Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases are currently being processed under the Eastwood Park Compensation Scheme; and what the average waiting time is for cases under the scheme.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Eastwood Park Detention Centre Settlement Scheme commenced on 14 January 2025. To date, 659 claims have been received including 264 claims settled with damages paid. There are 6 further claims where settlement has been agreed, and payments will be made shortly.
Of the 264 claims settled to date, the average payment is £3,114.
Since the commencement of the scheme in January, the average length of time taken to settle claims is 136 days (at 30 September 2025). This figure should not be taken as a benchmark expectation for any outstanding or future claims. The amount of time taken to settle a claim will vary in each case based on a variety of factors such as incomplete information provided when the claim is lodged. All claims are subject to appropriate scrutiny and HM Treasury approval.
The Prison Service successfully defends two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners. Any debts owed by offenders to their victims and the courts are deducted before a payment is made.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of claims under the Eastwood Park Compensation Scheme have resulted in payouts; and what the average amount paid out for those claims is.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Eastwood Park Detention Centre Settlement Scheme commenced on 14 January 2025. To date, 659 claims have been received including 264 claims settled with damages paid. There are 6 further claims where settlement has been agreed, and payments will be made shortly.
Of the 264 claims settled to date, the average payment is £3,114.
Since the commencement of the scheme in January, the average length of time taken to settle claims is 136 days (at 30 September 2025). This figure should not be taken as a benchmark expectation for any outstanding or future claims. The amount of time taken to settle a claim will vary in each case based on a variety of factors such as incomplete information provided when the claim is lodged. All claims are subject to appropriate scrutiny and HM Treasury approval.
The Prison Service successfully defends two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners. Any debts owed by offenders to their victims and the courts are deducted before a payment is made.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help ensure that children are safeguarded in cases where allegations of parental abuse have been made but no formal legal restrictions are yet in place.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The welfare of children is the paramount concern in family proceedings.
Established multi-agency safeguarding arrangements are in place to ensure that children are protected swiftly and effectively in both public and private family proceedings. Where needed, there are clear referral routes for communicating cases to Local Authorities. These procedures ensure that concerns about the immediate welfare of children are identified and escalated promptly with the appropriate agencies.
This government is delivering a package of reform to the family courts to ensure that children continue to be safeguarded and supported. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes child safeguarding through early multi-agency collaboration, expert domestic abuse support, and greater emphasis on the voice of the child.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of delays in the probate system; and what steps are being taken to reduce waiting times for bereaved families to obtain probate in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff, alongside system and process improvements to reduce and maintain lower processing times during the last year.
The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness in our regular quarterly family court statistics bulletin: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests following deaths at work are in progress in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy in England and Wales but does not collate real-time data on inquests in progress across the jurisdiction.
Annual Coroner Statistics for England and Wales are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2024. These include information on inquests opened and completed, but this is not broken down by setting.
The Ministry of Justice is not responsible for the coroner jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, which is instead overseen by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for Justice.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that rape victims are given clear (a) communication and (b) timelines for progressing their cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to improving victims and survivors of rape’s experience of the justice system. We recognise that rape cases often take longer to progress through the courts, and that delays can have a profound impact on victims’ wellbeing and confidence in the criminal justice process.
To ensure clear communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme.
We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases, and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence, in his Independent Review of Criminal Courts. We will respond to the recommendations in the first part of the Independent Review in due course.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish (a) plans and (b) a timeframe for reducing the time taken to bring rape cases to court.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to improving victims and survivors of rape’s experience of the justice system. We recognise that rape cases often take longer to progress through the courts, and that delays can have a profound impact on victims’ wellbeing and confidence in the criminal justice process.
To ensure clear communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme.
We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases, and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence, in his Independent Review of Criminal Courts. We will respond to the recommendations in the first part of the Independent Review in due course.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46175 on Sexual Offences Act 2003, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to remove the requirement for the accused to have a penis in order to be charged with rape.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a robust framework of very serious offences criminalising non-consensual sexual penetration. The offence of rape under section 1 of that Act is committed whenever there is intentional penile penetration of a person’s mouth, anus or vagina without consent or reasonable belief in consent. Intentional sexual penetration of a person’s vagina or anus with something other than a penis and without consent or reasonable belief in consent is criminalised by the offence of assault by penetration under section 2 that Act. “Forced penetration”, where a person forces another to penetrate them with their penis (or something else) is covered by the offence of “causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent” under section 4 of that Act.
These three sexual offences are equally serious under the law where penetration is involved and all attract a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The law in this area is rightly robust, well understood and working effectively. We therefore have no plans to amend the legal definition of section 1 rape, but we continue to keep the criminal law under review.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that victims are (a) informed and (b) consulted about offenders who partake in chemical suppression programmes.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Medication to Manage Problematic Sexual Arousal (MMPSA) is a pharmaceutical intervention for offenders with ongoing clinical needs who may continue to pose a risk of harm to others because their sexual offending behaviour is driven by obsessive thoughts about sex and display compulsive sexual behaviour.
As MMPSA is a medication prescribed by clinicians according to the health needs of individuals, it would be inappropriate to share personal medical information on treatment with victims in accordance with medical confidentiality.
Eligible victims, including those of serious sexual offences, are supported through the Victim Contact Scheme where Victim Liaison Officers will offer tailored guidance, keep victims informed where appropriate, and help them navigate the parole process. Victims are entitled to measures such as being able to request a summary of a Parole Boards decision, and request additional conditions to an offender’s license in relation to themselves. These services are designed to ensure victims feel heard and supported, while also helping to maintain trust in the system.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk associated with self-swab rape kits being marketed to the public.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is aware of self-swab kits being marketed to the public as a means of collecting DNA following sexual violence. These kits are in no way associated with any government department or criminal justice agency, or the Government’s wider VAWG mission. We recommend that victims of sexual violence attend a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), where trained clinicians can provide holistic care and forensic evidence can be collected in accordance with established standards.
We are also aware of concerns raised about the promotion of self-swab kits, including those outlined in position statements by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine and Rape Crisis England & Wales. Support is available for victims of rape through SARCs and the 24-7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line. We are committed to tackling sexual violence and achieving the best outcome for all victims, in line with our goal to halve VAWG within a decade.