Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the civil justice system for litigants in person.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring access to justice for all, whether people have legal representation or not. The Ministry of Justice is providing over £6 million of grant funding in 2025-26 to 60 organisations to improve access to free legal support and information, both in-person and online. This includes support for Litigants in Person (LiPs) to help them navigate the justice system effectively, including preparation for court and support at court.
Judges have a duty to ensure a fair trial by giving LiPs assistance, helping to ensure that LiPs are treated equally before the law. Guidance and rules sets out how the judiciary engage with LiPs, including the Equal Treatment Bench Book and Practice Direction 1A of the Civil Procedure Rules. LiPs can request supportive measures including reasonable adjustments, and interpreters at court. They can request to bring their own supporter such as a friend/family member. New digital services built under the Reform programme have been designed to be simple, accessible, and easy to use for LiPs.
The Government will continue to take steps to understand and improve LiPs’ experience of the civil justice system through Public User engagement Groups, research and feedback surveys.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Family Court Quarterly Statistics, published on 27 March 2025, for what reason 8,150 bereaved families waited over six months for the Probate Registry to issue grants of (a) probate and (b) administration in 2024.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) retains complaint data concerning lost documentation for a period of five years. HMCTS conducts regular meetings with our bulk scanning provider to review occurrences of lost documents and is committed to continually enhancing our systems to minimize these incidents.
The open probate caseload includes individual cases that may experience delays due to various factors such as family disputes or insufficient information being provided by the applicants. HMCTS actively contacts users to facilitate the progression of cases requiring additional information. Official statistics on the open caseload are regularly published via the following link: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of documents lost by the Probate Registry in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) retains complaint data concerning lost documentation for a period of five years. HMCTS conducts regular meetings with our bulk scanning provider to review occurrences of lost documents and is committed to continually enhancing our systems to minimize these incidents.
The open probate caseload includes individual cases that may experience delays due to various factors such as family disputes or insufficient information being provided by the applicants. HMCTS actively contacts users to facilitate the progression of cases requiring additional information. Official statistics on the open caseload are regularly published via the following link: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners (a) have served their original sentence and (b) maintain their innocence.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Data regarding how many and what proportions of prisoners have served their original sentence and maintain their innocence is not collated by the Ministry of Justice.
Innocence is a matter for the courts, so HM Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board must treat the individual as being guilty of the crimes they have been convicted of but maintaining innocence does not prevent prisoners being released from custody. Most prisoners are released automatically and so their attitude to the index offence has no bearing on their release date. Where release is subject to review by the independent Parole Board, the Board take a range of factors into account, and they must direct an offender’s release where they are satisfied that the statutory release test has been met regardless of whether the prisoner maintains their innocence.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is adequate enforcement of unfulfilled court compensation orders.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Courts may impose a compensation order on an offender requiring them to make financial reparation to the victim for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence. Compensation may be ordered for such amount as the court considers appropriate having regard to any evidence including any representations made by the offender or prosecutor. There is no limit on the value of a single compensation order handed down to an adult offender. For young offenders, the maximum limit is £5,000.
Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine. The imposition is enforced as a whole, and any receipts received are applied to the offender’s account in accordance with a strict legal hierarchy. This ensures that compensation is paid first to ensure that victims receive any monies they are due first, with the victim surcharge being the second element to be collected and the fine element being the last to be collected.
The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of means to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. This includes deducting money from an offender’s earnings, or benefits if they are unemployed, or, if appropriate, issuing warrants instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. Offenders can also be imprisoned for up to 12 months for non-payment of compensation orders.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is already investing over £14 million in technology to increase the collection of financial penalties imposed in the criminal courts, including compensation orders, with a replacement IT system currently under development.