The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.
The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into children and young adults in the secure estate in England and Wales …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Ministry of Justice does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to make provision about the sentencing, release and management after sentencing of offenders; to make provision about bail; to make provision about the removal from the United Kingdom of foreign criminals; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd January 2026 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the types of things that are not prevented from being objects of personal property rights.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 2nd December 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Make provision about sentencing guidelines in relation to pre-sentence reports.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 19th June 2025 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Review possible penalties for social media posts, including the use of prison
Gov Responded - 25 Jul 2025 Debated on - 17 Nov 2025We call on the Government to urgently review the possible penalties for non-violent offences arising from social media posts, including the use of prison.
I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The Government intends to bring forward the necessary amendments to section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Whilst we have not undertaken a formal impact assessment on timings, there remains a well-established process for applications to be made under section 13, which is available in relevant circumstances. The proposed change builds on that existing framework by enabling the High Court, in appropriate cases, to resolve issues rather than directing that a matter be remitted to a coroner for a fresh inquest. This will provide the court with greater flexibility to ensure that it can fulfil its role as expediently as possible and in a way that best serves the interests of justice.
The Government intends to bring forward the necessary amendments to section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Whilst we have not undertaken a formal impact assessment on timings, there remains a well-established process for applications to be made under section 13, which is available in relevant circumstances. The proposed change builds on that existing framework by enabling the High Court, in appropriate cases, to resolve issues rather than directing that a matter be remitted to a coroner for a fresh inquest. This will provide the court with greater flexibility to ensure that it can fulfil its role as expediently as possible and in a way that best serves the interests of justice.
This Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with victims waiting years for justice. On 25 February 2026, the Deputy Prime Minister announced the Courts and Tribunals Bill, aiming to deliver faster, fairer justice for victims. These reforms are designed to progress cases more quickly through the criminal courts, reduce uncertainty, and increase transparency for victims and witnesses by ensuring more effective triage across the system. We will also implement crucial reforms, recommended by the Law Commission, to ensure that victims are no longer unfairly undermined by evidence in the court room.
This Government is committed to ensuring female victims have the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. We have recently launched a consultation on a new Victims’ Code to ensure we get the foundations for victims right. The Victims and Courts Bill will additionally provide a new route for victims to request information via a dedicated helpline, which will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
We have made the largest ever investment of £550 million in victim support services over the next three years. The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes ‘core’ funding, which is for PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need as well as funding that is ring-fenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services. Local assessments will incorporate considerations of the volume and needs of female victims of crime.
In addition, we continue to fund the long-standing Witness Service. This provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to witnesses (including those who are victims) to help them give their best evidence. This may include providing information about the court and its processes, facilitating explanations around any delays and accompanying the witness (if allowed by the court) into the court room when they give evidence.
Domestic Abuse Protection Order Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) have been piloted in selected areas since November 2024, and are being fully evaluated, which will help to inform implementation as the orders are rolled out across England and Wales.
Reoffending and revictimisation are the key criteria for the impact evaluation, which will aim to quantitatively assess whether, and how, the new orders reduce these outcomes. A complementary process evaluation will aim to examine the implementation of DAPNs and DAPOs and explore perceptions of their effectiveness across different stakeholder groups.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system process improvements and a programme of upskilling new and existing staff to conduct more specialist examiner work. This will improve the timeliness for applications that require referral to a more experienced probate case worker.
Processing times for paper applications have improved significantly, but we recognise that they need to improve further. Paper applications are often more complex and may require additional enquiries where they cannot be issued on the first examination, which can affect overall timeliness. HM Courts & Tribunals Service has therefore invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system process improvements and a programme of upskilling to improve the processing time for paper applications.
There has been no deletion of the Courtsdesk “archive”. Under the terms of the agreement between HMCTS and Courtsdesk, Courtsdesk agreed that it would not hold any court data provided to it for more than 6 months. It acted outside the terms of that agreement. The nature of the “archive” it created does not relate to court records, as has been misreported. Courtsdesk has, essentially, created a historic database of court listing information. In any event, we are taking steps, in discussion with Courtsdesk, to resolve issues where possible whilst protect personal data. I met recently with the CEO of Courtsdesk.
