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Written Question
Crown Court
Monday 13th April 2026

Asked by: Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many hours per day the Crown Courts at (1) Liverpool, (2) Crown Square, and (3) Minshull Street, sat on average between (a) September and December 2024, and (b) September and December 2025; what was the average time taken at these courts from receipt of a case to its conclusion in (1) December 2024, and (2) December 2025; and what assessment they have made of the earliest date at which a trial of (1) 2 days, (2) 10 days, and (3) 6 weeks, would be heard at these courts as of March 2026.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Criminal Court data is published at a Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) area level and not by individual court. This reduces volatility and fluctuations associated with low volumes of cases at some court centres. The Criminal Courts Accredited Official Statistics are published quarterly and data is reported by quarter. The information requested is provided at LCJB area level. Listing is a judicial responsibility and function. The purpose is to ensure that all cases are brought to a hearing or trial in accordance with the interests of justice, that the resources available for criminal justice are deployed as effectively as possible, and that cases are heard by an appropriate judge or bench with the minimum of delay. (CRIMINAL PRACTICE DIRECTIONS 2015 DIVISION XIII ). Data on how far a court is listing certain lengths of trial concerning the listing of trials of particular duration is held locally by individual court centres and not centrally held. It is influenced by the listing policy of the Resident Judge in question and the local open caseload. It is subject to continual change and adapts to reflect the open caseload volume and case mix at any point in time. Normally cases are listed in order of priority according to a number of factors (e.g. counsel availability and courtroom availability) as well as the time estimate. Earlier listing dates may become available where other trials are vacated, or if the Resident Judge decides to prioritise one trial over another (for example those involving young defendants or child witnesses). Both LCJB areas are listing custody cases within the required Custody Time Limits. The listing data provided below relates to general bail cases and reflects the position as at 27 March 2026.

Data Source

Time period

Merseyside LCJB Area*

Greater Manchester LCJB Area*

Average (mean) Hours per day sat

HMCTS Internal Management Information

Sept-Dec 2024

3.8

4.0

Average (mean) Hours per day sat

HMCTS Internal Management Information

Sept-Dec 2025

3.8

4.0

Average (median) time taken receipt at the Crown Court to conclusion (days)

Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK.

Oct – Dec 2024

76

169

Average (median) time taken receipt at the Crown Court to conclusion (days)

Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK.

Oct-Dec 2025

103

168

Earliest date for listing a 2-day bail trial

HMCTS Local Court Information

As at 27/03/26

22/02/2027

01/07/2027

Earliest date for listing a 10-day bail trial

HMCTS Local Court Information

As at 27/03/26

03/05/2027

31/07/2028

Earliest date for listing a 6-week bail trial

HMCTS Local Court Information

As at 27/03/26

07/06/2027

11/09/2028

*The respective LCJBs cover courts including (a) Liverpool Crown and (b) the two Manchester Crown centres.

Written Question
Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023
Monday 14th July 2025

Asked by: Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential economic growth generated by the full utilisation of the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023, and what steps they are taking to fully utilise that Act.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson

The Electronic Trade Documents Act’s Impact Assessment estimates that electronic trade documents (ETDs) could generate £1.1bn over a decade by reducing trade costs, accelerating transactions, and improving access to trade finance, particularly for SMEs.

To support ETD uptake, we have recently launched several initiatives in the Trade Strategy. This includes plans to establish Digital Trade Corridors with key European markets, setting up an SME Capability Programme to help smaller firms adopt digital trade tools, and launching an ETD Information Hub on Business.Gov.UK to support businesses transition. We are also promoting international legal reform on ETDs through bilateral and multilateral engagement.