Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Single Justice Procedure.

We have been monitoring the operation of the Single Justice Procedure since its introduction in 2015 and subsequent roll out across England and Wales. We will continue to monitor this as we develop new means for the public to engage with the criminal court system.

The proportion of total cases completed through the Single Justice Procedure has steadily increased in each quarter since its introduction. The procedure has been well received among magistrates and legal advisers and all 43 police forces now use this procedure, as well as a number of local authorities, the TV Licensing authority and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

We remain committed to providing a policy review five years after implementation (in 2021).