Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the First-Tier Tribunal.

This Government inherited a broken justice system with record and rising court backlogs. The Lord Chancellor recently announced that for 2025-26, the Ministry of Justice will provide a total budget of £2,538 million.

We have continued investment this year in the recruitment of up to 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. This includes recruitment targeted at First-tier Tribunal chambers with the greatest business need.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology.

As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March the sitting day allocations for the First-tier Tribunal for 2025/26, which will enable all chambers of the First-tier Tribunal to sit at, or near, their maximum capacity for the year.

We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the First-tier Tribunal. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on the Tribunal and are working with the Judiciary, HMCTS and relevant Government Departments on the further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Tribunal system, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for all parties.