Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the report into the escape by Daniel Khaliffe from HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Following Daniel Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023, Keith Bristow QPM was appointed to conduct an independent investigation. The investigation was asked to identify shortcomings and ensure lessons are learned to help prevent incidents of this nature occurring again in future. Following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings earlier this year, we are considering carefully what information from Mr Bristow’s report, which relates to matters of prison security, can be appropriately shared.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the date by which the Crown Court backlog will return to pre-2020 levels.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog from the Conservative administration. We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. That is why we took immediate action, funding a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days this financial year. We will invest up to £92 million more a year in criminal legal aid solicitors and have already boosted Magistrates’ sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months. However, the backlog has reached such an extent that reducing the backlog to a sustainable level will take a considerable period of time. Fundamental reform is necessary. That is why the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to propose once-in-a-generation reform that will improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.
Part one of the Independent Review of Criminal Courts has now been published. We are considering Sir Brian’s proposals and will publish a government response in due course, then introduce legislation when parliamentary time allows. Part two of the Review, considering how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is expected to be finalised later this year.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review sentencing guidelines or judicial training for the sentencing of repeat knife carriers.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Knife crime has destroyed far too many lives. That is why, as part of the Safer Streets mission, we are working to halve knife crime within a decade. To date, we have taken action to ban zombie knives, and the ban on ninja swords came into force on 1 August 2025 – it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We have also implemented “Ronan’s Law”, a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives.
The maximum penalty for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon is 4 years’ imprisonment. In recognition of the seriousness of offences related to knives, Parliament has provided for minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Where someone is physically harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that they may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment.
Sentencing guidelines are produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. In 2018, the Council issued a package of guidelines on offences involving possession of and threatening with bladed articles and offensive weapons. These are available on its website at: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/crown-court/. The Council published an evaluation last year which found that the package of guidelines are working as intended.
To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for judicial training is held by the Lady Chief Justice, Senior President of Tribunals and Chief Coroner. The responsibilities are fulfilled by the Judicial College. The training programme is published online in an annual prospectus.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent high-volume offenders from reoffending, and whether they will consider introducing minimal sentencing provisions for reoffenders.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We know that prolific offenders represent nearly 10% of offenders but account for just over 50% of all sentences. That clearly cannot continue, which is why David Gauke was asked to look at this issue in the independent sentencing review, to ensure we have fewer crimes committed by prolific criminals.
Prolific offenders often have a complex set of needs, and to tackle the underlying causes of offending community sentences may also have rehabilitative requirements attached, including drug, alcohol and mental health difficulties. The Independent Sentencing Review made a clear recommendation to expand the use of Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs) - we have acted on that and have published an Expression of Interest process to identify future areas, with plans to begin implementation within the next year. These courts impose orders with tough conditions, including regular judicial reviews and rehabilitative requirements, along with strict consequences for non-compliance to tackle the root causes of prolific offending. There is strong international evidence showing that these approaches can break the cycle of re-offending, and early results from the ISCs are promising.
Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders – including prolific offenders – and this includes discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences, and custodial sentences.
Minimum sentences are rare in England and Wales, and are only provided in legislation for certain offences where there is a particular concern. It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided, and any relevant Sentencing Guidelines published by the Sentencing Council. Sentencing must also be proportionate to the offence committed, taking into account all the circumstances of each case.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service holds on (1) the immigration status and (2) the nationalities of prison chaplains.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The immigration status of Prison Chaplains is not held internally by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Immigration status is checked as part of the recruitment and vetting process, and all Prison Chaplains must hold valid right to work and meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules to be eligible for employment in HMPPS.
Table: Chaplaincy staff directly employed(1)(2) by HMPPS in public sector prisons(3), by Nationality(4), as of 30 June 2025.
