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Written question asked by Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour) on Friday, 5 September 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 9 September 2025. It was answered by Sarah Sackman (Labour) on Monday, 15 September 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Judiciary: Vacancies

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Crown Court sitting days were lost due to a shortage of (a) judges and (b) recorders in the last 12 months.

Answer

Data on timeliness and ineffective trials (including judge/magistrate availability) at the criminal courts is available here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

There is no evidence to suggest that judicial vacancies have a significant impact on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

The Ministry of Justice, working in partnership with HMCTS and the judiciary, continuously monitor judicial capacity across the justice system. We are continuing to invest in regular judicial recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members each year across all jurisdictions.

There is no evidence that sitting days were lost due to judicial or recorder shortage in the last 12 months.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
75472
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Crown Court Judges Standards Vacancies Recorders
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk