Major justice reforms needed to stop court backlog rising, MPs told
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The record high backlog of criminal cases waiting to be dealt with by crown courts will continue to rise without major government policy changes, a top civil servant has warned. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) permanent secretary Antonia Romeo told MPs that demand is “going to continue to grow” and “outstrip our ability to deal with that demand”.
It comes after the Government said it was considering “fundamental” justice reforms after the crown court backlog in England and Wales almost doubled in five years to 73,105 at the end of September, hitting another record high. Court listings are now running into 2027, with prosecutors warning victims are facing wait times of between two and five years before a case goes to trial.
The crisis prompted ministers to draft in retired judge Sir Brian Leveson to carry out a major review of the courts system. Speaking to the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, Ms Romeo said: “I’m not suggesting that this is a temporary problem.
“The problem is that the demand coming in is not being met. “We do not have the ability to dispose of the cases that are coming in at the rate that they’re coming in.”. Ms Romeo would not be drawn on projections for how high the figure could rise in the coming year but, under questioning from MPs, admitted: “Our modelling indicates that – absent significant additional policy changes or changes to the system – the number will be higher than it is now.”.
