SCTS says it has no plans for weekend courts

Eric McQueen

In an announcement of a strategy to resolve the criminal case backlog, the SCTS said weekend courts formed no part of these plans. 

The Criminal Justice Board is developing proposals to “recover, renew and transform” Scotland’s justice system in the wake of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

There is now a significant backlog of criminal cases and with the ongoing physical distancing restrictions, cases are taking longer to come to trial and the number of people held on remand has increased. This creates downstream impacts on community justice services and prisons.

The recovery element of the programme is supported by £50 million cross-justice funding announced by the Scottish government in its recent budget.

As a first step, the SCTS has announced plans to commence a court recovery programme from September 2021, which will include the expansion of remote jury centres and a daily increase of:

• Four additional High Courts
• Two additional Sheriff Solemn Courts
• Up to 10 Sheriff Summary Courts

Eric McQueen, SCTS chief executive, said: “The recovery proposals were recently discussed at a roundtable meeting involving the Criminal Justice Board, the legal profession, the third sector and members of the Scottish Parliament Justice Committee, who brought collective insight into the challenges faced by the justice system as well recognising the progress made to date in responding to Covid-19.

“Collaboration across the whole justice system has already returned both the High Court and Sheriff Court jury trials to pre-Covid capacity, which is an incredible achievement.

“As lockdown restrictions ease, our attention is focussed on returning summary criminal business to pre-Covid levels and tackling the backlogs across all courts which impacts on complainers, witnesses and the accused.

“This funding announcement is an important first step and we are moving quickly to prepare for additional courts, with the aim of starting the recovery programme in September 2021. At all times safety for everyone in our courts and remote jury centres will remain our top priority and the pace of the recovery programme must be aligned to continued progress on vaccination and Covid transmission rates.”