A pledge by the UK’s finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, in today’s Budget to “begin to repair the justice system” backed up by an increase in funding has been cautiously welcomed by professional bodies as a small step in the right direction.

The Budget Report – or red book – laid before Parliament today, which sets out the government’s financial plans for the coming year, pledges an additional £1.9bn of funding for the Ministry of Justice in 2025-26, “an average real terms increase of 5.6% each year from 2023-24 to 2025-26”.

Funding for the Law Officers’ Department, which finances criminal prosecution services, is set to increase to £1.1bn in 2025-26, representing an average 7.5% increase over the same period.

Bar Council chair Sam Townend KC said: “There are much-needed real terms increases for justice funding over this year and the next. It is welcome that the government recognises justice as a key public service.

“But there’s still a way to go. Justice has suffered a real terms cut of over 20% since 2010 and will need sustained funding through next spring’s spending review to move away from crisis mode.”

The red book focuses on investment in criminal justice, pointing to a £2.3bn investment in prison expansion over 2024-5 and 2025-6, and the recruitment of “thousands of new prison and probation staff”.

It adds that there will be 106,500 Crown Court sitting days in 2024-25 and that the MoJ will “work closely with the senior judiciary to set court capacity in 2025-26 to continue bringing access to justice for victims”.

The Times reported earlier this month that a request by Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill for an additional 5,500 more sitting days on top of this allocation to bring the growing backlog under control had been rejected.

The Law Society of England and Wales welcomed the investment in prisons, the Crown Prosecution Service and probation but highlighted the fact there was no mention of civil and criminal legal aid.

Law Society president Richard Atkinson said there was a “huge backlog” in criminal cases and that: “Cases involving children being taken into care are often taking well over a year to resolve, against a target to conclude them in six months.”

He added: “Increased funding for all these elements is a must if the system is to avoid collapse and access to justice for ordinary people is to be protected. Our research has shown that a well-funded justice system will save public money down the line.”