Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 36625 on Prison Accommodation, when she expects places to become available through the small house blocks programme.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As outlined in the recently published 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, this Government is committed to delivering 14,000 prison places the previous Government failed to get built. These places will be delivered through the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate, including Small Secure Houseblocks, as well as the construction of four new prisons, including the recently opened HMP Millsike.

As set out in the NAO Report, we expect places to become available through the Small Secure Houseblocks programme from 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of capacity made available through Operation Safeguard was used between its inception and July 2024.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Operation Safeguard is an important contingency measure used to ensure that the current demand on prison places does not cause undue disruption to Criminal Justice System partners. The first places were activated by the previous Government in February 2023.

Between 20 February 2023 – 4 July 2024, 86,561 Operation Safeguard police cells were made available overnight.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people recalled to prison due to landlord refusal to install home monitoring equipment.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Recall is a vital tool to protect the public.

Recalling a child to custody is a last resort. Local Youth Offending Teams will explore other options before deciding to recall a child. This could include a curfew that is not electronically monitored but managed by Youth Offending Teams instead.

Adult offenders released on home detention curfew are still serving the custodial element of their sentence and it is a statutory requirement that the curfew is electronically monitored for at least 9 hours a day. In cases where it is no longer possible to electronically monitor offenders in the community, through no fault of their own, they will be recalled until it is possible for them to monitored in the community.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to target additional judicial resources toward court settings which are at capacity in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We are continuing to invest in judicial recruitment nationally, across all jurisdictions, with plans to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members in 2025-26; and around 2,000 magistrates in 2025-26, and annually thereafter. Following recruitment, regional and court level deployment decisions are a matter for the judiciary, and we support actions to flexibly deploy judges to maximise capacity where it is needed.

Our assessment is that overall there is currently sufficient judicial capacity in the courts in the North West, including Greater Manchester. Any vacancies which may arise as a result of departures are expected to be filled through planned recruitment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Minister of State for Courts and Justice will meet with the hon. Member for Horsham to discuss the Child Trust Fund campaign.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As he acknowledged in his letter to me dated 02 March 2025, the Hon. Member for Horsham is aware that I am happy to meet with him regarding locked Child Trust Funds.

My office will be in touch to agree a mutually convenient date.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 36626 on Prison Accommodation, what breakdown is available of the figure of a net 28,000 places added to the prison estate in England between 1997 and 2010 in terms of (a) place additions (b) place removals, (i) by year and (ii) in total.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate between 1997 and 2010. However, available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures of these places by category. The annual breakdown of this net change has been provided in the table below.

For the information requested relating to the period between 2010 and 2024, I refer you to the table provided in the response to PQs 36624 & 36626.

Last year this Government announced plans to build 14,000 places by 2031 as part of our 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy. We have already started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk in March, and a new houseblock providing nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently received its first prisoners. We are also opening HMP Millsike in the coming weeks, a major milestone which will hold nearly 1,500 prisoners and help put more violent offenders behind bars to make streets safer.

Table 1. Annual change in Operational Capacity between May 1997 and May 2010.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will replicate the data line items included in the ad hoc publication Estimate of the number of prison places built and closed between 2010 and 2024, published on 25 October 2025, for each year from the earliest year for which data are available to 2010.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate between 1997 and 2010. However, available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures of these places by category. The annual breakdown of this net change has been provided in the table below.

For the information requested relating to the period between 2010 and 2024, I refer you to the table provided in the response to PQs 36624 & 36626.

Last year this Government announced plans to build 14,000 places by 2031 as part of our 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy. We have already started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk in March, and a new houseblock providing nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently received its first prisoners. We are also opening HMP Millsike in the coming weeks, a major milestone which will hold nearly 1,500 prisoners and help put more violent offenders behind bars to make streets safer.

Table 1. Annual change in Operational Capacity between May 1997 and May 2010.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent analysis has been undertaken of additional costs or savings arising from the decision to outsource Gov Facilities Services Limited, and what steps have been taken to revisit this decision since July 2024.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has initiated a programme of work to secure new, competitively tendered contracts for the provision of maintenance services for prisons. As the procurement process is currently live, information regarding costs and savings is commercially and market sensitive and therefore not able to be disclosed at the current time. In November 2024, I approved plans to proceed with re-procuring the delivery of facilities management services through the private sector, with a focus on ensuring that future contracts incentivise suppliers’ performance and maintain a focus on delivery outcomes. This approach is kept under constant review to ensure we get the best value for taxpayers’ money.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the gross number of prison places removed from the prison estate in England and Wales through permanent closures of whole (a) prisons and (b) wings was between (i) 1997 to 2010 and (ii) 2010 to 2024.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate between 1997 and 2010. However, available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures of these places by category. The annual breakdown of this net change has been provided in the table below.

For the information requested relating to the period between 2010 and 2024, I refer you to the table provided in the response to PQs 36624 & 36626.

Last year this Government announced plans to build 14,000 places by 2031 as part of our 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy. We have already started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk in March, and a new houseblock providing nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently received its first prisoners. We are also opening HMP Millsike in the coming weeks, a major milestone which will hold nearly 1,500 prisoners and help put more violent offenders behind bars to make streets safer.

