Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative retention rates of (a) prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme and (b) those recruited through standard routes; and what steps he is taking to ensure similar retention rates for future cohorts.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on (a) prisoner rehabilitation outcomes and (b) reoffending rates in establishments where they have been deployed.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison officer recruitment capacity of the conclusion of the Unlocked Graduates contract in 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) committed to prison and (b) given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
In 2024, there were 0 people committed to prison, and 19 given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax.
Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. However, under the committal to prison process, a court order can provide for someone to be committed to prison for not paying a debt.
Committal to prison can only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must have issued a “liability order” and the local authority must have (at least) tried and failed to take control of the debtor’s goods and sell them to recover the debt. Councils have additional powers of enforcement under a liability order, including deduction from earnings, deduction from benefit, charging orders on the property, and bankruptcy. If a council applies for committal to prison, the court must inquire into the debtor’s means, and the council must satisfy the court that there is no other effective method of collection and that failure to pay is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison. Where that is the case courts have the power to remit the debt.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of housing foreign national offenders in UK prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We do not disaggregate prison running costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on the category of prison. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on GOV.UK alongside the Prison performance data 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. Data on the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in custody is published in Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK (prison population table 1_Q_9).
Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. Where appropriate, the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025, over 5,000 were FNOs. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 4,532 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice uses social media influencers to help deliver its communications and operational priorities. This includes activity to support recruitment campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and magistrates, ensuring that frontline services are effectively staffed to maintain public safety and deliver swift access to justice.
Some sensitivities exist around aspects of this expenditure, as disclosure could prejudice commercial interests. All influencer activity is subject to strict Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure we balance effectiveness with value for money for the taxpayer.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions in chapter 2 of part 2 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will (a) apply to councillors and (b) be in addition to section 28 of the Localism Act 2011.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Code of Ethics requirement will apply to those working for public authorities, and therefore will not apply to elected officials, including councillors. Elected officials have a different relationship with institutions and are accountable to the public, not employers.
There are different arrangements for governing behaviour of elected officials. The Government recently consulted on a range of proposals to strengthen the current local government standards regime.
The response to the consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mediation services on resolving disputes for residents in Dudley; and what steps he is taking to ensure equality of access to those services.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government encourages the use of dispute resolution such as mediation, to allow parties to resolve their disputes earlier and more consensually, which saves them time, money and stress, and reduces the waiting time for a judicial hearing for cases that do not settle.
Since 2024, all parties to money claims under £10,000 in the county courts in England and Wales are required to attend a free, one-hour mediation appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service as an integrated step in the litigation journey. Parties can request any necessary adjustments, including translation or interpretation services, to ensure full participation in mediation appointments, and HMCTS assesses these needs individually to maintain accessibility.
The Government is also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales including those living in Dudley. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs and has already supported over 49,000 families. The Government has committed to continue funding the scheme until at least March 2026. Analysis of the first 7,200 cases completed under the scheme shows that 69% of participants reached a whole or partial agreement and did not need to go to court to resolve their issues.
In addition, civil legal aid is available, subject to a means assessment, for the mediation of family disputes (for example over contact or financial arrangements) that the mediator has assessed as suitable for mediation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to increase sentences for people convicted of sexual offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Sexual offences such as rape, assault by penetration, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent already attract some of the most serious penalties under the law, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. These maximums reflect the gravity of such offences and are among the highest available. In light of this, the Government has no current plans to increase statutory maximum sentences for sexual offences.
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary. The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence. That is why, when deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agents Regulations 2014 have had their certificates (a) cancelled and (b) suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 in each of year between 2020 and 2024.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not routinely publish operational data on how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agent Regulations 2014 have had their certificates cancelled or suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 of the Regulations. The public register of certificated enforcement agents is updated to reflect the cancellation of a certificate, but it does not record the reason for the cancellation.
In 2024, the average processing time for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court was 27.62 days. This figure reflects the time taken from submission of an application to the granting of a certificate.