Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 101
Pilot establishment of dedicated economic crime courts in collaboration with the Judiciary.
Recommendation
The Government should work with the Judiciary to pilot the establishment of economic crime courts. If the pilots are successful, these types of court should be established around the country to reflect the geographic diversity in the crimes being perpetrated.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects piloting economic crime courts nationally due to capacity concerns but highlights the planned City of London Law courts, opening in 2026, which are expected to focus on high-level fraud, cyber, and economic crime.
Paragraph Reference:
101
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government recognises the impact that delays to justice, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have on victims, witnesses and defendants, including in fraud cases. We are committed to making sure there is an efficient and effective criminal justice system that is equipped to deal with the challenges of fraud cases and addressing the outstanding caseload as quickly as possible. The best way to manage existing resource and support fraud cases is to ensure the Crown Court is running as efficiently as possible and reduce the overall backlog quickly. We have removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown Court for the second year in a row, extended Magistrates’ courts sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months for a single Triable Either Way offence and are recruiting up to 1,100 judges in 2022/23. Establishing courts dedicated to economic crime would not in itself increase overall capacity given current numbers of judges. Without this overall increase in capacity, judges would have to de-prioritise other cases, including those with vulnerable victims. His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service continue with the planned construction of the City of London Law courts, an 18-room court located on Fleet Street. Scheduled to open in 2026, this new court will consist of eight Crown, six Civil and four Magistrates’ courtrooms. Due to the court’s location in London’s financial centre, we expect the court will focus on high-level fraud, cyber and economic crime.