Table 1. Annual change in Operational Capacity between May 1997 and May 2010.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the gross number of prison places added to the prison estate in England and Wales through new builds and extensions to prisons was between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2024.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate between 1997 and 2010. However, available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures of these places by category. The annual breakdown of this net change has been provided in the table below.

For the information requested relating to the period between 2010 and 2024, I refer you to the table provided in the response to PQs 36624 & 36626.

Last year this Government announced plans to build 14,000 places by 2031 as part of our 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy. We have already started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk in March, and a new houseblock providing nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently received its first prisoners. We are also opening HMP Millsike in the coming weeks, a major milestone which will hold nearly 1,500 prisoners and help put more violent offenders behind bars to make streets safer.

Table 1. Annual change in Operational Capacity between May 1997 and May 2010.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison places for the estate in England were (a) under construction and (b) in planning, in (i) new build prisons (ii) prison extensions and small secure houseblocks and (iii) other projects as of May 2024.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As outlined in the recently published 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, this Government is committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places through the 20,000 prison place programmes. This Government will deliver what the previous administration failed to achieve. We will get the prison places this country needs built and will ensure that we always have enough prison places to lock up dangerous offenders.

Given the nuances of the planning system and prison build programmes, we have defined ‘in planning’ as developments submitted for, or awaiting, determination of full planning permission as of May 2024. Some projects within the 20,000 prison place programmes can be delivered through Permitted Development Rights and therefore do not require planning permission. Places that had received planning permission ahead of May 2024 have not been included in this response.

We are aiming to deliver four new prisons (i), in addition to HMPs Five Wells and Fosse Way which have already been built. As of May 2024:

1. c.1,500 places were under construction at HMP Millsike, which officially opened on 27 March 2025, alongside an additional c.245 place houseblock at HMP Fosse Way.

2. c.4,900 places were in the planning system for the proposed new prisons in Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire and Lancashire.

Other places within the 20,000 prison place programmes will be delivered through the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate ((ii) and (iii)) including Small Secure Houseblocks. As of May 2024:

1. c.2,400 places were under construction.

2. c.970 places were in the planning system.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners with a disability are in prisons in each region of England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The requested information is held locally but cannot be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the non-recognition of unmarried partnerships in family law on economic abuse.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The financial difficulties which cohabitants can face when their cohabiting relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. The Government committed in its manifesto to strengthening the rights and protections for women in cohabiting couples within its broader commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.

As part of our work on cohabitation reform, we are carefully considering issues relating to cohabitation and domestic abuse, including economic abuse. We will launch a public consultation later this year to build public consensus on what cohabitation reform should look like.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the views of (a) victims and (b) the families of victims affected by serious offences committed by offenders on probation are considered in the criminal justice system.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

All victims and bereaved family members are entitled under the Victims’ Code to have their voices heard in the criminal justice process by making a Victim Personal Statement. This enables victims to explain in their own words how the crime has affected them, which will be considered by the court when determining the sentence.

Victims who are eligible for, and have opted into, the Victim Contact Scheme can make representations about victim related licence conditions and submit a Victim Personal Statement to the Parole Board. These enable victims to help the Parole Board to understand what the impact of the crime on them has been and provide information about requested licence conditions to protect the victim where there is a decision to release the offender.

When an offender on probation supervision is charged with a serious further offence, including murder, manslaughter and rape, the Probation Service will complete a serious further offence review and victims can meet with a senior probation manager to discuss the findings of the review and receive a copy.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to speed up proceedings within the Family Court system; and what initiatives are being implemented to enhance the digitisation of documents and processes.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Delays in the court process can have a significant impact on children and families. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to improving timeliness of cases and reducing the outstanding caseload.

The Family Justice Board agreed system-wide national targets for reducing delay in 2024/25. These are focused on closing the longest running cases in private and public law, resulting in a reduction of the private law cases by 10% and increasing the proportion of public law cases concluded within the statutory 26-week timeframe.

The HMCTS Reform Programme has introduced several new digital services within the Family Courts, enhancing and automating the administration of family court orders. These services encompass Divorce, Financial Remedy, and Public Law Proceedings. Currently, HMCTS is piloting a new digital service for private law proceedings, aiming to replicate the administrative improvements seen in other family services. This service is scheduled to be implemented across England and Wales by the end of 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce legal protections for cohabiting couples to ensure equitable distribution of assets on separation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The financial difficulties which cohabitants can face when their cohabiting relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. The Government committed in its manifesto to strengthening the rights and protections for women in cohabiting couples within its broader commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.

As part of our work on cohabitation reform, we are carefully considering issues relating to cohabitation and domestic abuse, including economic abuse. We will launch a public consultation later this year to build public consensus on what cohabitation reform should look like.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40651 on Wales Office: Computers, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in the Wales Office.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We are unable to provide the median age of laptop and desktop computers in the Wales Office due to the disproportionate amount of time it would take to calculate. However, our policy is to refresh laptops and desktop computers issued to officials every 4-5 years.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to assist prisoners whose disability worsens over the course of their incarceration.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Disability Advocacy & Wellbeing Network in HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) offers internal disability awareness training to promote understanding of the issues faced by prisoners with disabilities. Prison staff have access to a suite of guidance materials in relation to disability, enabling then to be confident in their approach and meet the needs of prisoners with disabilities. These resources are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to complement our national equality policies, which provide direct instruction to prison staff on meeting the requirements of our Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Dedicated Neurodiversity Support Managers are now in place in every public prison in England and Wales. These specialist staff are tasked with making sure prisoners with neurodiverse needs are identified and can access the right education and training opportunities while in prison, as these are crucial to reducing re-offending.

