Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases on the (a) production of, (b) supply of and (c) possession with intent to supply of class A drugs had been incomplete for more than a year as of 1 September of each of the last five years.

The pandemic is the primary cause of the increased caseload in our courts. Prior to the pandemic, the outstanding caseload had reduced significantly, from over 55,000 in late 2014 to c.33,000 in late 2018.

The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022, and we removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.

Below we have provided data regarding offences of ‘Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A’ to the year to September 2021.

Outstanding caseloads are measured to the end of the reporting quarter, in this case the end of September.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice has published information on remand status (including bail) for defendants proceeded against for drug offences, up to December 2020, in the following tools, available here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063882/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063884/remands-crown-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsx

*To avoid double counting individuals dealt with at Crown Court, in the remands: magistrates' court tool, deselect outcomes ’06: Sent to Crown Court for trial’ and ’07: Committed to Crown Court for sentencing’ in the ‘Outcome’ filter.

The figures in the remands pivot tables includes those who failed to appear to a summons, or to bail, who are excluded from the proceedings figures given in other pivot tools. Therefore, the number proceeded against for this offence in the remands tools may not match those in other tools such as the Outcomes by Offence.