Courts and Tribunals Bill
28 April 2026
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Courts and Tribunals Bill House of Commons
00:05 - 00:25
Speaker 1
For the last time, adjourned debate on group 41 and new clause three, we are considering clauses four, five, thirteen, seventeen, 22, 32, and 33, and amendments fifteen, fifty nine, 35, and 36. I call Yavleen Khureshi.
00:26 - 03:17
Speaker 2
Thank you Doctor. Huck and it's a pleasure to serve under your chairship. New clothes thirty two and thirty three can be considered almost like part and parcel of one, but the importance of these are the commencement New Clause 32 is commencement dependent on independent review of racial disproportionality. Now I know in New Clause 29, earlier in the bill committee proceedings, there was a discussion around very similar type of issues, but this is much more specific, these two, new clause thirty two and thirty three. New clause 32 introduces the duty to commission an independent review into racial disproportionality arising from the changes to jurisdiction, power and procedures in Magistrates Court and from the operation of the new trial allocation provisions in clauses one to seven of the bill.
The government's Equality of Impact Assessment of these proposals to restrict access to jury trial referred many times to the lack of evidence that the proposal in this bill have a racist or discriminatory outcome. But the impact assessment does not once refer to the Minister's own 2017 review that showed reduced racial disparities in jury trial outcomes. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. This amendment would mandate a full review on racial disproportionality before these changes are made. At a time when trust among the BAME community in the justice system is already low why rush to these changes before we have the full picture?
New clause 33 commencement dependent on review of differential impact persons. Again, this is introducing a duty to conduct an independent review of whether Clause one to seven of the bill give rise to disproportionate impact on particular classes of persons. It is welcome that in December, the government announced £92,000,000 investment in criminal legal aid after years of neglect. However, it will take a while for this investment to have an impact on the disproportionate outcomes across the criminal justice system for working class defendants, young males and in particular vulnerable people. Jurors are hailed as the fairest component of the legal system, widely accepted as more likely to provide an actual outcome than judiciary, which is still overwhelmingly properly educated and from particular background.
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