Some neurodiverse offenders may have speech and language needs which can lead to challenging behaviour, meaning they struggle to engage with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. Support managers will ensure other prison staff know how to avoid and de-escalate volatile situations when working with offenders who have neurodiverse conditions.

HMPPS has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for prisoners with disabilities. These adjustments must be monitored and adapted as necessary throughout the course of the prisoner’s sentence. Where prisoners are transferred, the adjustment requirement will transfer with them.

There is an expectation that each prison will allocate sufficient resources to ensure that equality and diversity are managed effectively locally. The amount of resource required varies from prison to prison, and it would not be possible to obtain a total figure without incurring disproportionate cost. Our newly revised policies place renewed emphasis on the responsibility of senior leaders, including prison governors, for identifying and addressing disparity and promoting inclusion.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many diversity officers are available to prisoners with disabilities in prisons.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Disability Advocacy & Wellbeing Network in HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) offers internal disability awareness training to promote understanding of the issues faced by prisoners with disabilities. Prison staff have access to a suite of guidance materials in relation to disability, enabling then to be confident in their approach and meet the needs of prisoners with disabilities. These resources are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to complement our national equality policies, which provide direct instruction to prison staff on meeting the requirements of our Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Dedicated Neurodiversity Support Managers are now in place in every public prison in England and Wales. These specialist staff are tasked with making sure prisoners with neurodiverse needs are identified and can access the right education and training opportunities while in prison, as these are crucial to reducing re-offending.

Some neurodiverse offenders may have speech and language needs which can lead to challenging behaviour, meaning they struggle to engage with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. Support managers will ensure other prison staff know how to avoid and de-escalate volatile situations when working with offenders who have neurodiverse conditions.

HMPPS has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for prisoners with disabilities. These adjustments must be monitored and adapted as necessary throughout the course of the prisoner’s sentence. Where prisoners are transferred, the adjustment requirement will transfer with them.

There is an expectation that each prison will allocate sufficient resources to ensure that equality and diversity are managed effectively locally. The amount of resource required varies from prison to prison, and it would not be possible to obtain a total figure without incurring disproportionate cost. Our newly revised policies place renewed emphasis on the responsibility of senior leaders, including prison governors, for identifying and addressing disparity and promoting inclusion.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what training regarding prisoners with disabilities they provide to staff.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Disability Advocacy & Wellbeing Network in HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) offers internal disability awareness training to promote understanding of the issues faced by prisoners with disabilities. Prison staff have access to a suite of guidance materials in relation to disability, enabling then to be confident in their approach and meet the needs of prisoners with disabilities. These resources are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to complement our national equality policies, which provide direct instruction to prison staff on meeting the requirements of our Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Dedicated Neurodiversity Support Managers are now in place in every public prison in England and Wales. These specialist staff are tasked with making sure prisoners with neurodiverse needs are identified and can access the right education and training opportunities while in prison, as these are crucial to reducing re-offending.

Some neurodiverse offenders may have speech and language needs which can lead to challenging behaviour, meaning they struggle to engage with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. Support managers will ensure other prison staff know how to avoid and de-escalate volatile situations when working with offenders who have neurodiverse conditions.

HMPPS has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for prisoners with disabilities. These adjustments must be monitored and adapted as necessary throughout the course of the prisoner’s sentence. Where prisoners are transferred, the adjustment requirement will transfer with them.

There is an expectation that each prison will allocate sufficient resources to ensure that equality and diversity are managed effectively locally. The amount of resource required varies from prison to prison, and it would not be possible to obtain a total figure without incurring disproportionate cost. Our newly revised policies place renewed emphasis on the responsibility of senior leaders, including prison governors, for identifying and addressing disparity and promoting inclusion.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all prisons are equipped to accommodate prisoners with a disability as defined under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

New prisons are designed to be fully compliant with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, with many accessible rooms. This includes a large number of low mobility cells (72 at Millsike, 84 at Five Wells and Fosse Way), dependant on the number of house blocks. There are also accessible and medical cells, and all areas of the prison are wheelchair accessible via lifts.

In older prisons, the Equality Act requirements are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with appropriate provision being made accordingly. This can include adaptations to prisoner cellular accommodation (grab rails, adapted taps), and cells that can accommodate people with low mobility, cells in medical units, and cells with adaptations for higher disability requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisons are fully accessible to individuals with a disability as defined under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

New prisons are designed to be fully compliant with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, with many accessible rooms. This includes a large number of low mobility cells (72 at Millsike, 84 at Five Wells and Fosse Way), dependant on the number of house blocks. There are also accessible and medical cells, and all areas of the prison are wheelchair accessible via lifts.

