Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total cost to the public purse was of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Free Sentencing Remarks Pilot between its introduction in May 2024 and its conclusion in May 2025.

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

In May 2024, the Ministry of Justice launched a pilot allowing victims of rape and other sexual offences to apply for a free transcript of the judge's sentencing remarks in their Crown Court cases. The pilot ran between May 2024 and May 2025, and the total cost of delivering the pilot was £41,423.83.

Following the pilot, the Government confirmed in May 2025 that victims of rape and sexual offences whose cases were heard at the Crown Court would continue to be able to request free sentencing remark transcripts, helping victims better understand the outcome of their case and the reasons for the sentence imposed.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of providing victims with free transcripts of sentencing remarks in magistrates’ courts; and what assumptions about the number of requests and the average cost of producing a transcript underpin that estimate.

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

The Crown Court and magistrates’ courts operate differently, and audio recording is not yet fully in place across magistrates’ courts. As part of preparations for criminal court reforms, HMCTS is making good progress in testing and planning the rollout of recording equipment across all magistrates’ courts. This reflects Lord Brian Leveson’s recommendation for mandatory recording to improve transparency and support reforms to the appeals process.

Our immediate priority is to ensure recording is introduced consistently, reliably, and securely. As trial and sentencing proceedings in magistrates’ courts are not currently recorded, transcripts cannot be universally provided either free of charge or through payment. Extending free transcript provision to magistrates’ court sentencing remarks is not currently under consideration.

Once recording capability is in place, and as we explore how technology, such as AI, could support transcription, we will be better positioned to consider what further transcript provision might look like. Any future expansion of free provision would need to be proportionate and take account of operational capacity, legal safeguards and the protection of vulnerable individuals.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the annual number of requests for transcripts of sentencing remarks that it would receive if victims whose cases are dealt with in magistrates’ courts were able to obtain such transcripts free of charge.

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

The Crown Court and magistrates’ courts operate differently, and audio recording is not yet fully in place across magistrates’ courts. As part of preparations for criminal court reforms, HMCTS is making good progress in testing and planning the rollout of recording equipment across all magistrates’ courts. This reflects Lord Brian Leveson’s recommendation for mandatory recording to improve transparency and support reforms to the appeals process.

Our immediate priority is to ensure recording is introduced consistently, reliably, and securely. As trial and sentencing proceedings in magistrates’ courts are not currently recorded, transcripts cannot be universally provided either free of charge or through payment. Extending free transcript provision to magistrates’ court sentencing remarks is not currently under consideration.

Once recording capability is in place, and as we explore how technology, such as AI, could support transcription, we will be better positioned to consider what further transcript provision might look like. Any future expansion of free provision would need to be proportionate and take account of operational capacity, legal safeguards and the protection of vulnerable individuals.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of providing free transcripts of sentencing remarks to all eligible victims under section 22 of the Sentencing Act 2026; and what assumptions about the annual number of requests and the average cost of producing a transcript underpin that estimate.

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

Improving victims' experience of the criminal justice system is a key priority. That is why we have committed to implementing Section 22 of the Sentencing Act 2026, which will enable all victims of crime whose cases are heard in the Crown Court to request a free transcript of the sentencing remarks in their case.

Our ambition remains to ensure this will be available from Spring 2027. However, at this stage, as the Department continues to develop how this expanded service will operate, and to assess likely demand and costs, we are not yet in a position to provide an estimate of the annual cost, nor the assumptions underpinning it. These will be considered in depth as we work towards implementation

Ending the criminalisation and stigmatisation of victims of sexual exploitation

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce named UK Chamber of the Year 2026

Free court transcripts

The Committee is exploring how the education system should adapt to prepare young people to be active and informed citizens in preparation for the introduction of votes at 16. This includes the role of schools and colleges in supporting pupils to engage with challenging political issues, and in tackling misinformation and disinformation, whilst ensuring impartiality and avoiding bias.