Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog before the courts in West Yorkshire.

The courts in West Yorkshire have continued throughout the pandemic and list as many cases as possible whilst complying with HMCTS COVID-secure working arrangements.

This has been enabled by physical changes to courtrooms and jury facilities through the use of Plexiglass screens, which have been installed in magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court, and other significant physical changes to the dock and courtroom provision to enable large multi-handed trials to proceed.

The use of buildings has changed: the proactive management of public areas, provision of additional waiting areas in some busy buildings, and opening more magistrates’ courtrooms on Saturdays has further increased capacity. A Nightingale Court has additionally been opened in Cloth Hall Court, Leeds.

The way that cases are heard has also changed: using the Cloud Video Platform to enable certain cases to be heard remotely has helped limit the number who need to physically attend court and increased overall capacity.

Arrangements are also in place for flexible deployment of work between Bradford and Leeds Crown Courts, and listing some magistrates’ court work in nearby Skipton.