In older prisons, the Equality Act requirements are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with appropriate provision being made accordingly. This can include adaptations to prisoner cellular accommodation (grab rails, adapted taps), and cells that can accommodate people with low mobility, cells in medical units, and cells with adaptations for higher disability requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not collate or record detailed data on individual private prosecutions, although some prosecutors may publish their own data separately. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data on the number of prosecutions which have been brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

This Government recognises that greater transparency is needed in relation to private prosecutions, in order to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 8 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring, and this includes prosecutions brought by the RSPCA.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Crown court trials have (1) collapsed, or (2) returned not guilty verdicts, because of a lack of evidence; how many of these instances may be attributed to the delays in Crown court hearings; and how many of these instances related to trials concerning violence against women and girls.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on Crown Court trial sentencing outcomes in England and Wales in the Crown Court data tool published here: Crown Court data tool.

This includes details of those acquitted and where the case was discontinued. Crown Court trials may be discontinued for a wide variety of reasons. Data on where Crown Court trials collapsed or returned not guilty verdicts specifically “because of a lack of evidence” and/or “attributed to the delays in Crown court hearings” are not identifiable in the published data. This information may be held in court records but to examine all individual court records would be a disproportionate use of costs.

This Government inherited a record and rising crown court backlog, which has meant that victims have been left waiting years for justice. This is unacceptable and we are working hard to drive down the backlog and cut delays. We have already funded a record number of sitting days in the crown court and have increased magistrates courts sentencing powers. We have asked Sir Brian Leveson to lead an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts which will guide the Government on the long term structural reforms required to bear down on the backlog and restore a sustainable criminal justice system in which there are fewer ineffective trials.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has considered raising the Aarhus Convention cost limits on judicial reviews of development and infrastructure.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government remains committed to protecting access to justice in environmental cases, while supporting the timely delivery of infrastructure projects under the Government’s Growth Mission. The issue of cost caps relating to Judicial Review in the planning context was considered by Lord Banner in his independent review published in October 2024. He did not recommend any change to the default cost caps in Aarhus cases. Judges already have the power to vary costs caps upwards or downwards according to the particular circumstances in a case.

In addition, between September and December 2024, the Government ran a Call for Evidence on access to justice in relation to the Aarhus Convention. This Call for Evidence considers the recommendations of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) regarding whether changes are required to the Environmental Costs Protection Regime (ECPR).

The Government intends to publish a response to the Call for Evidence in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of prisoners who have been mis-sentenced to imprisonment for public protection after the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into force to abolish the sentence.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 abolished the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence and it could not be imposed for anyone convicted on or after 03 December 2012.

No individuals were convicted after 03 December 2012 and subsequently given an IPP sentence.

Nine people were given an IPP sentence in 2013 but all were convicted before the sentence was abolished.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations within the financial industry her Department has consulted with on locked Child Trust Funds since January 2025.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Department continues to engage with financial organisations on the issue of Child Trust Funds where the account holder lacks mental capacity to access their account and legal authority is required to enable a parent or carer to access the funds on their behalf.

Since January 2025, the Department has engaged with The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) and UK Finance. The Department has also engaged with a range of stakeholders with interest including One Family and others.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) judges and (b) other people were employed in the Employment Tribunal by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those roles were vacant in that time period.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The number of judges and members of tribunals is published annually in the ‘Diversity of the Judiciary’ statistics. Headcount figures can be found at the tabs named “3_2_JO_Area”.

• 2020: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2020-data-tables.ods

• 2021: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2021-data-tables.ods

• 2022: Judicial_diversity_2022_Tables.ods

• 2023: 2023_JDS_tables.ods

• 2024: JDS_2024_tables_-_FINAL_v3.ods

We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of about 1,000 judges and non-legal tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements for judicial and non-legal tribunal members are determined by business need and judicial departures.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service has recorded Employment Tribunal staff (including legal caseworker) headcount in December each year as follows between 2020 and 2024:

Staff vacancies in the Employment Tribunal over this period are not held centrally. Recruitment requirements for HMCTS staff and legal officers in the Employment Tribunal is determined in response to business need and staff departures.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the names of deceased fathers can be included on birth certificates in instances where the parents were unmarried prior to his death.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Under Section 55A of the Family Law Act 1986, in situations where a child is born to unmarried parents, and the father dies prior to the birth, a Declaration of Parentage must be issued by the court in order for the paternity to be established. Once a declaration is issued, the birth can be re-registered to include the father’s details.

We want to make the process as simple as is possible in these circumstances, whilst still ensuring the court has means to establish parentage if one parent is deceased and not able to convey their views. This is vitally important as, in some cases, this decision will have significant financial implications for others, such as children from previous relationships.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost of applying to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order was in cases relating to Child Trust Funds in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.

Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.

With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.

The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.

The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds were made in each year since 2019.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.

Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.

With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.

The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.

The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what options she is considering for improving access to matured Child Trust Funds for people who lack capacity.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This requirement to have legal authority is vital in ensuring that vulnerable people are safeguarded and protected from all forms of abuse including financial abuse. This is not specific to accessing funds held in Child Trust Funds or Junior ISAs but applies more widely to all assets belonging to vulnerable people who lack capacity. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund or a Junior ISA.

On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit’ explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an applying to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on Gov.UK.

