Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Crown Court backlogs

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 4 recommendations 28 conclusions 1 report

In March 2022, the Committee found that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated a growing backlog of cases waiting to be tried in the criminal courts, significantly affecting defendants, victims and witnesses. The report found that the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) meagre ambition to reduce the Crown Court case backlog by less than 8,000 cases by …

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
12th Report - Crown Court backlogs	HC 348	5 Mar 2025	32	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items

13 Conclusion 12th Report - Crown Court backlogs Accepted in Part

Court backlog delays severely impact victims' mental health and wellbeing, leading to withdrawals.

Written evidence to our inquiry highlighted concerns about the impact on victims, and particularly the serious impact that the backlog can have on victims’ work, family, and mental health and wellbeing.30 Academics from the Justice in COVID–19 for Sexual Abuse and Violence (JiCSAV) project noted that practitioners could provide examples …

Government response. The government agrees with the Committee's concerns, highlighting existing judicial practices that prioritise serious sexual offence cases and routine data publication. They have also protected and rolled over funding for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and victim support services, …

HM Treasury

15 Conclusion 12th Report - Crown Court backlogs Accepted in Part

Remand population has surged to a 50-year high, with many exceeding custody time limits.

The remand population has grown sharply in recent years. The number of people on remand in September 2024 was 17,600, 20% of the prison population, the highest level in 50 years, up from 9,602 (11% of the prison population) in 2019.35 HMCTS was unable to provide up–to–date information on the …

Government response. The government agrees with the Committee's concerns, stating they will continue discussions with the Lord Chief Justice to prioritise remand cases, especially the oldest. They are exploring initiatives to address time spent on remand and commit to developing improved data …

HM Treasury

24 Recommendation 12th Report - Crown Court backlogs Accepted in Part

Expensive Nightingale courts continue operating despite significant underuse of main estate.

MoJ told us that it has spent “a significant amount of money” on maintaining the court estate over the last two years.64 HMCTS told us that there is a significant maintenance backlog, but nevertheless assured us that the total capacity of Crown Court courtrooms is adequate for the current number …

Government response. The government agrees with the Committee's implied recommendation and is taking several specific actions, including increasing Crown Court sitting days, boosting maintenance funding, ongoing judicial recruitment, and increasing legal aid funding. However, they note that demand is so great these …

HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session

Date	Witnesses
9 Jan 2025	Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice, Daniel Flury · HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Jerome Glass · Ministry of Justice, Nick Goodwin · HMCTS	View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters

Date	Direction	Title
4 Sep 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Chief Executive at HM Prison and Probation Service and the Chie…
19 May 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Chief Executive of HM Courts & Tribunals Service relating to th…
27 Jan 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Chief Executive at HM Courts and Tribunals Service relating to …