Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to address the backlog of urgent possession court cases caused by the covid-19 outbreak.

The Overall Arrangements produced by the judicial-led working party set up by the Master of the Rolls details measures that will assist with managing the incoming volume of possession cases and provide access to justice for all parties while protecting the most vulnerable.

These arrangements include improvement in the signposting and guidance for landlords and tenants, the introduction of a review process to allow early engagement between parties and provisions for possession hearings to take place in a safe way.

In addition a scheme of prioritisation to assist judges with identifying the most urgent cases has been introduced. The listing of cases is a judicial function and prioritisation is a tool available to the judiciary when case managing possession matters.