Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any courts closed since 2010 have not yet been sold by his Department.

As at 9 March, there are nine former court buildings which have closed and are currently owned by HMCTS. Of these, three are currently in use as temporary Nightingale Courts and two have sales that are due to complete in April 2022. The remaining sites are in the process of being sold.

The decision to close any court is not taken lightly. It only happens following full public consultation and only when effective access to justice can be maintained. Courts that have closed include those which were underused or too close to one another.