We understand that concerns remain, and I am speaking with relevant stakeholders to explore what further can be done to help improve access to matured Child Trust Funds in a way that balances facilitating access with safeguards.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which coroner jurisdictions have the longest inquest wait times; and what steps she is taking to bring them in line with national averages.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The requested information is available in, or can be extrapolated from, the Coroner Statistics 2023 which are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 08 May 2025.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting times are for coroner inquests in each region.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The requested information is available in, or can be extrapolated from, the Coroner Statistics 2023 which are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 08 May 2025.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans her Department has to review the use of automatism as a legal defence.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

There are no current plans for the Government to review the defence of automatism.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for coroner inquests on the issuing of Prevention of Future Death reports.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Regulation 28(3) of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 provides that a Prevention of Future Death report may not be made until a coroner has considered all the documents, evidence and information that, in the opinion of the coroner, are relevant to an investigation. The Chief Coroner has issued Guidance for coroners on reports to prevent future deaths, including on the timing of any report in the context of an individual investigation. The Guidance is available at: Reports to prevent future deaths (PFDs) - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in prisoners accessing emergency hospital care.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Prison governors are responsible for ensuring that their establishments respond promptly and appropriately to medical emergencies, and that prison staff are aware of their own responsibilities and of the local procedures in place to support a streamlined response.

Responses to medical emergencies in prisons are undertaken and monitored locally by both prison staff and healthcare staff. Prison staff will secure the attendance of medical staff. During the day, or where a prison has 24-hour healthcare, commissioned healthcare staff will assess what intervention is needed and determine whether hospital treatment is required. Prison staff will arrange for an ambulance to attend, if needed, and escort it to the nearest, safest point of access to the patient, ensuring arrival and departure times of ambulances are recorded locally.

Any incidents, including the time taken to respond, are discussed between prison and healthcare staff, either as part of a full debrief (in the case of the most serious incidents) or as part of the regular daily reflection on the events of the previous day.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of rehabilitation practices in HMP Latchmere House.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

HMP Latchmere House is no longer operational.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40390 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, what steps her Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Sullivan Review.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government has now published the independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender commissioned by the previous Government.

We will consider the findings of the review alongside our existing data collections and publications, many of which already contain detailed demographic dimensions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish a response to her Department's report entitled, Assessing risk of harm to children and parents in private law children, published in June 2020.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice has published a full implementation plan and various updates to the report entitled “Assessing risk of harm to children and parents in private law children cases”, which is known as the Harm Panel report. The latest delivery update can be found at: Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases - Implementation Plan: delivery update.

A core part of the response to the Harm Panel report is the Pathfinder pilot courts. The Pathfinder pilot aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings. We recently published a specific update on the Pathfinder model which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-law-pathfinder-delivery-update.

The report recommended a review of the presumption of parental involvement. The Ministry of Justice has undertaken this review, focusing on the courts’ application of the statutory presumption and the exceptions to it, such as in cases where there is evidence that parental involvement will put the child at risk of harm. This review will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the population of England and Wales has a criminal record.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

To answer the question exactly would be disproportionate costs. The Ministry of Justice holds an extract of data from the Police National Computer (PNC). To obtain data on all those with a criminal record would require collaborating with the Home Office as they hold the complete source data.

In October 2024, the Ministry of Justice published an ad-hoc statistical publication which estimated that 9.4 million working age people in the UK have a nominal record with a criminal element against their name held on the MoJ extract of the PNC. This is a high-level estimate based on the UK population and is equivalent to 22% of the working aged population (those aged 16-64). This is an estimate with limitations. A comprehensive programme of work would need to be undertaken to determine a precise figure and this would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to override the Sentencing Council's guidance entitled Imposition of community and custodial sentences - Effective from 1 April 2025.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government’s position is clear: we are seeking to remove the unequal treatment before the law in these guidelines.

In the first instance, the Lord Chancellor used her power under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and asked the Sentencing Council to reconsider their guidance. On 01 April, we introduced legislation to address the specific issue with these guidelines.

The Sentencing Council have now put the guidelines on pause – we are grateful for their constructive engagement on this issue.

We will also consider a broader review of the Sentencing Council’s role and powers over the coming months. It is right that we take the time to consider more fundamental reforms.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of (1) religious, and (2) non-religious, groups who wish to conduct legally recognised marriages in England and Wales and are unable to do so.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is aware that humanists have long been campaigning to conduct legally binding weddings, and we are grateful for the contributions that humanists make to our society.

The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the wholesale reform of weddings law, including recommendations that would enable non-religious belief groups, such as humanists, to conduct legally binding weddings. The Law Commission also concluded that weddings law is not working for couples belonging to many different groups, and that it is unfair and inconsistent.

Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions and we have a duty to consider any changes to our marriage law carefully. As a new Government, it is right that we take the time to consider this issue, and we will set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to legally recognise humanist marriages in England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is aware that humanists have long been campaigning to conduct legally binding weddings, and we are grateful for the contributions that humanists make to our society.

The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the wholesale reform of weddings law, including recommendations that would enable non-religious belief groups, such as humanists, to conduct legally binding weddings. The Law Commission also concluded that weddings law is not working for couples belonging to many different groups, and that it is unfair and inconsistent.

Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions and we have a duty to consider any changes to our marriage law carefully. As a new Government, it is right that we take the time to consider this issue, and we will set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce incidence of self harm on the secure estate.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We recognise that rates of self-harm across the estate are high, and we are taking action to address this.

