Remand in Custody: Coronavirus

Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 9 September 2020.

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Photo of Lyn Brown Lyn Brown Shadow Minister (Justice)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of steps taken by the judiciary in relation to the use of remand during the covid-19 outbreak on the (a) unconvicted and (b) unsentenced population in custody in (i) April, (ii) May, (iii) June, (iv) July (v) and August 2020.

Photo of Chris Philp Chris Philp The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

The use of remand is a judicial matter. Cases where the defendant is held in custody are actively monitored and prioritised with the support of the administration. All cases subject to Custody Time Limits continue to be listed for review to ensure they are heard as a priority.

On 27 March 2020 a Custody Time Limit Protocol between the President of the Queen's Bench Division, the Crown Prosecution Service and HMCTS was agreed to establish temporary rules of practice for the efficient and expeditious handling of cases subject to custody time limits.

The unsentenced population in custody has remained a priority throughout the COVID pandemic and sentencing hearings continued to be dealt with, even when other criminal court hearings were paused. These cases continue to be prioritised.

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