Samantha Hillas KC Gives Evidence at Courts & Tribunals Bill Parliamentary Committee
Leader of the Northern Circuit Samantha Hillas KC gave evidence at a Parliamentary Committee examining the Courts and Tribunals Bill held in the Boothroyd Room, Westminster on 25th March 2026.
In two 30-minute sessions, various circuit leaders laid out the Bar’s opposition to the government’s proposals, the issues with the modelling, and our alternatives to reduce the backlog, with examples from the different circuits.
Samantha Hillas KC explained to MPs: “The difficulty is that we don’t necessarily accept the time saving or the [government’s] assertions as to the time savings.
“So, let’s take at face value the assertion that there’s a 20% time saving. That takes a five day case down to four. But you’ve got Clause 5 [of the Bill], which says that the judge has got to produce a judgment as soon as is reasonably possible thereafter.
“When is that going to be written? That’s your fifth day, isn’t it? Because that’s what the judge is going to have to do on that day.”
Parliament will now break for the Easter recess and return on Monday 13 April when line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill by the Committee will begin. The Bar Council have made a detailed written submission to the Committee.
- Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair, The Bar Council
- Heidi Stonecliffe KC, Vice Chair, The Bar Council
- Riel Karmy-Jones KC, Chair, Criminal Bar Association
- Caroline Goodwin KC, Leader, North Eastern Circuit
- Claire Davies KC, Leader, South Eastern Circuit
The full recording is available to watch here.
