Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to tackle the backlog of rape cases that have not been tried as a result of the covid-19 outbreak and lockdown restrictions.

COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for the criminal justice system, but we have kept courts open and cases flowing through the system throughout. The UK has been a global leader and we are ahead of comparable systems.

HMCTS published an update to the Court Recovery Plan in September, which sets out that court operating hours will be extended, alternative venues will be used as courts to increase capacity, and our continued use of technology to support remote of video hearings. Further measures to increase jury trial capacity are also being explored.

The courts continue to prioritise cases where the safety of the public and individuals is a concern. The most time-critical hearings have continued to take place in the Magistrates’ Courts, including hearings where the defendant is in custody or there is a risk to the public. Magistrates’ courts are now hearing all types of work. In Crown Courts, jury trials have now resumed in over 90% of our sites.