Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the longest waiting time was in weeks for a trial where the defendant entered a not guilty plea for rape in each Crown Court in England and Wales in (a) 2010 and (b) 2018.

The information requested about the longest Crown Court waiting times for a trial where the defendant entered a not guilty plea for rape in 2010 and 2018 can be found in the attached Excel document.

This maximum measure can be unrepresentative of the group, and will be affected by extreme results lying outside the normal range.

Performance, demand and waiting times in the courts are constantly reviewed to balance sitting days with waiting times, disposals and receipts. Resources are adjusted when appropriate. Demand has been falling in recent years and sitting days have been reduced accordingly. The abolition of committal hearings in 2013 transferred the file preparation period from the magistrates’ court to the Crown Court and so comparisons between pre-2013 data and post-2013 data do not compare like with like.

We will continue to review demand and performance in the Crown Courts and will ensure they have the resource they require.