Justice system is ‘turning corner’ in pandemic crisis says Robert Buckland

Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland told MPs he believes they are “turning the corner” on the pandemic justice crisis but warned social distancing in the courts could go on until June next year.  

The justice system was plunged into crisis by Covid-19, battling a mounting backlog of cases in courthouses in need of upgrades and ill-equipped for social distancing.  

Giving evidence to MPs, Mr Buckland hailed the work of court staff in keeping the courts running through the pandemic and being instrumental in adapting them to Covid-secure conditions.  

“I have been able to observe in this pandemic a real sense of initiative taken by staff members and experienced court staff to help design safe spaces of work, looking at courtrooms with a trained and experienced eye to assist in what works from a staff point of view”, he said.  

The minister said he does not expect court staff, judges, lawyers and jurors to be given priority access to the Covid vaccine, and court admin offices are planning future hearings on the “reasonable assumption” of social distancing until June next year.  

The crown court backlog was at almost 40,000 prior to Covid-19, and has risen steadily in the last nine months to more than 51,000 thanks to a shutdown of jury trial and limits on the numbers of cases that could be heard.  

More than 250 courtrooms around England and Wales have now been made safe for jury trials, but an internal Ministry of Justice assessment has warned the backlog may not return to pre-Covid levels until March 2023.  

Mr Buckland said that assessment was drawn up before last week’s Comprehensive Spending Review, which delivered £275 million to help tackle the justice crisis as well as £105 million for courthouse maintenance.  

The minister acknowledged the upkeep of court buildings has been neglected, but told the Justice Select Committee: “I very much hope the message I am sending through to court staff is that they are important, they provide a vital public service, and that we want them to work in an environment that’s safe, functioning, clean, and is well-maintained.”

Expressing a hope that the crown court backlog could be brought back to acceptable levels before Easter 2023, Mr Buckland said: “I am not pretending we have totally turned the corner and solved all the problems, but we are embarking on that turn.  

“I hope and believe we can now start to do that in the year ahead and see the proportion of trials being reduced.”

Meanwhile, the Justice Secretary is facing strong opposition to extending the opening hours of crown courts over the next four months.  

The measure – branded Covid Opening Hours – would see sitting hours expanded to 9am until 6pm, with morning and afternoon sessions hosting two different trials in the same hearing rooms.