases.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government remains committed to upholding its obligations under the Aarhus Convention, including maintaining access to environmental justice that is not prohibitively expensive. We set up the Environmental Costs Protection Regime (ECPR) in 2013 to enable this, and in May 2025 we committed to a series of measures to strengthen the regime. We keep all policies under review and, importantly, judges already have the power to vary the costs caps upwards or downwards, taking into account the particular circumstances of a case.
Between September and December 2024, the Government ran a Call for Evidence on access to justice in relation to the Aarhus Convention. This Call for Evidence considered the recommendations of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee regarding whether changes are required to the ECPR. The Government intends to publish a response to this Call for Evidence in due course.
Further, the Government published its response to the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce’s Review on Friday 13 March 2026. The Government recognises the concerns raised by the Taskforce regarding delays caused by a small number of unmeritorious legal challenges against nuclear developments and other major infrastructure projects, which could jeopardise our goal of reaching net zero by 2050. That is why we have accepted the Taskforce’s proposals in recommendation 20 to adjust the costs caps.
These adjustments will be undertaken with a view to prioritising genuine legal challenges, whilst supporting the Government’s growth mission by supporting us to build the necessary infrastructure essential for energy security, economic growth, and net zero. We will therefore invite the Civil Procedure Rule Committee to adjust the ECPR with this aim in mind.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has for the Magistrates Court building in Chichester.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There are currently no plans to reopen the former Chichester Magistrates’ Court.
The building has been closed since 2017 and is now in very poor condition. With the neighbouring Chichester Combined Court having transitioned from a Nightingale court to the permanent estate, HMCTS is now reviewing options for the future of the former Magistrates’ Court site, including its disposal.