Ministry of Justice
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.
Secretary of State
Robert Buckland
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Alex Chalk - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Latest News (from Department Twitter Feed)
- 25 Jan 2021, 4:15 p.m.
- More Nightingale Courts are opening to increase capacity in the justice system while we adhere to social distancing measures. A new site in Cirencester has begun hearing cases this week. Find out more here: https://t.co/s5sNsvyjHJ https://t.co/7NBuCImwt4 - Link
- 25 Jan 2021, 12:15 p.m.
- In just 6 months, using our new X-ray body scanners, our #HiddenHeroes have been able to detect & prevent over 1,300 items of contraband such as: 📵 mobile phones 💊 drugs ❌ weapons ... being smuggled into our prisons. More information here👇 https://t.co/qcKXZTDAll https://t.co/ekNFGBijTf - Link View All Ministry of Justice Tweets
Ministry of Justice Commons Appearances
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:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
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.
Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
| Date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 08 | Oral Questions | Oral Answers to Questions |
| Jul. 24 | Urgent Questions | Feltham A Young Offenders Institution |
| Jan. 14 | Written Statements | Criminal Legal Aid: Independent Review |
| Jan. 13 | Westminster Hall | War Memorials: Desecration |
| Nov. 24 | Adjournment Debate | HMP Frankland: Covid-19 |
Ministry of Justice - Bills and Acts in the Current Session
A bill to make in relation to marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales provision about divorce, dissolution and separation; and for connected purposes
This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday 25th June 2020 and was enacted into law.
To require the Parole Board to take into account any failure by a prisoner serving a sentence for unlawful killing or for taking or making an indecent image of a child to disclose information about the victim.
This Bill received Royal Assent on Wednesday 4th November 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to implement the Hague Conventions of 1996, 2005 and 2007 and to provide for the implementation of other international agreements on private international law.
This Bill received Royal Assent on Monday 14th December 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the release on licence of offenders convicted of terrorist offences or offences with a terrorist connection; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on Wednesday 26th February 2020 and was enacted into law.
A bill to give effect to Law Commission recommendations relating to commencement of enactments relating to sentencing law and to make provision for pre-consolidation amendments of sentencing law
This Bill received Royal Assent on Monday 8th June 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to consolidate certain enactments relating to sentencing.
This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday 22nd October 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the sentencing of offenders convicted of terrorism offences, of offences with a terrorist connection or of certain other offences; to make other provision in relation to terrorism; and for connected purposes.
Tuesday 26th January 2021
(Read Debate)
Tuesday 9th February 2021
Ministry of Justice - Draft Secondary Legislation
| Dates | Department | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Published 8 Jun 2020, 4:23 p.m. |
Ministry of Justice | The Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Section 75 – Designation of Public Authority) Order 2020 | |
| This Order designates the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (the “IMA”) for the purposes of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c. 47). | |||
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Published 12 Feb 2020, 2:21 p.m. |
Ministry of Justice | The Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (Remedial) Order 2020 | |
| Section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (c.30) (the “Act”) provides for a fixed sum of bereavement damages to be awarded to a limited category of persons in the event of a fatal accident caused by wrongful act, neglect or default. | |||
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Published 20 Jan 2020, 2:09 p.m. |
Ministry of Justice | The Judicial Pensions and Fee-Paid Judges’ Pension Schemes (Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 | |
| The Judicial Pensions Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/182) (“the 2015 Regulations”) and the Judicial Pensions (Fee-Paid Judges) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/522) make provision for the contributions payable by members of both schemes constituted by those Regulations. | |||
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Published 15 Oct 2019, 3:57 p.m. |
Ministry of Justice | The Human Rights Act 1998 (Remedial) Order 2019 | |
| This Order amends the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA”) to address a finding of the European Court of Human Rights of a breach of Article 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“Convention”) in the case of Hammerton v United Kingdom (Application no. 6287/10). | |||
Ministry of Justice - Laid Secondary Legislation
| Dates | Department | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
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Laid 18 Jan 2021 In Force 1 Apr 2021 |
Ministry of Justice |
Public Service Pensions Act 2013 (Judicial Offices) (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2021 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation |
Made negative procedure |
| These Regulations amend the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 (Judicial Offices) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/580) (“the 2015 Order”). The 2015 Order specifies those judicial offices which comprise “the judiciary” for the purposes of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 (c. 25). A person holding a judicial office specified in the Schedule to the 2015 Order may be eligible to be included in a judicial pension scheme made under that Act. | |||
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Laid 18 Jan 2021 In Force 1 Apr 2021 |
Ministry of Justice |
Judicial Pensions (Fee-paid Judges) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation |
Draft affirmative procedure |
| Part 2 of these Regulations corrects errors in the Judicial Pensions (Fee-Paid Judges) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/522) (the “2017 Regulations”) which created a pension scheme for fee-paid judges, by adding further judicial offices to the Schedule to the 2017 Regulations and making minor amendments. The limitation dates, where relevant, clarify the periods of service for which part-time judges holding these offices are eligible to receive a pension under the 2017 Regulations. The offices of Deputy Master of the Senior Courts and Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge are included as these are the updated titles of offices already included in the scheme. | |||
Petitions addressed by Ministry of Justice
| Current Signatures | Final Signatures | Title | Petition Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
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167,506 Petition Closed |
Violet-Grace’s Law - Life sentences for Death by Dangerous Driving Gov Responded - 25 Feb 2019 Debated on - 8 Jul 2019 |
15 Aug 2019 closed 1 year, 5 months ago |
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The men who killed our daughter drove a stolen a car at 83 mph in a 30 mph zone. They killed our 4-year-old daughter Violet-Grace and severely injured her nan, who has life-changing injuries. They will serve less time in prison than Violet was alive. I don’t want other families to suffer like this. |
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115,723 Petition Closed |
People found with a knife to get 10 years and using a knife 25 years in prison. Gov Responded - 14 Mar 2019 Debated on - 25 Mar 2019 |
3 Jun 2019 closed 1 year, 7 months ago |
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People are scared of the amount of knife crime with apparently very little deterent to stop people carrying knifes. |
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Ministry of Justice Select Committee
Ministry of Justice Select Committee Home Page
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, and the Select Committee will occasionally publish formal reports of their findings.
Open Inquiries
Closed Inquiries
Recent Select Committee Publications
Wed 27 Jan 2021 - Letter from Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 22 January 2021, regarding women in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system
Wed 27 Jan 2021 - Letter from Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, dated 20 January 2021, regarding follow up to the evidence session on 1 December
Fri 22 Jan 2021 - 19 January 2021
Wed 20 Jan 2021 - COC0011 - Court Capacity
Ministry of Justice Publications
Most Recent Publications
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 28 | Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) annual reports 2019 to 2020 | Transparency |
| Jan. 27 | Implementation and use of OASys Sexual reoffending Predictor (OSP) Policy Framework | Guidance and Regulation |
| Jan. 26 | Yorkshire and the Humber approved premises | Guidance and Regulation |
Ministry of Justice Written Questions
Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.
Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.
Latest Written Question
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| 27 Jan 2021, 4:40 p.m. | Conor McGinn (Labour - St Helens North) | Conor McGinn (Labour - St Helens North) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people released on licence with a terror-related conviction have been recalled to prison after breaching their licence conditions in each year since 2010; and what proportion of these were recalled specifically for engaging in subsequent terror-related activity for each year. Answered by Chris Philp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) The numbers of offenders with a terror-related conviction who have been released on licence and subsequently recalled to prison is set out in the table below. The table also sets out how many of those individuals were recalled in connection with engaging in a terror-related activity.
These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing. |
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