Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the reported criminal trials backlog had been cleared as of March 2025, and, if it does not consider it has been cleared, when it anticipates it will be.
The total number of scheduled trials outstanding peaked at 43,606 in January 2022 (from c18,000 pre-pandemic) and had reduced to 18,355 in the most current SCTS publication (May 2025). This significantly reduces the waiting time in which victims, witnesses and the accused await their trial.
While this positive picture demonstrates the success of the criminal court recovery programme in terms of backlogs, the court modelling undertaken by SCTS shows that the level of business entering Scotland’s criminal courts has changed since before the pandemic. There has been an increase in in relation to the most serious criminal cases. Justice agencies have been clear that the recovery programme will take time to address this, and we will continue to support that work.