Crown Court backlogs

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 Parliament page
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 … Read more
4 Recommendations
28 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
3 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 7 events
4 Sep
2025
Correspondence
19 May
2025
Correspondence
16 May
2025
Report published
5 Mar
2025
Report published
27 Jan
2025
Correspondence
9 Jan
2025
Oral evidence
9 Jan
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
9 Jan 2025
View on parliament.uk
Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice Daniel Flury · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Jerome Glass · Ministry of Justice Nick Goodwin · HMCTS
Title HC No. Published Items Response
12th Report - Crown Court backlogs HC 348 5 Mar 2025 32 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
13 Conclusion Accepted in Part
12th Report - Crown Court backlogs
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 … Read more
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, while remaining committed to improving victim support within future Spending Review constraints.
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion Accepted in Part
12th Report - Crown Court backlogs
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 … Read more
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 systems for remand by April 2027, while noting existing actions should help expedite cases and further steps will be considered post-review.
HM Treasury
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24 Recommendation Accepted in Part
12th Report - Crown Court backlogs
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 … Read more
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 actions alone are insufficient and await recommendations from an Independent Review for substantial reform.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 31 of 4 classified
Accepted 17
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 5
Deferred 6
Total 4 recs + 28 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
4 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive at HM Prison and Probation Service and the Chief Executive at HM Courts and Tribunal Service relating to a follow up on the responses to the 12th and 15th Reports of Session 2024-25, Crown Court backlogs and Prison estate capacity, 15 July 2025
Parliament page
19 May 2025 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive of HM Courts & Tribunals Service relating to the 12th Report of Session 2024-25, Crown Court Backlog, Recommendation 5, 08 May 2025
Parliament page
27 Jan 2025 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive at HM Courts and Tribunals Service relating to the Crown Courts Backlog oral evidence session held on 09 January 2025, 22 January 2025
Parliament page