· Highest
ever investment sees criminal courts funded to run at
maximum capacity next year
· Part
of unprecedented three-year agreement across all courts and tribunals
· Announcement comes as
Deputy Prime Minister sets out vision
for modernised justice system later today
Every single Criminal Crown Court in England and Wales will
be funded to hear as many cases as possible next year
to deliver faster and fairer justice for victims, the
Deputy Prime Minister has announced today (Tuesday 24
February).
The landmark agreement guarantees there will be
no limit on the number of days in which Crown
Courts can hear cases the
next financial year thanks to the highest
ever investment for the
courts – meaning if the
system has the capacity to hear a
case, it will go ahead.
This renewed
commitment to fully free Judges
to hear as many cases as the system
can support will mean more
victims see justice done – and more offenders face the
full force of the law.
Alongside this, the magistrates' courts will be funded
to its highest operational capacity. This reflects
the Government's aim to run the criminal courts at maximum
capacity and drive down the outstanding backlog.
A further £287 million will also be invested into
the fabric of the court estate itself –delivering vital
repairs and digital upgrades to court buildings up and
down the country
and bringing the court system into the
21st century.
For the first time, the Government and the Judiciary
have also
agreed firm funding commitments for
the next three years simultaneously, giving the justice
system the long-term stability it needs to plan
ahead and implement the reforms necessary
to safeguard the system now and for the
future.
These reforms are needed because of fundamental changes to how
the criminal justice system operates in the modern era
and a failure to renew justice at the pace the modern world
demands. The police are arresting and charging more people, and
in the digital era cases have been increasingly complex with 90%
of all crime having some form of digital evidence. Alongside
this, technological advances have created new, and more complex,
crimes to investigate and prosecute.
Deputy Prime Minister said:
“This Government inherited a justice system on the brink of
collapse with victims facing unacceptable delays and we took
immediate action to increase sitting days to deliver fairer
and faster justice for victims.
“But victims still face intolerable
delays. That is why I have agreed with the
judiciary to fund unlimited sitting days in the Crown Court
next year so they can sit at their maximum and so we can turn the
tide on the backlog as quickly as possible.
“Investment alone will not be enough to deliver timely
justice – which is why it has to be combined with our
pragmatic reforms and modernisation.”
This investment will be vital in supporting the reforms
proposed in response to the first part of Sir Brian Leveson's
Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, including the
introduction of new Judge-Only trials, to
turn the tide on the backlog and deliver faster and fairer
justice for victims. More sitting days have also been agreed
for other parts of the justice system. The Immigration and Asylum
Chamber will be funded to a maximum of 26,000 days, an
increase of over 3,000 since last year, so it can hear
as many cases as possible to tackle the growing asylum
caseload. Civil courts will also see higher
investment.
Today's news comes as the Deputy Prime
Minister sets out his vision for the justice
system at the Microsoft AI Tour in
London later today. He is expected to announce
increased digital modernisation across the courts, including
greater use of AI, as part of the Government's Plan for
Change.
Notes to editors:
· The Government and the
judiciary have agreed a
landmark £2.785 billion settlement for courts and
tribunals for 2026/27, up from £2.538bn last
year.
· This funding
package includes £2.498bn in resource
funding - and £287m in capital investment.
· For the first time, the
settlement includes firm commitments
through to 2028/29, providing long-term stability for
the justice system.
