Debate contribution: Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026

Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on 5 May 2026.

MLA

Mrs Naomi Long

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

5 May 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Coronavirus Act 2020 (Extension of Provisions Relating to Live Links for Courts and Tribunals) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5524969

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am grateful to the Justice Committee and to the Examiner of Statutory Rules for their scrutiny of the order. Article 2 of the order extends the provisions allowing courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland to receive evidence wholly or in part using audio or videoconferencing systems, which are commonly referred to as "live links". Those are primarily video systems that are utilised to facilitate the attendance of persons participating in any court or tribunal hearing remotely. The provisions are in addition to legislation that allows the use of a video link for a specific witness or defendant with all other participants attending in the courtroom. The extension will allow us to maintain access to a digital tool that has proved to be an essential element of the toolkit for addressing the backlog of cases accrued during and since the pandemic until 24 September 2026. Members will recall from debates on similar motions for approval that we plan to put in place new primary legislation to provide a long-term legislative solution for live links in our courts and tribunals. Executive colleagues and Committee members are aware from debates on past orders of the need for further extensions to assist throughput in the courts while the Justice Bill, which will put live links on a permanent footing, progresses through the Assembly. I remain keen to have the Justice Bill in place as soon as is reasonably practicable, although the current timescale for enactment of that legislation means that at least one further extension of the provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 is likely to be required. In the meantime, the extension will help to maintain the effective operation of the justice system, and it will continue to support broader access to court proceedings where a judge is satisfied that participation by live link is in the interests of justice. I recognise the concerns that Members have expressed previously about continued reliance on legislation that was originally introduced as an emergency measure, and I share those concerns. I wish that there was a practical alternative to continuing to rely on those provisions as a temporary measure, but there is, in my view, justification in that the legacy of the pandemic continues to have an impact on the justice system. Northern Ireland, like the other jurisdictions in the UK, has suffered a persistent backlog in the criminal courts since the pandemic.

During the pandemic, more cases were received than were disposed of in the criminal courts, which meant that the number of outstanding cases rose. The Department's analysis of live case numbers at any stage and of the processing times for cases completed in courts in the past six years indicates that the pandemic not only had an impact but continues to have one.

For example, the total number of live Crown Court cases from the point at which a person is charged or informed has risen as a result of the pandemic, from 940 cases on 1 March 2020 to 1,672 cases on 1 January 2026, which is up 77·9%. For adult Magistrates' Court cases from the point at which a person is charged or informed, the number of cases has also risen, from 25,604 cases on 1 March 2020 to 30,736 cases on 1 January 2026, which is up 20%. Despite the considerable efforts made to have an impact on the number of active defendants, there remain, compared with pre-COVID rates, 62·4% more defendants. Within that total, there are approximately 85·4% more defendants in the Crown Court and approximately 59·2% more defendants in the Magistrates' Court, both adult and youth, than there were on 1 March 2020. The median number of days taken for a case to be completed in all courts from the date on which an offence was reported until it was dealt with was 189 days in 2024-25, up 26·8% from 149 days in 2019-2020. It reached a high of 226 days for cases dealt with in 2021-22. For cases at the court stage, the most recent management information, which is from January 2026, indicates that there were 11,808 defendants' cases at that stage in the criminal justice system compared with 7,269 in March 2020. Based on current disposal rates, it is anticipated that the backlog will not be cleared until beyond 2026. Taking account of those statistics, although progress is being made, I can say that there remains a substantial percentage of cases that have been in the Crown Court and the Magistrates' Court for more than three years. Although the pandemic is a significant material factor, it is not the only issue creating a backlog of cases. Other factors include limited options for increasing case throughput by stakeholders and industrial action by other players in the criminal justice system, as well as the usual, ongoing financial pressures. In that context, the Magistrates' Court and the Crown Court depend on the continued ability of the system to hold remote hearings. As part of that system, the bespoke justice video platform (JVP) was completed in mid-November 2025, replacing SightLink. There is currently a consistent level of video-conferencing connections, totalling approximately 15,000 per month. Importantly, there remains support from court users, in particular those who advocate for victims of crime, for that avenue of participation to be available, subject to judicial approval, for those who prefer not to attend court in person. The use of such provisions aligns with commitments made or reflected in the Victim Charter. I therefore commend the order to the Assembly for approval.

I thank Members for their contributions to today's debate. I will not stray into the issues raised by the Committee Chair as an individual MLA. I will leave that to Baroness Hallett because the COVID inquiry will no doubt come up with some very robust recommendations. However, the importance of making live links available to those who find themselves, often through no fault on their part, engaged or compelled to engage in the justice system must not be underestimated. They can provide an avenue of communication that can reduce stress and other pressures that participation in a court hearing might bring. Furthermore, the system has a significantly positive impact on the efficiency of the justice system. In closing, I record my thanks to Members for their support for the motion. I look forward to the point at which we no longer need to table these extensions as a routine.

1,077 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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