Speeches by Sackman.

“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 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…”

“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…”

“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.”

“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 …”

“Committee rose.”

“Written evidence reported to the House”

“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 …”

“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…”

“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…”

“The other feedback that I have heard from victims and representative groups is around the damaging effect that the listing of floating trials can have on victims. This has been a constant theme. Floating trials, which lead to uncertainty and last-minute adjournments, can compound the agony and tension involved in givin…”

“The measures in the Bill, combined with our investment in courts and uncapped sitting days, the major new recruitment drive for judges, and the investment in legal aid and other efficiencies, will ensure that victims of all offence types have a shorter wait for justice. But we need to respect the function of the judici…”

“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.”

“CTB 43 Resolve”

“I welcome the debate we are having. As I said, the Government have been laying the foundations. We inherited a broken system, and we have prioritised work to stabilise the whole system, including commissioning both the sentencing review led by David Gauke and the independent review of the criminal courts. The reforms i…”

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