The independent public body responsible for auditing public organisations in Scotland has released a follow-up to its 2023 report on the criminal courts backlog.

Thereport identifies progress made in cutting the backlog and modernising the provision of criminal justice, but says the backlog for the most serious cases in the High Court is nearly three times the level before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stuart Munro, the convener of the Law Society of Scotland’s Criminal Justice Committee, said: “It’s pleasing to see that this report recognises the hard work and effective collaboration that exists in Scotland’s criminal justice system. That commitment shows the system’s potential for improvement.

“The unprecedented number of serious cases calling in the High Court has put enormous pressures on the criminal justice system. Efforts to minimise the impact of such complex and time-consuming matters are commendable, but there is no silver bullet to reduce the number entering the system.

“This report doesn’t take proper account of the impact of the legal aid and criminal defence crisis on the wider sector. We’re not clear why it suggests that Scotland lags behind England and Wales in embracing technology, when innovations such as remote juries kept the system afloat during Covid lockdowns.

“There is a real willingness across the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the solicitor profession and others working in criminal justice to make things better and embrace reforms, but so many of the changes that would most help will only be possible with proper investment.”