Speeches by Brown-Fuller.

“I come with good news: with increased funding from the Government, uncapped sitting days and improved disposal rates, backlogs in the Crown courts are falling. At the Old Bailey in 2025, the backlog fell by a quarter, in Chelmsford it fell by 10%, and Maidstone saw a 5% reduction. The truth is that proper funding for o…”

“The Government are talking a good game on reducing the cycle of reoffending, but meaningful prison education plays a key role in that objective. Recent analysis has found a significant decrease in the core education hours in public sector prisons. That has been seen most acutely in female prisons, where there has been …”

“The Government’s White Paper represents a truly critical opportunity to transform the youth justice system and, importantly, reduce lifetime offending. We know that most offenders in our prisons today are repeat offenders and that persistent offending often begins early in life, with eight in 10 prolific offenders in E…”

“This new clause requires the Lord Chancellor to commission and lay before Parliament an independent report on the feasibility of introducing two court sittings per day in designated courtrooms, including an assessment of its impact on efficiency, resources, and court users, and to set out the Government’s intended next…”

“(d) the cost and resource implications of the scheme.”

“”

“(b) on the availability of judges, legal practitioners, and court staff;”

“(2) The scheme would allow for proceedings in a Crown Court to consist of—”

“(a) on the efficiency and timeliness of court proceedings;”

“(3) A report under subsection (1) must assess the impact of the scheme—”

“New Clause 4”

“(c) the potential impact on defendants, victims, and witnesses; and”

“(4) The Lord Chancellor must, within three months of the laying of the report under subsection (1), publish a response.”

“(5) The response must include proposals for a pilot scheme based on the findings of the report including the proposed scope and duration of any such pilot.”—(Jess Brown-Fuller.)”

“Review of the Feasibility of Two Court Sittings per day”

“(a) a morning session, commencing at 09:00 and concluding at 13:00; and”

““(1) The Lord Chancellor must, within 12 months beginning on the day on which this Act comes into force, lay before Parliament an independent report into the feasibility of conducting two trials per day in designated court rooms (‘the Scheme’).”

“I appreciate the work the Minister is doing with the Prisons Minister. Can she explore something that has been reflected to me by court staff and judges working in the system? The PECS contract will say that it is delivering 99% of prisoners on time, and refer to the data that shows how many times PECS has delayed a ca…”

“(b) an afternoon session, commencing at 14:00 and concluding at 18:00.”

“Brought up, and read the First time.”