Nationality | Headcount | Full-time equivalent |
British | 245 | 188 |
English | 38 | 28 |
Irish | 0 | 0 |
Scottish | 1 | 1 |
Welsh | 1 | 1 |
German | 1 | 1 |
Italian | 0 | 0 |
Polish | 1 | 1 |
Other National Identity | 18 | 11 |
Not known/Prefer not to say | 203 | 162 |
Grand Total | 508 | 393 |
Notes:
1. Religious provisions in prisons are also delivered by Chaplains engaged on a sessional basis and by unremunerated Chaplains. The number of non-directly employed Chaplains is not recorded centrally. The table contains information on the number of full time and part time Chaplains directly employed by HMPPS.
2. Unpaid staff, such as those on career breaks and on long term sick or unpaid maternity / adoption leave, are excluded from the data.
3. Only includes staff who are based in public sector prisons.
4. Most staff who joined the Ministry of Justice after 2017 have their nationality recorded but this information is missing from the centralised HR database for the majority of staff who joined before this date. If the nationality composition is different for newer recruits, then the above table might not be representative of all chaplains in post.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 4 July 2019 (HL16560), what is the number of prison chaplains for each recognised faith or belief.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The statutory duties of a prison chaplain are set out in the Prison Act 1952.
We recognise and respect the right of prisoners to register and practice their faith or belief while in custody. Chaplaincy plays a critical and unique role in the work of prisons and the life of prisoners. It not only provides advice on faith/belief matters, but also offers pastoral care, in support of HM Prison and Probation Service’s commitment to decency, safety and rehabilitation. Chaplains may work on an employed basis (either full-time or part-time), or be engaged on a contracted, sessional or voluntary basis.
The number of prison chaplains in prisons in England and Wales by faith or belief (as of 2 September 2025) is set out in the following table:
Faith/Belief | Number of Chaplains |
Baháʼí | 3 |
Buddhist | 62 |
Christian | 584 |
Christan Science | 7 |
Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints | 21 |
Hindu | 22 |
Humanist and Non-Religious | 13 |
Jehovah Witness | 137 |
Jewish | 35 |
Muslim | 263 |
Pagan | 26 |
Quaker | 33 |
Rastafarian | 13 |
Salvation Army | 3 |
Seventh Day Adventist | 3 |
Sikh | 36 |
Spiritualist | 5 |
Total | 1,266 |
Data sources and quality:
The figures in the table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce reoffending among hyper-prolific offenders.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We know that prolific offenders represent nearly 10% of offenders but account for just over 50% of all sentences. That clearly cannot continue, which is why David Gauke was asked to look at this issue in the independent sentencing review, to ensure we have fewer crimes committed by prolific criminals.
Prolific offenders often have a complex set of needs, and to tackle the underlying causes of offending community sentences may also have rehabilitative requirements attached, including drug, alcohol and mental health difficulties. The Independent Sentencing Review made a clear recommendation to expand the use of Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs) - we have acted on that and have published an Expression of Interest process to identify future areas, with plans to begin implementation within the next year. These courts impose orders with tough conditions, including regular judicial reviews and rehabilitative requirements, along with strict consequences for non-compliance to tackle the root causes of prolific offending. There is strong international evidence showing that these approaches can break the cycle of re-offending, and early results from the ISCs are promising.
Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders – including prolific offenders – and this includes discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences, and custodial sentences.
Minimum sentences are rare in England and Wales, and are only provided in legislation for certain offences where there is a particular concern. It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided, and any relevant Sentencing Guidelines published by the Sentencing Council. Sentencing must also be proportionate to the offence committed, taking into account all the circumstances of each case.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Ministry of Justice has spent on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London in the last 12 months, and on what dates the training has taken place.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
The ‘Issues in Countering Terrorism’ course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, rather than by the Ministry of Justice, and administered through a Cabinet Office contract. Therefore, Ministry of Justice spend on the course is zero.
In the last 12 months, the course took place on the following dates: 28 February to 02 March; 28 to 30 March; 18, 19 and 21 September; and 18 to 20 December.