Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for a free copy of a judge’s remarks made after a jury has delivered its verdict to complainants in sexual assault cases where the defendant was found not guilty.

Currently, victims of rape and other sexual offences and bereaved families of homicide victims can already request a free copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks. Building on this, the Government is taking significant action to go further. From Spring 2027, all victims who want them will be able to request a free copy of Crown Court sentencing remarks directly relevant to their case. This is a major step forward for transparency and victims’ access to information.

At this stage, the Government does not have plans to extend free provision to additional categories of court transcripts. Our immediate priority is to ensure that the expansion of free Crown Court sentencing remarks is delivered effectively, so that victims can truly benefit from this significant reform.

However, we are focused on driving improvements for the longer term. This is why we are undertaking a study looking into the feasibility of using Artificial Intelligence to transcribe court hearings. The findings will identify what is possible with AI transcription in a Crown Court setting, providing an evidence base for future decisions about how transcript provision could be expanded in a way that is operationally sustainable and delivers real benefits for victims.