Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Buckland and Siobhain McDonagh

Monday 27th April 2020 Commons Chamber

[Robert Buckland]

I thank the hon. Lady for that question. She will be glad to know that daily work is going on between my officials and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, the senior judiciary and the senior magistracy to make sure that we can progress more cases through both the magistrates and the Crown courts. Of immediate importance are magistrates court hearings: I want to see more of them come forward. We can do a lot of them virtually, and I know that the work being done by my hon. Friend the Minister for Crime and Policing, together with my Department, will help improve the speed of the delivery of these important cases.

[Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab)]

What steps he is taking to ensure the safety of (a) prison staff and (b) prisoners during the covid-19 outbreak.