Justice Committee chair Catherine Atkinson has said parliamentary scrutiny made a difference after the Government formally confirmed it will drop the proposed Crown Court Bench Division, but warned that ministers have yet to show magistrates’ courts can absorb the remaining reforms.
The Derby North MP welcomed Justice Secretary Alex Norris’s decision to rethink judge-only trials on Sunday. The Government has now set out its formal response, confirming that it will amend the Courts and Tribunals Bill to remove the Bench Division following criticism from MPs and stakeholders.
Atkinson said the response showed that scrutiny had made a difference. She nevertheless called for a clearer delivery plan before more cases and sentencing responsibility are moved into magistrates’ courts.
New magistrate recruitment figures
The Ministry of Justice aims to increase the number of magistrates from about 15,000 in 2025 to 21,000 by 2028-29. It recorded 655 appointments between April and June 2026, compared with 384 in the same period of 2025.
The department also plans to recruit at least 100 trainee legal advisers a year for three years, while acknowledging that retaining qualified advisers remains a risk.
Legal aid and audio recording
Atkinson said ministers must also clarify how legal-aid thresholds will prevent a significant rise in unrepresented defendants.
The Government accepted that audio recording should be operating across all magistrates’ courts before new appeal measures begin.
The bill is due to return to the Commons on 13 October, with the capacity of magistrates’ courts now central to the next stage of debate.
