Speeches by Sackman.

“If judges are watching at home, I urge them to lean into the usage of DAVE and to be progressive when it comes to the take-up of remote participation. Obviously, there are some trials and applications that must happen in person, and judicial discretion around what those should be is really important. However, I am hope…”

“(3) In section 51A (Sending cases to the Crown court: children and young persons), after subsection (2) insert ‘provided the case is ready to be heard in the Crown court’”.—(Yasmin Qureshi.)”

“I am a massive advocate for how we harness technology. Video hearings can be a vital tool in the efficient administration of justice. I have seen that in operation: I was at Wood Green Crown court recently and could see the way the judge, hearing certain types of application, was able to rattle through a number of hear…”

“We must obviously ensure that all our Crown courts are kitted out with this system. We have 150 core Crown courtrooms that have it so far. We are on track to do an additional 150 courtrooms in 2026-27. It is all part of the strategy. We do not need to legislate for it, but the hon. Member for Chichester is right: we mu…”

“New Clause 21”

“(2) In section 51 (Sending cases to the Crown court: adults), at the end of subsection (1) insert ‘, provided the case is ready to be heard in the Crown court’”

“We heard evidence from Sir Brian Leveson about how in his earlier years sitting in the Crown court it was not unusual to hear a couple of trials in a day. One of his insights was that part of the changing nature of what we are grappling with here is that Crown court trials are just taking longer. That ability to hear m…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Chichester for tabling new clause 22 and amendment 15, regarding remote participation. They essentially call for a formal strategy for the use of remote proceedings. I thank her sincerely, because I totally agree with the sentiment behind them.”

“There are two things the Government can do. One is to provide impetus and strategic oversight. The other is to provide the kit—the capital investment necessary to enable remote participation to its fullest. We have begun to make that capital investment. We have invested more than £22.5 million in the glamorously named …”

“I saw the system in the newly reopened Harrow Crown court last week—it is great. It will deal with some of the concerns raised by the hon. Member for Chichester about reliability and how it looks and appears in the Crown court setting, so that we can preserve reliable, high-quality evidence and its integrity to ensure …”

“I agree with the sentiment behind the new clause to ensure that we are monitoring efficiency, effectiveness and performance across our criminal courts system. However, as the shadow Justice Minister just said, the best mechanisms for holding the system to account in terms of performance and judicial accountability meri…”

“I hope the hon. Member for Chichester can hear from what I have just said that we are on the case. We do not need to legislate for that strategy, but I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of the ways in which we are working at pace to deliver the sorts of changes that will modernise our court system and make …”

“Sending cases to the Crown court”

““(1) The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is amended as follows.”

“We are not going to do a pilot, not because piloting is not a good idea per se, but because a pilot would necessitate legislation, which is why the hon. Lady has proposed it in this way, and because it would lead to a criminal justice system with different models running in parallel. That is okay—that happens with pilo…”

“This group contains a number of new clauses, and I want to make sure that I address all the principal themes. New clause 5, tabled by the hon. Member for Chichester, relates to publishing targets for reducing court backlogs. It would require the Lord Chancellor to set and publish targets for reducing court backlogs, an…”

“As I have said, we have precedent. The pilots showed that there was precious little improvement. Extending sitting hours might make things worse if, for example, one is stuck in extended hours on one trial, meaning that one is not available to be in other parts of the country.”

“Well, during covid courts did operate with extended and flexible arrangements, but those were temporary measures, under exceptional conditions, dealing with reduced volumes. By the way, to the point made by the hon. Member for Chichester, the reduction in the hearing time in a sitting day—now under four hours—concerns …”

“If we think about where we were pre-covid, I remember—before coming to this place—when the courts suddenly started using video technology for remote hearings. People said it could not be done and that it was antithetical to fairness. When we went into lockdown, the trial that I had listed was done by video the next wee…”

“Brought up, and read the First time.”