We provide individualised support through our case management process for people assessed as at risk of self-harm. This approach places a strong emphasis on identifying individual risks, triggers and protective factors and having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.

All new staff receive suicide and self-harm prevention and mental health awareness training, to increase skills in supporting at-risk prisoners.

We fund Samaritans to train prisoners to provide emotional support to other prisoners in crisis (the Listener Scheme).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve data capture on the (a) number of private law proceedings that involve allegations of child sexual abuse and (b) outcomes of these cases.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be introducing a new case management system for private law children‘s cases, Manage Cases. This system will identify each type of abuse or harm allegation made by an applicant, including child sexual abuse. This will support data capture of the number of proceedings in which child sexual abuse is a factor and the outcome of these cases. The national roll out of the new digital system is expected to begin later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA being heard in the Crown Court and the Magistrates Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Based on extracted management information data, the RSPCA has initiated 15,070 prosecutions since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in April 2007. This figure is taken as of September 2024 in line with published statistics.

There have been 198 Crown Court receipts of prosecutions initiated by the RSPCA since the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021 came into force in June 2021.

As the CPS has the power to take over any private prosecution, it is not possible to identify any such cases from the figures provided, and therefore these figures may include prosecutions taken over by the CPS.

This Government recognises that greater transparency is needed in relation to private prosecutions, in order to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 08 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA being heard in the Crown Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Based on extracted management information data, the RSPCA has initiated 15,070 prosecutions since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in April 2007. This figure is taken as of September 2024 in line with published statistics.

There have been 198 Crown Court receipts of prosecutions initiated by the RSPCA since the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021 came into force in June 2021.

As the CPS has the power to take over any private prosecution, it is not possible to identify any such cases from the figures provided, and therefore these figures may include prosecutions taken over by the CPS.

This Government recognises that greater transparency is needed in relation to private prosecutions, in order to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 08 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve managerial oversight in the Probation Service.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that effective management oversight contributes to the best outcomes, and ensures probation is able to reduce reoffending and protect the public. The Chief Probation Officer has set management oversight as one of her key priorities for the year 2025/2026.

In February 2025, HMPPS launched a new management oversight framework in the Probation Service which allows for a more responsive and targeted approach. The aim is to ensure that management oversight is sought and provided where it is most needed and in particular this means an increase in management oversight for new and inexperienced staff.

Managers within the Probation Service have undergone training to enable the successful adoption of this framework. Staff and managers work together proactively to secure effective management oversight which is responsive to the unique demands of an individual case, and the skills, knowledge and experience of the probation practitioner.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the impact of missed probation appointments by high-risk offenders on public safety; and what steps she is taking to ensure consistent enforcement of breach protocols.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Probation service was left on its knees after 14 years of Conservative Government. The Probation Service that this Government inherited from the previous administration has struggled under increased workloads. It was a service that the previous Conservative Government privatised and then partly renationalised putting our Probation Service officers, who do vital work every single day, under significant strain.

This Lord Chancellor has recently announced a number of changes to the probation service to prioritise where they focus and ensure more time can be spent managing high risk offenders.

A primary aim of the probation service is to protect the public through the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders. Those assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service, as reaffirmed by the Lord Chancellor in her speech on 12 February.

Probation supervision appointments are essential for the monitoring and the management of offenders.Any failure to comply could indicate an increased risk of harm and will result in swift enforcement action in line with HM Prison & Probation Service enforcement policy, this could include sanctions on the offender and even recall to prison. The Probation service employs a case management system to track and manage attendance alongside which Probation regional Performance and Quality teams work to ensure that the expected enforcement standards are consistently applied.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 11 March 2025 to Question 903119 on Female Offenders, whether that specialised training is available to all staff.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Foundation training programme for all new prison officers includes learning in relation to suicide and self-harm.  For officers working in the female estate, there is an additional week of Foundation training which gives officers an understanding of the potential for increased risk factors for women in custody in relation to self-harm and suicide.

There is additional Suicide and Self Harm training that deals specifically with suicide prevention across the custodial estate, the target audience of which is all staff across HM Prison & Probation Service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) prison and (b) probation staff have undertaken suicide prevention training.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All new prison officers receive training in suicide and self-harm prevention as part of their seven-week Foundation training course.

For existing prison staff, there is a dedicated training module on suicide and self-harm. The training provides an understanding as to the context of self-harm and suicide within prisons, as well as the purpose and implementation of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process which is used to support prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Responsibility for delivering this training sits locally with prisons, therefore it is not possible to accurately assess the overall numbers who have received this training, due to local variations in how training is recorded.

There are two suicide prevention learning packages for Probation Staff as part of the current core national offer. One is a Zero Suicide Alliance package for all staff. The other is a package aimed at new entrant learners undertaking Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) and new Probation Service Officers which was developed internally as part of a broader Introduction to Mental Health.

The Introduction to Mental Health learning is designated as required for those undertaking the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) and new Probation Service Officers (PSOs) in sentence management, both in custody and the community and is also accessed by established staff. The product contains knowledge modules around suicide and self-harm awareness.

The core national offer referenced is a comprehensive learning package which was recently introduced. Staff who were in post prior to this would have completed other core learning programmes.

It is important to note that whilst we collate completion figures for the current core learning, this does not represent the totality of suicide and self-harm prevention learning received by staff.