Court records have always been, and will remain, available through formal request to the relevant court.
The concerns which led to the cessation of data sharing with Courtsdesk were based on the unauthorised sharing of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) data with another party outside of the terms of the arrangement. Courtsdesk agreed under the terms of its pilot arrangement with HMCTS not to provide data to another company without notification to or authorisation by HMCTS. It acted outside the terms of that agreement by sharing data with a third-party AI company. The data provided to the other party without authorisation included sensitive, personally identifiable information of individuals involved in criminal cases, such as their full name, address and date of birth.
HMCTS takes seriously its responsibility to handle data safely to protect those people whose data it holds, and this left termination of the arrangement as the most appropriate course of action.
There has been no deletion of the archive
The Ministry of Justice is doing three things: first, we have launched a market engagement exercise for new providers to reuse our data under a new licensing regime (which would be open to Courtsdesk to apply for); second, in the interim, we have contacted Courtsdesk, and I have recently met with its CEO, with a view to potentially reestablishing their service provided they can demonstrate they will comply with our data protection requirements; third, by the end of March we will be expanding the Court and Tribunal Hearings (CaTH) service, an online portal which allows journalists and the public to access and search court-related information. By the end of March, CaTH will include Magistrates’ and Crown Court lists alongside the Civil, Family and Tribunal hearing lists already published.
The starting point is there has been no deletion of the Courtsdesk “archive”.
Magistrates’ court listing and registers data continues to be available online, by email, in courts, and over the phone.
Work is underway to improve the way in which Magistrates and Crown court lists are available. First, we have launched a market engagement exercise for new providers to reuse our data under a new licensing regime (which would be open to Courtsdesk to apply for); second, in the interim, we have contacted Courtsdesk, and I have met with its CEO, with a view to potentially reestablishing their service provided they can demonstrate they will comply with our data protection requirements; third, by the end of March we will be expanding the Court and Tribunal Hearings (CaTH) service, an online portal which allows journalists and the public to access and search court-related information. By the end of March, CaTH will include Magistrates’ and Crown Court lists alongside the Civil, Family and Tribunal hearing lists already published.
Court records have always been, and will remain, available through formal requests to the relevant court.
The Government recognises the importance of different Departments working collaboratively. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice chairs the Criminal Justice Board to facilitate collaboration between all criminal justice system partners, including the police, HM Courts & Tribunals Service and HM Prison & Probation Service.
The Ministry of Justice also provides guidance to and opportunities for engagement between Local Criminal Justice Boards.
In tandem, the Government is considering the recommendations in Part II of Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts relating to the co-ordination between CJS partners and will respond to them in the coming months.
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Friday 13 February to Question 111038.
Courtsdesk does not have a database of, or access to, court records. Criminal court case records are held in a variety of places including at individual courts, at The National Archives and by the Ministry of Justice. Neither the Ministry of Justice nor HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) are deleting any court records. They have always been, and will remain, available through formal requests to the relevant court.
Courtsdesk has developed a historic database using courts listing data. There has been no deletion on this database.
The Ministry of Justice is doing three things: first, we have launched a market engagement exercise for new providers to reuse our data under a new licensing regime (which would be open to Courtsdesk to apply for); second, in the interim, we have contacted Courtsdesk, and I have met with its CEO, with a view to potentially reestablishing their service provided they can demonstrate they will comply with our data protection requirements; third, by the end of March we will be expanding the Court and Tribunal Hearings (CaTH) service, an online portal which allows journalists and the public to access and search court-related information. By the end of March, CaTH will include Magistrates’ and Crown Court lists alongside the Civil, Family and Tribunal hearing lists already published.
Court records have always been, and will remain, available through formal request to the relevant court.
Home addresses and dates of birth of individuals are not included in Crown Court, County Court, Family Court, High Court, lists of hearings, nor in lists of hearings in the Tribunals.
