Court Room Accommodation (Hansard, 9 July 1984)

§ 38. Mr. Spencer
asked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor is satisfied that sufficient court room accommodation is available for present requirements.

§ The Attorney-General (Sir Michael Havers)
The existing court room accommodation cannot be considered adequate for anticipated future needs. The general position is broadly satisfactory for present purposes, given the recent growth in work load and current accommodation standards. The Lord Chancellor is constantly considering fresh means of increasing and improving accommodation both by the construction of new court rooms and the ad hoc use of existing premises.

§ Mr. Spencer
My right hon. and learned Friend is no doubt aware of the high standard of the courts in Leicester, but is he further aware that that high standard is not matched in places such as Newington Causeway, where temporary buildings have been in use for some years and where, in weather such as we have had recently, new poignancy is given to the phrase "the defendant got a grilling"? Can my right hon. and learned Friend give the House any idea when those buildings are likely to be taken out of use?

§ The Attorney-General
There has been a extensive programme since the early 1970s, on which £118 million has been spent. Since 1980 there has been a net increase of 54 court rooms — new ones and others replacing many old and unsuitable ones which had reached the end of their days. I can reassure my hon. and learned Friend to the extent that, in the near future, we hope to provide 59 more courts. By the end of the decade there will be about 76 more, at an extra cost of £200 million.

§ Mr. Corbett
Does the Attorney-General accept that it is intolerable that thousands of men and women are remanded in custody for periods up to at least 12 months awaiting trial partly because of the shortage of court room accommodation? Will he put more steam behind the provision of new accommodation?

§ The Attorney-General
A great deal of improvement has been effected, especially as regards those remanded in custody. The development that is going on is quite reasonable, especially when we have, as far as possible, to identify premises—they need large areas of land—suitable for the arrangements of all those involved in court cases.

§ Mr. Lawrence
Does my right hon. and learned Friend accept that the sooner we introduce tape-recorded interviews in serious cases in the Crown courts, and the sooner the Government make statements for the prosecution available to the defence in magistrates' courts, the sooner it will become less necessary to consider extending court accommodation?

§ The Attorney-General
Despite my hon. and learned Friend's ingenuity, I cannot see how that arises out of the question.

§ Mr. Ryman
To be fair, there has been a vast improvement in the provision of new court accommodation. However, will the Attorney-General ensure that there is an intensification of consultation between the Property Services Agency and those who work in the courts, as there have been a number of examples recently where those who work in the courts have not been consulted and modifications have had to be made subsequently?

§ The Attorney-General
I should be grateful if I could be informed of those cases. I recall that when the major extension to the Central Criminal Court was being considered there was massive consultation between the Bar, solicitors and everybody else concerned.