Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the impact on courts of remanding defendants when Operation Safeguard is active.

The activation of Operation Safeguard was announced on 30 November 2022, via an oral statement. Operation Safeguard is a contingency that provides additional headroom for use as needed. We are not currently housing prisoners in police cells as a result of Operation Safeguard.

The courts will continue to make decisions about remanding defendants on bail or in custody in accordance with the law, and their ability to do so will not be impacted by Operation Safeguard. We are monitoring the remand population closely.

Following the conclusion of barristers’ strike action, we remain committed to driving down the outstanding caseload to improve waiting times for all users of the criminal justice system.