Standard lists of hearings produced by the Magistrates Court do contain the home addresses and dates of birth of individuals due to appear in court. These lists are only available to approved accredited members of the media, criminal justice partners and other government departments with legitimate reasons for requiring such information.
The names of individuals and organisations provided with court lists, containing home addresses and dates of birth of individuals is not collated or stored centrally.
Home addresses and dates of birth of individuals are not included in Crown Court, County Court, Family Court, High Court, lists of hearings, nor in lists of hearings in the Tribunals.
Standard Lists produced by the Magistrates Court do contain the home addresses and dates of birth of individuals due to appear in court and these lists are only available to approved accredited members of the media, criminal justice partners and other government departments with legitimate reasons for requiring such information.
Standard lists do contain Special Category Data as defined by Data Protection Act 2018. This information is intended to assist the accurate reporting of court proceedings and should be handled appropriately by legal professionals and members of the media.
HMCTS will immediately cease the sharing of this data, if there is concern about how it will be used. Such data is held subject to licencing and can only be shared in agreement with licencing agreements; abiding by those licencing agreements is part of data protection.
The Ministry of Justice is committed to protecting the personal and sensitive information entrusted to us. The agreement which Courtsdesk entered into with HMCTS specified that it would not pass data on to any party other than journalists without the permission of HMCTS. Courtsdesk acted outside the terms of that agreement by sharing data with a third party AI company. It did not seek HMCTS’ permission to use the data in that way. In those circumstances, it was entirely appropriate to suspend the arrangement between HMCTS and Courtsdesk.
Data protection officials considered that the circumstances did not meet the threshold required for referral to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Ministry of Justice is committed to open justice as well as the responsible use of data and protecting data privacy. Our approach in this matter vindicates those principles.
Home addresses and dates of birth of individuals are not included in Crown Court, County Court, Family Court, High Court, lists of hearings, nor in lists of hearings in the Tribunals.
Standard lists produced by the Magistrates’ Courts do contain the home addresses and dates of birth of individuals. Standard lists are only available to approved accredited members of the media, criminal justice partners and other government departments with legitimate reasons for requiring such information.
The management systems in Magistrates’ Courts do not collate the number of times courts lists containing home addresses and dates of birth of individuals are provided to organisations. This data is not held centrally.
As the number of individuals is five or fewer, the Ministry of Justice is unable to disclose the figure. This is to protect against the risk that individuals could be identified, in line with our obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
The breakdown requested for PQ 109197, PQ 109198 and PQ 109199 was provided in PQ response 111800. The data for PQ 109200 is provided in the attached excel table. The table includes data covering the period 2020 – 2024 on:
The number of offenders who were convicted of a specified offence but did not receive an immediate custodial sentence, by the number of previous convictions for that specified offence up to a maximum of 6.
As set out in previous responses, this data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a bespoke retrieval from the Police National Computer database.
Previous convictions are already a statutory aggravating factor, with Sentencing Guidelines being clear that sentencers must consider the nature and relevance of previous convictions, and the time elapsed since the previous convictions.
We launched the consultation on a new Victims’ Code on 5 February, which will be open to responses for 12 weeks. Following consideration of the consultation responses, and any subsequent changes, we will issue a government response and then issue the new Code in accordance with the Parliamentary process set out in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. We will update and distribute revised materials alongside the new Code.
We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.
The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.
In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.
We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.
The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.
In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.
We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.
The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.
In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.
In accordance with the principles embodied in the Code of Practice for Statistics; Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, we keep statistics for publication under continuous review. Uniform standards across Government are applied wherever appropriate, including in the reporting of ethnicity, where it is necessary to balance the benefit of a high level of detail in data gathering, against ease of interpretation for those reporting the information, and the value of consistency in reporting over time.
In the case of Offender Management Statistics, the 18+1 classification is used for the ethnicity information published in the annual prison population tables, which supplement the 6+1 series produced quarterly.
