Question reference: S6W-07230
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 11 March 2022
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 March 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent statistics from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service stating that the courts backlog at the end of January 2022 reached a reported record high of 43,606 trials.
Answer
As I outlined in response to a recent portfolio question S6O-00869 on 16 March 2022, the statistics reaffirm that the pandemic has had a significant impact on our justice sector, just as it has on every other sector in Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to support justice agencies to take action to address the court backlog, which was exacerbated by the pandemic, in common with many legal jurisdictions worldwide. For example, a recent Report from the UK Public Accounts Committee suggested that the crown court backlog had almost doubled since March 2019, to 60,000 of the most serious criminal cases waiting to be heard. The important point is that we have a plan and strategy in place—including an extra £53.2 million for a justice recovery fund in 2022-23—to move matters forward, recognising that unnecessary delays are not in the best interests of victims, witnesses or the accused . Answers to Portfolio Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 16/03/2022 | Scottish Parliament Website .