The Justice Committee takes evidence from senior officials in the Ministry of Justice, including Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo, on Tuesday 1 March with an evidence session scrutinising the department’s Annual Report and Accounts. The session will examine Ministry of Justice spending in 2020/21 and plans for how it will assign increased funding allocated in the 2021 spending review.
Given ongoing concerns about the maintenance of courts and prisons, the Committee will examine the long-term strategy for improvements. It will also look at progress in meeting the Government’s target of 20,000 new prison places by 2026.
The session will also examine what progress has been made in reducing the case backlog in courts and improving access to legal aid. The Committee is also likely to put questions to the officials on work being carried out to understand the future demands the justice system will face and wider ambitions for the department.