VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Courts: Standards

Asked by Gareth ThomasLabour (Co-op)Ministry of JusticeTabled Answered 8 July 2026UIN 15261

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure court proceedings are not delayed by the late arrival of prisoners.

Answered by Sarah Sackman

We are taking a cross-system approach to improving the timely delivery of prisoners to court. Lord Timpson and I have established a Prisoner Delivery Oversight Board, bringing together senior leaders from across the Criminal Justice System to monitor performance, identify the causes of delays and drive operational improvements.

The Board receives regular performance information and is overseeing joint work between His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, Police, and Prisoner Escort and Custody Services suppliers to improve end-to-end prisoner delivery processes. This includes detailed operational reviews to better understand the causes of delays and identify opportunities to improve performance.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim