Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to prioritise cases dealt with by the courts during the covid-19 outbreak.

The prioritisation of cases is a matter for the judiciary.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has assisted the judiciary by providing analyses of caseload and case types for the most time-critical and sensitive cases.

HMCTS are investing record amounts, with £153m to improve court and tribunal buildings, as well as more than £80m on a range of emergency measures to tackle the impact of Covid-19, including the recruitment of 1,600 additional staff.

To enable judicial prioritisation HMCTS has rapidly rolled out technology to support far more remote hearings than could have been supported before the pandemic, set up Nightingale courts, conducted detailed risk assessments, and completed physical building works to enable hearings to take place safely where cases are prioritised for an in-person hearing.