"The system is overstretched and disjointed. Victims of crime are entitled to justice yet they are at the mercy of a postcode lottery for access to that justice," the Committee’s chair Meg Hillier said.
The House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee welcomed the Justice Ministry’s proposed reform but warned it would take some four years to implement, while the justice system was already reaching its breaking point.
Cutbacks have drastically decreased the system’s efficiency, increasing waiting times for victims and witnesses and making help dependent on where they live.
"Lack of shared accountability and resource pressures mean that costs are being shunted from one part of the system to another and the system suffers from too many delays and inefficiencies," the report read.
The Committee warned the Justice Ministry against further cuts to funding, saying budget reductions would lead to the system's detriment. It cautioned the government on its plans to devolve accountability, which could make the justice system more patchy.
