Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of either-way cases in the present Crown Court backlog that have yet to elect mode of trial.

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

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of cases in the backlog are still pending the decision of the defendant to elect mode of trial.

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

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds information on the median age of cases that have yet to elect mode of trial.

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

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the overall Crown Court backlog which comprises the cohort of up to three years’ imprisonment cases and would go before a Judge only court under proposed court reforms.

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

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of cases in the overall Crown Court backlog which are either way cases that would be no longer eligible for jury trial under his proposed reforms.

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

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the current Crown Court backlog that would be sent for judge alone trials under his proposed court reforms.

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

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what capital and revenue funding allocations have been made to local authorities in Tees Valley combined authority area and its Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees local authority areas for specialist school places and SEND resource bases in the current spending period.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support this, the department has announced at least £3 billion of high needs capital funding for 2026/27 to 2029/30. We will confirm local authority allocations for the 2026/27 share of this funding in the spring.

This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26. Of this funding, Middlesbrough has been allocated just over £1.4 million and Stockton-on-Tees has been allocated just over £2.2 million.

Additionally, there are two planned schools in the special and alternative provision free schools pipeline in these local authorities: a 100 place special school in Middlesbrough and a 100 place alternative provision in Stockton-on-Tees. The local authorities have the option to continue with central delivery of these schools but are currently considering our offer of alternative funding to deliver these places themselves, in line with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s written statement of 15 December 2025.

High needs revenue funding allocations for specialist provision in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees have increased to over £44 million and over £46 million respectively in the 2025/26 financial year and will continue at these increased levels in 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new specialist school places are planned to be created in Tees Valley combined authority area and its Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees local authority areas under Departmental programmes in each of the next five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support this, the department has announced at least £3 billion of high needs capital funding for 2026/27 to 2029/30. We will confirm local authority allocations for the 2026/27 share of this funding in the spring.

This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26. Of this funding, Middlesbrough has been allocated just over £1.4 million and Stockton-on-Tees has been allocated just over £2.2 million.

Additionally, there are two planned schools in the special and alternative provision free schools pipeline in these local authorities: a 100 place special school in Middlesbrough and a 100 place alternative provision in Stockton-on-Tees. The local authorities have the option to continue with central delivery of these schools but are currently considering our offer of alternative funding to deliver these places themselves, in line with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s written statement of 15 December 2025.

High needs revenue funding allocations for specialist provision in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees have increased to over £44 million and over £46 million respectively in the 2025/26 financial year and will continue at these increased levels in 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has undertaken of specialist school place sufficiency in Tees Valley combined authority area and its Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees local authority areas in each of the next five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support this, the department has announced at least £3 billion of high needs capital funding for 2026/27 to 2029/30. We will confirm local authority allocations for the 2026/27 share of this funding in the spring.

This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26. Of this funding, Middlesbrough has been allocated just over £1.4 million and Stockton-on-Tees has been allocated just over £2.2 million.

Additionally, there are two planned schools in the special and alternative provision free schools pipeline in these local authorities: a 100 place special school in Middlesbrough and a 100 place alternative provision in Stockton-on-Tees. The local authorities have the option to continue with central delivery of these schools but are currently considering our offer of alternative funding to deliver these places themselves, in line with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s written statement of 15 December 2025.

High needs revenue funding allocations for specialist provision in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees have increased to over £44 million and over £46 million respectively in the 2025/26 financial year and will continue at these increased levels in 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the expected delivery timescales and associated capital funding allocations are for new specialist school places in Tees Valley combined authority area and its Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees local authority areas.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. To support this, the department has announced at least £3 billion of high needs capital funding for 2026/27 to 2029/30. We will confirm local authority allocations for the 2026/27 share of this funding in the spring.

This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26. Of this funding, Middlesbrough has been allocated just over £1.4 million and Stockton-on-Tees has been allocated just over £2.2 million.

Additionally, there are two planned schools in the special and alternative provision free schools pipeline in these local authorities: a 100 place special school in Middlesbrough and a 100 place alternative provision in Stockton-on-Tees. The local authorities have the option to continue with central delivery of these schools but are currently considering our offer of alternative funding to deliver these places themselves, in line with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s written statement of 15 December 2025.

High needs revenue funding allocations for specialist provision in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees have increased to over £44 million and over £46 million respectively in the 2025/26 financial year and will continue at these increased levels in 2026/27.

Steve Cram CBE

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