Justice minister Sarah Sackman confirms full impact assessment will be published alongside legislation, as MPs seek evidence for the 20% time-saving estimate
MPs have raised growing concerns over the evidence behind the government’s plan to reduce jury trials, with calls for a detailed impact assessment to justify the proposal. Justice minister Sarah Sackman responded to questions in Parliament, confirming that a full assessment will be published when the necessary legislation is introduced.
The Ministry of Justice unveiled plans earlier this month to reduce the number of jury trials in an effort to tackle the Crown Court backlog. The proposed ‘swift courts’, where cases would be heard by judges alone, are expected to cut case durations by an estimated 20%. However, MPs, including Labour’s Andy Slaughter, chair of the Commons justice select committee, have demanded to see the evidence that supports this claim.
In a written parliamentary response, Sackman explained that jury trials take longer due to the processes involved, such as jury selection, the need to explain legal concepts to jurors, and jury deliberation. She added that cases heard by magistrates are typically completed four times faster than similar cases in the Crown Court.
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Sackman also addressed concerns about the time-saving estimates, explaining that the 20% figure was based on quantitative analyses and comparisons within the current system, despite the lack of a direct proxy for judge-only trials. She described how “structured elicitation workshops” with HM Courts & Tribunals Service staff, along with input from judges, had contributed to the time-saving estimate. The median value of a 20% saving was considered to be reasonable based on these consultations.
Additionally, Sackman referenced research from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, which compared data from judge-only and jury trials, as further supporting the 20% estimate. She assured MPs that a comprehensive impact assessment would be published alongside the legislation.
The debate continues to intensify, with Justice Secretary David Lammy set to face further scrutiny next week when he appears before the justice committee to address his proposal. This follows repeated calls in the Commons for further details on the potential impact of limiting jury trials.