Member

Finally, and very importantly, given the announcements yesterday on the removal of trial by jury in certain circumstances, Amendment 93 in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames would require the Secretary of State to undertake and then publish an assessment of the potential merit of removing the cap on sitting days in Crown Courts in relation to sentencing hearings. My noble friend will talk about this amendment and why it is a better way forward than yesterday’s proposal to reduce trials by jury. I point out only that the need for some action is urgent. Crown Courts are facing a record backlog, with more than 78,000 cases waiting to be completed. Unless something is done, a suspect charged today can expect a trial in late 2029 or even early 2030. This is clearly unacceptable both for the suspect and for the victims, and of course some of those people are on remand in prison, increasing prison capacity.