Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86918 on Legal Aid Scheme: Ely and East Cambridgeshire, by what amount each procurement area exceeds the required minimum number of legal aid providers; and what proportion of Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency falls under each procurement area.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As explained in the answer to Question 86918, procurement areas are different for each category of civil law. The table below sets out details about which procurement area Ely and East Cambridgeshire falls into for each civil category and the number of providers in each of those procurement areas exceeding the minimum number. This data is sourced from contract and schedule data dated 29 September 2025.
Category of Law | Relevant Procurement Area | Providers in excess of the minimum number |
Claims Against Public Authorities | Midlands and East of England | 7 |
Community Care | Eastern | 3 |
Discrimination | Midlands & East | 3 |
Education | Midlands & East | 2 |
Housing and Debt | Cambridgeshire | 1 |
Immigration | Midlands and East of England | 42 |
Family | Cambridgeshire | 4 |
Clinical Negligence | Midlands and East of England | 11 |
Mental Health | Midlands & East | 23 |
Public Law | Midlands and East of England | 13 |
Welfare Benefits | Midlands & East | 2 |
The entirety of the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency falls under each procurement area listed. It is the procurement area which will be different depending on the category of law.
In addition to local providers, national services are also available to your constituents. These include early legal advice through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, and telephone-based support for housing, debt, education, and discrimination issues via Civil Legal Advice.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to help support people to challenge County Court Judgments issued without their knowledge in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has announced plans to implement a reform to allow claimant names to be published on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines. This reform will help people who have county court judgments made against them to identify who to contact about the claim.
The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) is responsible for the rules that govern the procedure for notifying people of court proceedings, known as the rules of service. It has recently consulted on changes to the service rules including to permit electronic service on parties with whom there has already been electronic communication pre-action. The CPRC is currently reviewing responses and will make decisions on procedural rule changes in due course.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of procedures for notifying people of County Court proceedings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has announced plans to implement a reform to allow claimant names to be published on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines. This reform will help people who have county court judgments made against them to identify who to contact about the claim.
The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) is responsible for the rules that govern the procedure for notifying people of court proceedings, known as the rules of service. It has recently consulted on changes to the service rules including to permit electronic service on parties with whom there has already been electronic communication pre-action. The CPRC is currently reviewing responses and will make decisions on procedural rule changes in due course.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer all child victims of crime Achieving Best Evidence-compliant service and video-recorded interviews in child-friendly environments, including those outside police stations, regardless of whether they have already made complaints to police officers.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring that child victims of crime are treated with sensitivity and care throughout the criminal justice process. The Achieving Best Evidence guidance makes clear that interviews do not need take place in police stations and provides practical advice on arranging a suitable interview environment. Registered intermediaries are also available to support effective communication between the child and the police during interviews.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who are victims of abuse receive the highest standard of care and support. To this end, the Ministry of Justice funds local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including child sexual abuse.
The Government continues to explore innovative models of support, including approaches inspired by the Barnahus model, to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases get the support they need.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most recent figures are for reoffending rates within 12 months of release.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The latest quarterly reoffending statistics (October to December 2023 cohort) show that, among adults released from custody, 41.1% reoffended within 12 months—down from 48.8% for the same quarter in 2013.
We are committed to tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions and services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes access to education & employment opportunities, stable accommodation, and substance misuse treatment.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of violent crime in prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
HMPPS works closely with a range of law enforcement and local authority partners, and the Crown Prosecution Service to tackle the issues of violent crime in prison.
The Ministry of Justice, in close collaboration with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), work jointly to address and reduce violent crime within custodial settings. These steps are aligned with the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement (CiPRA), which establishes clear protocols for the referral of onward investigation, and prosecution of serious offences committed in prison environments. Under this agreement, all serious assaults, sexual offences, and incidents involving conveyance or escapes are referred to the police within strict timelines (immediately for life-threatening incidents and within seven days for other serious offences). This ensures that serious criminal acts are addressed through the justice system rather than solely through internal disciplinary measures.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average age of the prison estate is; and how many prisons are rated as being in (a) poor and (b) very poor condition.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The average age of a currently operating prison in England and Wales is c. 82 years. In reality, there have been more recent additions/replacements to many existing establishments. Information on the condition of establishments, and how they are rated, is available at: Prison Estate Conditions Survey Programme Summary Information - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the law around class actions to establish a maximum on damages awarded and legal costs claimable.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As a general rule, the appropriate damages to be awarded in individual cases are independently determined by the courts on the basis of the relevant law and evidence, once liability has been established. In England and Wales, costs follow the event.
The Government has no plans to establish a cap on damages or costs in collective actions generally.
The Department for Business and Trade recently issued a Call for Evidence on the opt-out collective actions regime in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The Civil Justice Council recently concluded a review of litigation funding which is a common form of funding in collective action claims. The Government is reviewing the Council’s report and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released to accommodation in each local authority area in each year since 2015.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. While data on prisoners released into accommodation is held centrally, that is not broken down by Local Authority.
Performance statistics on housing and accommodation outcomes for people supervised by the Probation Service are published annually. These are broken down by probation region and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been detained beyond their sentence since 1 April 2025; and whether he has made an estimate of the amount of compensation to be paid out in those cases.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.
On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.
The data requested comes from internal management information and is not fully quality assured. We are therefore unable to answer this question within cost limits.