Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency; what steps they are taking to ensure that legal aid providers are being remunerated for their work despite any disruption; and when the Agency's online digital service will again be operational.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
On Wednesday 23 April, the Department became aware of a cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) online digital services.
To ensure the best chance of reaching as many potentially impacted individuals as possible the Ministry of Justice acted quickly. A notice was published a notice at 08:15 on the 19 May on GOV.UK.
This has been an unprecedented event and every effort is being made to restore services following the criminal attack on our systems. The LAA digital services have been taken offline to negate the threat and prevent further exposure of legal aid providers and users. We have been able to return some systems to internal use, enabling an improved ability to support criminal legal aid applications and payments.
We cannot confirm a specific timescale for full service restoration. In the interim, the LAA will continue to provide updates as soon as they are available and will work closely with representative bodies to ensure any extended or refined contingency measures support providers and their clients to the maximum extent. All updates, including contingency arrangements, are published on the LAA’s dedicated cyber security incident webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/legal-aid-agency-cyber-security-incident.
Our priority remains to maintain access to justice and to ensure legal aid providers can continue to be paid in a timely manner. These enhanced measures are designed to support legal aid providers and their clients and to prevent a significant case backlog while contingency measures are in place.
The data breach is the result of serious criminal activity, but it was enabled by the fragility of the LAA’s IT systems as a result of the long years of underinvestment under the last Conservative Government. By contrast, since taking power this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the LAA digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what guidance they will issue to (1) the Ministry of Justice, and (2) agencies and public bodies that work with the Ministry of Justice, about updating their policies and written guidance; whether they will consult the organisation Sex Matters in doing so; and whether the revised policies and written guidance will be laid before Parliament.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they will ask the Victims' Commissioner to report on the implementation of the decision by the Supreme Court in regard to victims within six months.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Supreme Court ruling has provided clarity for women and service providers that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. The Government is currently considering the implications of the Court’s judgment.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they plan to issue guidance to ensure that judges and magistrates refer to all parties in courts and tribunals by their biological sex.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for the guidance and training of the judiciary is held by the Lady Chief Justice, Senior President of Tribunals and Chief Coroner, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College. It is not constitutionally appropriate for the Government to issue guidance to the judiciary.
How judges refer to people in court is a matter for the judiciary and should be done in accordance with the Equal Treatment Bench Book. Judicial College will publish the next update to the Book in the summer. It is published online at the following link: https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/diversity/equal-treatment-bench-book/.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they plan to issue guidance to ensure that all people who appear in courts in England, including defendants, victims and witnesses, are referred to by their biological sex, and that records of convictions state the biological sex of convicts.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to the services they need, in keeping with the ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for courts and other government buildings. How court proceedings will be dealt with under the Court’s ruling will be a matter for the judiciary.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what plans they have to establish dedicated spaces in court buildings for people of the female biological sex, including judges, magistrates, court staff, victims and members of the public.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to the services they need, in keeping with the ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for courts and other government buildings. How court proceedings will be dealt with under the Court’s ruling will be a matter for the judiciary.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, what plans they have to include the biological sex of civil servants in reports about those employed by the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and public bodies.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment.
The Government publishes annual statistics on the UK Civil Service workforce, including reporting on sex. The statistics can be found here: Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2024 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what guidance they will issue to ensure that prisoners of female biological sex are not searched by prisoner officers of male biological sex.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.
This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and have not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.
Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment and policies, including searching in the prison estate, are under review.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether prisoners of male biological sex will be removed from prison units allocated to prisoners of female biological sex.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.
Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to purchasing prison space in US Federal or State prisons to house UK prisoners to free up prison space.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.