Listings should be looked at as part of an inspection of HM Courts & Tribunals Service, the chief inspector for the Crown Prosecution Service has told MPs.

Discussing the findings of a progress report on the impact of Covid-19 on the criminal justice system, Andrew Cayley CMG QC told the House of Commons justice select committee that existing measures to support court recovery, such as lifting the financial cap on judicial sitting days, were sufficient to address the issue. One of the real problems, he said, is 'things are not really very joined up'.

‘There are lots of different factors that affect the speed at which cases move through the system and those different parts of the system do not always communicate with each other very well,' he said.

A 'concrete example' was plea and trial preparation hearings, which he believes could be managed better. The committee heard that communication between the prosecution and defence was often poor and hearings often took place when proper disclosure had not been carried out.

‘There’s no inspectorate for the courts and tribunals service,’ he added. ‘We do have a residual discretion to inspect if it is linked to an inspection of the CPS. I can’t recall the last time we have inspected HMCTS. I do think an inspection of HMCTS does need to be done, particularly around listing of cases.’

Listing is a judicial function and Cayley acknowledged it was a sensitive area. ‘It’s a really tough job, listing of cases,' he said. 'It’s spinning 20 plates in the air at the same time. I really do respect the work court staff do and resident judges but I do think it needs to be looked at, the way it’s done. I think, to be fair, it’s a bit old-fashioned frankly when we live in a digital age and the way that it is done.’