Prisoners on Remand: Remote Hearings

(asked on 2nd February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) financial cost of running video remand hearings for police forces, to date and (b) number of police staff needed to manage the video remand hearing process.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 8th February 2021

COVID-19 has been the biggest peacetime challenge that our justice system has faced. Video Remand Hearings (VRH) have been an important tool to free up court capacity for trials which must take place in person. During this unprecedented time all parts of the criminal justice system have been required to operate in new ways to keep the public safe and ensure that justice is delivered.

I am aware of concerns over financial and resourcing pressures on police forces making use of video remand hearings. My Department is urgently engaging with the police and Home Office to agree a way forward on how we can support video remand hearings in the future, both financially and in terms of resourcing requirements.

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