This is due to regionally organised activities and previous learning opportunities where data is not nationally held.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is providing suicide prevention training to (a) all and (b) newly recruited (i) prison and (ii) probation staff.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All new members of prison staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and all staff who undertake key roles relating to risk assessment and case management also receive specific training relating to those roles.  An e-learning module has recently been made available for all staff to access on postvention support following a self-inflicted death in custody.

There are two suicide prevention learning packages for probation staff: a Zero Suicide Alliance package for all staff, and a package aimed at new entrant Professional Qualification in Probation and Probation Service Officers which was developed internally as part of a broader introduction to mental health.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what is the longest outstanding inquest in the Isle of Wight.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.

However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.

For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.

I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.

We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what steps they are taking to support families of the deceased during the wait for an inquest.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.

However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.

For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.

I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.

We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many School Attendance Order (a) prosecutions and (b) fines there were under section 443 of the Education Act 1996 in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The volume of defendants prosecuted and fined for offences under 443 of the Education Act 1996 from 2015 - 2024 (January to September) is provided in the attached table 1.

Note that that this is an additional breakdown of statistics published by the Ministry of Justice on volumes of criminal proceedings.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve communication and information sharing between (a) South Wales and Gwent and (b) other regional probation services in the management of high-risk offenders.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Offenders assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service.

The Probation Service consistently shares information within and across regions to effectively manage risks and support individuals. This involves collaboration between probation, police, and other agencies to ensure comprehensive support and management of offenders to reduce reoffending and enhance public safety.

Wales Probation Service share information about the risks during case transfers through conversations between senior leaders and middle managers. This ensures effective communication and support for managing risks and individuals during transfer. Additionally, there is ongoing information sharing between South Wales, Gwent and other probation delivery units and regions to enhance the management of high-risk offenders and ensure comprehensive support across regions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to introduce the proposed Hillsborough Law, including a legal duty of candour for public servants.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Our thoughts remain with those affected by the Hillsborough disaster and we will get them the justice they deserve. Having consulted with these groups over the past few weeks, we believe more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law.

We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation, which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. Our engagement with victims, families and survivors is essential to getting this right for them, and work with them will only increase in the weeks ahead.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what plans they have to appoint deputy coroners to help to process incomplete inquests in the Isle of Wight.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.

However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.

For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.

I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.

We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what assessment they have made of why the average time to complete coroner inquests in the Isle of Wight is more than double the average time across all of England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.

However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.

For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.

I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.

We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations she has received from legal professional bodies on the performance of employment tribunals.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with legal professional bodies to discuss a range of matters about the justice system.

To address the demands the Employment Tribunals are facing, their capacity is being increased. Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days.

As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.

We do recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on Employment Tribunals and are working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding has been allocated to the employment tribunal system in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that funding has been spent on digital case management systems.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The table above gives the total allocated budget for the Employment Tribunals in the years shown in £m. This includes all staff costs, judicial salaries and fees, and other direct costs from the operation of the tribunals and the specific IT systems relating to Employment Tribunals, though excludes wider overheads such as the costs of buildings and other general IT systems.

It is not possible to identify separately the full running cost of the Employment Tribunals digital case management systems, as all maintenance, development and analysis work is carried out by HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s centrally-managed digital and data teams.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have started preparing a shadow body of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has not started preparing a shadow body of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner. This is a provision of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, on which the Government remains neutral and which is still under consideration by Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will conduct a review into the effectiveness of the Sentencing Council.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The proper role of the Sentencing Council, and the process for making guidelines, must be considered further and in greater depth. The Lord Chancellor has committed to reviewing the role and powers of the Council over the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees), published on 17 July 2023, when she plans to (a) (i) consult on the proposals and (ii) bring forward the legislative proposals outlined in that review and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to increase the fixed fees for High Court and non-High Court Fees.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.

The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.

The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.

The Government will set out its approach in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make her policy that local authorities that employ an internal team of certificated enforcement agents to collect fees under the (a) Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014 and (b) Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 must be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.

The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.

The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.

The Government will set out its approach in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 23 September 2022 to Question 51944 on Enforcement Conduct Board, if she will make it her policy to review the legal status of the Enforcement Conduct Board within two years of its operation.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.

The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.

The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.

The Government will set out its approach in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 27 March (HL5807), what are the names of the companies where the UK taxpayer is the only shareholder which brought a private prosecution using common law powers preserved under section 6(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in 2024.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice does not collate or record data on individual private prosecutors, although some prosecutors may publish their own data separately. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data on the number of companies where the UK taxpayer is the only shareholder that have brought a private prosecution in 2024.

This Government considers that it is important that more information about private prosecutors is available to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 8 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government does not currently plan to review or repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948. The Department of Health and Social Care recognise that this is an important issue, and the Department is looking at the drivers of cost in clinical negligence cases.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 29 July 2024 (HL68), when they intend to launch the review of the sentencing framework mentioned in the Answer, and what attention they will give to aligning the licence conditions for those subject to (1) 'two-strike' life sentences, and (2) imprisonment for public protection sentences.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government launched an Independent Review of Sentencing in October 2024, chaired by former Lord Chancellor David Gauke, to review the sentencing framework to ensure we are never again forced to rely on the emergency release of prisoners. The Review is considering options following three core principles: sentences must punish offenders and protect the public; sentences should encourage prisoners to turn their backs on a life of crime; and we must make greater use of punishment outside of prison. On 18 February 2025, the Review published Part 1 of its report, which sets out the history and trends in sentencing that contributed to the pressures on our prisons. The review has been asked to consider the framework around longer sentences, including life sentences.

