Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of backlogs in police Digital Forensics Units on delays to criminal proceedings; what the average waiting time is for digital forensic evidence to be processed; and how many criminal cases are currently affected by such delays.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested, but we recognise that digital forensic backlogs remain a significant challenge. Increasing numbers of seized devices, growing data volumes, rapid technological change and workforce pressures can contribute to delays in digital examinations. Police reform will enable the creation of national governance in the National Police Service, which will provide a national service to policing and ultimately benefit victims and the criminal justice. We have appointed a dedicated Director of Forensic Services to lead this transformation.