No guidance has been issued by the Ministry of Justice since the Act came into force. The explanatory notes to the legislation set out the effects of the changes to the law: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/18/notes/contents.
This is a complex and technical area of law. Individuals should seek independent legal advice on how the Act applies to their unique circumstances.
As set out in the Government’s IPP Action Plan (2025/26), we are progressing work to expand opportunities for IPP sentence progression, including piloting Release on Temporary Licence in Progression Regime Prisons. This work is ongoing, and further details on implementation will be set out in due course.
We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones that deliver contraband so that prisoners have access to a safe and stable rehabilitative environment. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.
H M Prison & Probation Service uses targeted physical countermeasures, such as improvements to windows, installing specialised netting and grills to prevent drones from delivering contraband into prisons. HMPPS also conducts vulnerability assessments across the estate, to understand the risk and develop and implement plans to mitigate the threat.
We work widely across Government to understand how current and emerging counter-drone capabilities can be used to keep our prisons and the public safe. We are also engaging with international counterparts to develop our learning, support our strategy and share best practice.
We cannot share information about our counter-drone tactics, but HMPPS uses suitable technology, alongside a variety of countermeasures and intelligence tools to prevent drones delivering contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.
We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones that deliver contraband so that prisoners have access to a safe and stable rehabilitative environment. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.
H M Prison & Probation Service uses targeted physical countermeasures, such as improvements to windows, installing specialised netting and grills to prevent drones from delivering contraband into prisons. HMPPS also conducts vulnerability assessments across the estate, to understand the risk and develop and implement plans to mitigate the threat.
We work widely across Government to understand how current and emerging counter-drone capabilities can be used to keep our prisons and the public safe. We are also engaging with international counterparts to develop our learning, support our strategy and share best practice.
We cannot share information about our counter-drone tactics, but HMPPS uses suitable technology, alongside a variety of countermeasures and intelligence tools to prevent drones delivering contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.
Work was completed in the summer of 2024 to update systems to capture Gypsy, Roma and Traveller data for Ministry of Justice staff, using the “19+1” approach. This approach uses the standard 19 detailed UK census ethnicity categories, plus one additional category for “Not declared/Prefer not to say”. It enables more detailed analysis, while still allowing data to be grouped into broader ethnicity categories for reporting.
For prisoners, people on probation and children, in addition to the “Gypsy and Irish Traveller” category, “Roma” has been added as an ethnicity option in both prisons and probation data systems with effect from January 2025.
We are currently developing an e-learning product which will be made available to all HMPPS staff by May 2026. It is aimed at improving cultural literacy and the support provided to people from Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Traveller backgrounds in prison, on probation and within the Youth Custody Service. This product includes a focus on supporting people from Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Traveller backgrounds to disclose their ethnicity to prison, probation or Youth Custody Service staff.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
The scope of legal aid is set out under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and applicants are subject to relevant means and merits tests. Legal aid is available in relation to injunctions for nuisance arising from prescribed types of pollution of the environment, and for public law challenges, such as judicial reviews of decisions concerning water regulation. This would cover challenges that would benefit the environment. Proceedings related to private consumer law are generally not in scope.
Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF), which will be granted where they can show that without legal aid, there is a risk that their human rights may be breached. ECF applications are considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a wide range of offences, including theft in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
However, data held centrally does not include if the defendant is a foreign national. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.
International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.
As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.
As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.
We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.
International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.
As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.
As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.
We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.
International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.
As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.
As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.
We are committed to helping people with convictions overcome barriers to employment and turn away from reoffending. The criminal records regime is designed to play a role in this process, balancing the need to safeguard the public, with enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.
We recognise, however, that disclosure requirements can impact on an individual’s chances to reintegrate into society. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that we are considering the recommendation made by Sir Brian Leveson in his independent review of the Criminal Courts, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.
We are also committed to reducing barriers to employment in other ways, as we know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points in the year following release. For example, last year we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders leaving prison back into work.
There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.
There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.
The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.
As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.