Oral Answers to Questions

Roz Savage Excerpts

Tuesday 16th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

1. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the Crown court backlog.

[Dr Roz Savage (South Cotswolds) (LD)]

6. What steps he is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

7. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the Crown court backlog.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Lammy]

My hon. Friend will be pleased that we are recruiting more legal advisers and we are increasing capacity in the system. He is right that magistrates courts particularly are the bedrock of the system, which is why I was so appalled that the previous Government cut back our magistrates courts so extensively. It is important that we support our magistrates to do their very important work.

[Dr Savage]

Crown courtrooms are sitting empty for up to 75% of the time. Judges used to be booking in trials three to six months into the future, but now they are booking well into 2027 or even into 2028, which is to save the cost of bringing in a recorder at £830 a day. However, these cases still need to be tried at some point, so that is not actually saving costs, just deferring them. In the meantime, there is a terrible impact on complainants, and in fact on justice itself. What will the Secretary of State do to clear this backlog and ensure that cases come to trial?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We have a lot of questions to get in.