The first national framework for case listings will help criminal courts to prioritise cases and reduce backlogs, the judiciary has said.

The framework, developed by the Criminal Courts Improvement Group led by Lord Justice Edis,will require Crown court judges to actively monitor cases and engage in ‘structured pre-trial processes’ to ensure trials are listed only when ready or expected to be ready.  A practice direction establishing the framework was published today. It takes effect in October. It will require Crown court centres in England and Wales to develop a draft  listing plan by April 2027. 

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Announcing the framework, the lady chief justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, said: ‘Minimising the impact of delay on victims, defendants and witnesses is the guiding principle of this new national approach to listing. It will help to ensure fairness, consistency and efficiency in listing of cases across our criminal courts, helping to tackle the backlog of criminal cases.'

In a video released by the Judicial Office, Lord Justice Edis said: ‘The core objective of the new practice direction is to ensure cases are prioritised for a hearing or trial with proper regard to the human impact of delay for participants and the fair and efficient use of judicial and court resources.’

He added: ‘Whilst this guidance is a welcome move forwards, let me assure you that listing remains – as ever – a judicial function. Judges will continue to have oversight of their own listing and be able to use discretion in making listing decisions.’

Revised guidance on remote participation in criminal proceedings in the Crown and magistrates court has also been published and will be implemented by 1 October. The guidance, developed from Lady Justice Yip’s ‘wide-ranging’ cross-jurisdiction review of remote participation, provides a framework for the use of video links in criminal proceedings.

Lady Carr said the guidance is ‘designed to reduce delay, make better use of resources, and support more effective case management’. She added: ‘At the heart of the new guidance is a clear national framework for the use of live links in criminal proceedings. Judges will now work within a presumptive framework that identifies if a particular type of hearing should or should not be conducted remotely.’

Sarah Sackman MP, minister for courts and legal services, said she welcomed the ‘decision by the judiciary to introduce a new listing framework and make greater use of remote hearings’.

‘For too many survivors, devastating delays and last-minute changes have deepened the trauma they have already endured,’ she said. ‘By prioritising rape cases and ending the uncertainty of floating trials, these reforms mark a significant step towards delivering swifter justice for victims. We will continue to pull every lever available to drive down the backlog by delivering pragmatic reform, record investment and vital modernisation.’