Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the number of probation officers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government recognises the vital role probation officers play in protecting the public and reducing reoffending. Recruitment and retention continue to be a priority and through these efforts we are starting to see the positive impact of a centralised recruitment process as a large number of qualified probation officers come through the pipeline.
In 2024/25, we exceeded our commitment to onboard 1,000 trainee probation officers, successfully onboarding 1,057. We are now going further, having committed to onboard a total of 1,300 trainee probation officers in 2025/26. Probation officer numbers have increased over both the last quarter and the last year. The Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) 20 recruitment campaign, which went live on the 19th of January, will further support our efforts to maintain strong recruitment momentum and sustain the pipeline of future probation officers.
A retention toolkit has been developed, informed by research into the drivers of attrition. This toolkit supports local, regional, and national interventions and is used alongside structured exit interviews which were introduced to gather feedback and shape future actions. It is positive that we are seeing a continued reduction in Probation Service attrition.
Both probation officer numbers in post and leaving rates can be found at HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: September 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) committed to prison and (b) given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
In 2024, there were 0 people committed to prison, and 19 given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax.
Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. However, under the committal to prison process, a court order can provide for someone to be committed to prison for not paying a debt.
Committal to prison can only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must have issued a “liability order” and the local authority must have (at least) tried and failed to take control of the debtor’s goods and sell them to recover the debt. Councils have additional powers of enforcement under a liability order, including deduction from earnings, deduction from benefit, charging orders on the property, and bankruptcy. If a council applies for committal to prison, the court must inquire into the debtor’s means, and the council must satisfy the court that there is no other effective method of collection and that failure to pay is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison. Where that is the case courts have the power to remit the debt.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing restrictions on serious (a) sexual and (b) violent criminals.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is crucial that we have a justice system that punishes offenders and supports victims. That’s why increasing restriction on serious sexual and violent offenders is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.
For most sentences, we will introduce a new model inspired by Texas where offenders will serve at least one-third of their sentence in custody subject to their behaviour. However, certain serious violent and sexual offenders will still serve at least half their sentence before release and could serve up until the end of their sentence in custody if they do not comply with rules and restrictions.
After prison, offenders will face tougher post-custody supervision – with a presumption that they will be tagged. We are introducing a new power which will allow probation to impose these restriction zones on offenders on licence and serving community sentences, where appropriate. These will restrict certain offenders to specific areas – so their victims know they are safe wherever else they want to go.
Also, in November last year, we launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in selected areas. DAPOs bring together the strongest features from current protective orders into a single more comprehensive order that goes further to protect victims of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with representatives of the Welsh Government.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Secretary of State has not discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with counterparts in the Welsh Government.
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Bill.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Lord Chancellor has appointed Dame Vera Baird DBE KC to carry out a thorough review of the operation of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, to increase public confidence in the organisation and the important work it undertakes investigating potential miscarriages of justice.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she last met with the leadership of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Secretary of State met the incoming interim Chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Dame Vera Baird DBE KC, on 3 June 2025.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of criminal legal aid to people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Criminal legal aid, where needed, is essential to support those accused of a crime to defend themselves and to uphold their right to a fair trial.
This Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a legal aid system that is creaking and on the point of collapse. We have already taken steps to start rebuilding that system and we are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the legal aid sector.
As an important first step, in November 2024, we announced our response to the Crime Lower consultation, confirming an uplift to the lowest police station fees, introducing a new Youth Court fee scheme, and paying for travel time in certain circumstances. Together, these changes amount to a £24 million investment for criminal legal aid providers.
Furthermore, in December 2024, we announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year to support the sustainability of the criminal legal aid market. This latest commitment reflects the vital work that is undertaken by those who provide criminal legal aid and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to access to justice. We are also committed to continuing to work with the criminal legal aid profession, including the Bar, on further opportunities for reform this Parliament and to support the overall sustainability, diversity, and efficiency of the system.
The Legal Aid Agency is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. Procurement for legal aid contracts is now operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This is a significant change from the previous approach where firms could only bid to join at the initial tender of what typically was a five-year contract term. This new approach enables new entrants to apply for a contract at any time and for existing providers to expand their services. It is a more flexible approach, removing hard deadlines and maximising the available supply of services.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help support victims of sexual abuse living in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.
Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales (including Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme). These include delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. Under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.
In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding will be increased for the year 2025/26.
The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services, including sexual abuse victims. This includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need; and through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) to enable specialist support organisations to deliver services to victims, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover. RASASF provides £399,000 to organisations in the Staffordshire PCC area (including Newcastle-under-Lyme).
Victims in Staffordshire can also access the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales. The Line provides victims aged 16 and over access to vital help and information whenever they need it.
Funding for services beyond March 2026 will be subject to decisions made through the ongoing Spending Review process.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle intimate image abuse in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.
Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales (including Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme). These include delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. Under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.
In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding will be increased for the year 2025/26.
The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services, including sexual abuse victims. This includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need; and through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) to enable specialist support organisations to deliver services to victims, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover. RASASF provides £399,000 to organisations in the Staffordshire PCC area (including Newcastle-under-Lyme).
Victims in Staffordshire can also access the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales. The Line provides victims aged 16 and over access to vital help and information whenever they need it.
Funding for services beyond March 2026 will be subject to decisions made through the ongoing Spending Review process.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support probation officers working in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
West Midlands Probation region is committed to supporting probation officers across Staffordshire, including those working in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area. The challenges faced by probation staff are recognised and the region continues to take steps to ensure their wellbeing and professional development.
The Lord Chancellor has committed to bringing in at least 1,000 new probation officer trainees by March 2025 to bolster probation capacity. Across the West Midlands region, there are currently 186 trainee officers. In North Staffordshire, caseloads are carefully managed to make sure staff have the capacity to deliver effective supervision.
The Probation Service Learning and Development Model sets out the mandatory, required, and desirable learning for Probation Officer (PO) and Probation Services Officers (PSO). Support includes digital (e.g. videos, podcasts, interactive experiences and virtually delivered learning), as well as face to face delivery and a suite of resources. Alongside this, HMPPS launched a new learning programme in 2024 for all new Senior Probation Officers focused on developing their skills to support Probation Officers to deliver high quality probation practice.
Regional staff support and wellbeing leads cover both prison and probation. Their role includes coordinating wellbeing services, peer services and liaison with human resources (HR) and other stakeholders. An updated HMPPS Staff Support Directory was published in May 2024. A range of well-being and support initiatives are in place across North Staffordshire.