Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of judicial vacancies on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

Data on timeliness and ineffective trials (including judge/magistrate availability) at the criminal courts is available here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

There is no evidence to suggest that judicial vacancies have a significant impact on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

The Ministry of Justice, working in partnership with HMCTS and the judiciary, continuously monitor judicial capacity across the justice system. We are continuing to invest in regular judicial recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members each year across all jurisdictions.

There is no evidence that sitting days were lost due to judicial or recorder shortage in the last 12 months.