However, the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence is not within the scope of the review. I look forward to seeing the Review’s recommendations when it reports in the Spring.

The mandatory life sentence for a second serious offence, also known as the ‘two-strikes’ life sentence, was introduced in 1997, and meant that judges had to impose a life sentence on anyone convicted of a second specified offence, unless there were exceptional circumstances. As with other types of life sentence, offenders under the two-strikes life sentence are given a minimum term, and then, if they are released by the Parole Board, they will be subject to licence conditions for the rest of their life.

The IPP sentence was an indeterminate sentence in use from 2005 to 2012. It was intended as a means of managing high-risk prisoners who did not meet the criteria for a life sentence. An IPP sentence was imposed where an offender was convicted of a serious specified violent or sexual offence, committed on or after the 4 April 2005, for which the penalty was 10 years or more and where, in the Court’s opinion, the offender posed a risk of harm to the public.

Unlike the IPP sentence, where the licence can be terminated either by the Parole Board at the end of the qualifying period, or after a further two years in the community on licence, the ‘two-strike’ sentence is a life sentence and has an indefinite licence period. There is no provision for a life sentence to be terminated and therefore, the IPP measures relating to licence termination are not applicable to ‘two-strike’ life sentence offenders.

As with all life sentenced prisoners, HM Prison and Probation Service supports those serving ‘two-strikes’ life sentences to reduce their risk to meet the Parole Board’s statutory release test when they become eligible for release. If released, they remain on life licence. The Government has no plans to change licence conditions for life sentences.

We want the Government to automatically remove parental responsibility from convicted perpetrators of domestic violence to ensure the safety of children and victims of domestic violence. I think this would mean children and victims can live freely, not in fear of continually being dragged to court.

Formalise the VRR schemes in legislation and set out that victims of domestic abuse have a timeframe of 24 months to make an application.

Greater regulations/protection in Money Claim Court applications. Require court officials be responsible for service of all claims forms/packs & conducting address checks before service to ensure respondent resides at address of service. Also for domestic abuse victims to be waived fees in disputes

We urge the Government to increase funding for non-adversarial solutions such as mediation and arbitration. We hope that this may result in more transparency, fair processes, and a shift towards shared parenting, ensuring children’s best interests are the primary focus.

We want the Government to change sentencing so that reoffending violent youths have the same treatment as adults even if it’s in a youth offenders prison. We feel if action is taken now this could make society safer and better.

Make the sentence for death by dangerous driving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years. We think it should be treated in the same way as murder because we think that when a driver kills somebody they have intentionally got behind the wheel and the car is the weapon.

We want the Government to notify individuals of their partner's criminal record so that when a new birth is registered, parents are automatically but discreetly notified if the other parent has a criminal history of domestic abuse or child-related offences.

Found: better long-term alignment between Home Office policies on crime and policing and those of the Ministry of Justice

Found: We fund this through a combination of a grant from the Ministry of Justice, charitable funding we raise

Found: criminal justice currently sits outside the Covenant duty, there is a disconnect between the Ministry of Justice

Found: ii) Appeals Thirdly, we are also working with the Ministry of Justice to tackle the appeals backlog

Found: The structure that has been put in place in the MoJ—the New Futures Network—really allows businesses

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to manage the potential impact of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on future trends in litigation on telecommunications infrastructure installation.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (“the 2022 Act”) introduced specific measures affecting applications to the courts on telecoms matters. These included a requirement for operators to inform landowners of the availability of alternative dispute resolution and to consider using it before issuing legal proceedings. This is intended to reduce costs and litigation.

DSIT is working with counterparts in the Ministry of Justice to understand the impacts of the changes made by the 2022 Act, including measures to transfer the jurisdiction for cases currently dealt with by the county court to the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal.

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Found: Until no later than 5.20 pm Stand with Hong Kong Until no later than 5.35 pm Home Office; Ministry of Justice

Found: Until no later than 5.20 pm Stand with Hong Kong Until no later than 5.35 pm Home Office; Ministry of Justice

Found: Antisemitism, Eddo Verdoner, alongside the World Jewish Restitution Organisation and the Dutch Ministry of Justice

Found: of Audit & Risk for Gov Facilities Management Services Limited (GovFSL), an arms length body of the MoJ

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Found: - Ministry of Justice internal data is used for assumptions around proportions of cases resulting

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Found: range of procedures and practices implemented by state actors from the Home Office to the Ministry of Justice

Found: The Ministry of Justice has also determined that there is a nil/minimal impact to the Justice System

Found: range of procedures and practices implemented by state actors from the Home Office to the Ministry of Justice

Found: The Ministry of Justice has also determined that there is a nil/minimal impact to the Justice System

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Found: September 2023, RoP [64] Report on the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill 13 was submitted to the Ministry of Justice

Found: Our anticipated impacts on the justice system are being considered by the Ministry of Justice.