Courts: Conditions of Employment and Private Rented Housing
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many additional court sitting days they plan to add as a result of the impact of the Renters Rights Act and the Employment Rights Act.
Answered by Sarah Sackman
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed in February 2026 the sitting day allocations and funding envelope for His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for the period 2025-26 to 2028-29, including high allocations for the First-tier Tribunals Courts and Tribunals: Sitting Day Allocations - Hansard - UK Parliament. In the Employment Tribunal the allocation shows an expected increase of 1,420 sitting days in 2027-28 and 3,380 in 2028-29 over a baseline of 32,590 sitting days in 2026-27.
In the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal the MoJ continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that the Chamber has the capacity to manage any additional demand following commencement of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026. This includes provision of sufficient sitting days to deal with increased case volumes. We have also concluded that there is a case for the use of a non-judicial alternative body or mechanism to make initial rent determinations, subject to completing a full viability assessment of this. We are working with partners across government to develop this rent determination function as quickly as possible.
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