Oral QuestionForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office

“What steps his Department is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Sudan.”

Tabled: 21 October 2026Answered: 27 October 2026

Asked by

Jon Pearce

Labour — High Peak

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

Answer from Hansard

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Sarah Sackman)

The Crown court backlog that we inherited from the Conservatives was dire. Instead of cutting the number of cases waiting to be heard, as they promised, the backlog of cases exploded under their watch. This Government are getting a grip of the problem. We have taken important first steps. We have funded 106,500 Crown court sitting days this year, and we have increased magistrates’ sentencing powers to free up more sitting days in the Crown court to hear the most serious cases, but we know that there is more to do.