Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of measures to support the victims of theft of a driving licence.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring support is available for victims, so that those affected by crime, including theft, can access the help they need throughout the justice process.
That is why, in total, the Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.
This includes annual grant funding to the 42 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas across England and Wales, who commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic services based on an assessment of need in their area.
Within this envelope, we will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of trustee mismanagement of asset protection trusts were investigated by his Department in each of the last three years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The trustees of a trust hold assets for the benefit of others (the beneficiaries of the trust) under the terms of the trust document.
The general law of trusts enables the beneficiaries of a trust to hold the trustees to account to the extent permitted by the trust instrument or in legislation. In appropriate cases, it may be possible for the beneficiaries to have the trustees removed and replaced.
The decision as to whether to take action against the trustees is, in the absence of a crime, for the beneficiaries affected, and disputes are determined by the courts rather than investigated by Government.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects the Court of Appeal to consider the 1998 conviction of former subpostmistress Patricia Owen.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The case of Patricia Owen has been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) under section 9 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995.
Following approval for her daughter to act on her behalf, solicitors have been directed to lodge Grounds of Appeal by 3 December 2025.
Once these are received, and the Respondent’s Notice is filed, the case will be prepared for listing before the Court.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the scale of the work and (b) the time needed to bring Harrow Crown Court back into full use; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Freer
On 18 August 2023, following routine maintenance, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was identified at Harrow Crown Court, a court built in the 1990s. HMCTS took the decision to close the site and work is underway at Harrow Crown Court for the removal of RAAC from the building. We are now carrying out surveys at all courts built during 1990s.
The current estimate is that this work will take between six and nine months to complete. HMCTS have taken steps to minimise disruption to operational services. Cases have been moved to other courts within London.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department was first informed of potential safety concerns at Harrow Crown Court; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Freer
On 18 August 2023, following routine maintenance, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was identified at Harrow Crown Court, a court built in the 1990s. HMCTS took the decision to close the site on the same day and work is underway at Harrow Crown Court for the removal of RAAC from the building. We are now carrying out surveys at all courts built during 1990s.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department have been allocated to deal with issues related to international trade in (a) each of the past five years and (b) the next two years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Freer
Trade issues cut across many groups within the Ministry of Justice as we worked to ensure the best possible transition to an independent trading nation. It is therefore, not possible to provide a figure for the number of staff in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that were allocated to deal with issues related to international trade in each of the past five years.
At present, approximately 20 officials work fully, or in part, on international trade issues within the Department. Over the next two years, the MoJ will continue to allocate resource based on supporting the Department’s policy interests.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department had on the 1984 Cammell Laird shipyard dispute with (i) other Government departments, (ii) the GMB trade union and (iii) other stakeholders between 1997 and 2007; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Freer
Due to the passage of time and in line with retention periods, there are no records of communications between 1997 and 2007 regarding the Cammell Laird Strike of 1984.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) safety measures and (b) additional support his Department has put in place to ensure the wellbeing of people in prisons during current extreme temperatures; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Baynes
Prisons are appropriately prepared and are well-versed at managing situations such as heatwaves. Heatwave guidance aligned to the Heatwave Plan for England was issued to the whole prison estate on 15th June and further advice issued on 15th July to all prison governors to support them with managing the situation at the local level.
As well as providing information on safety for the general prison population and for staff, the guidance covers support for vulnerable groups identified by the UK Health Security Agency as at greater risk in heatwaves. The guidance encourages joint working with NHS prison health services to identify and support people with vulnerabilities.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release, Plan to reform Human Rights Act, published 14 December 2021, which states that if he will provide the (a) source, (b) method by which the information was obtained and (c) sample size for the statement in that press release that as many as 70 per cent of successful human rights challenges are brought by foreign national offenders who cite a right to family life in the first instance when appealing deportation orders; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
This data is from Home Office management information. In the period 1 April 2016 to 8 November 2021, of 1,011 appeals against deportation by FNOs that were allowed on Human Rights grounds at First Tier Tribunal, an estimated success 70% were allowed solely on Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) grounds.
This data was published by the Home Office on 24 February 2022. The link to this data on the Government’s portal, including the explanation of the methodology and of the sample, is https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-national-offenders-appeals-on-human-rights-grounds-2008-to-2021.
I have asked for the press release you have quoted to be updated to read: ‘It is estimated that as many as 70% of appeals against deportation by FNOs that were allowed on Human Rights grounds in the first instance were allowed solely on Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) grounds’.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what were the 10 principal causes of death of those prisoners who died while in women's prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody up to December 2021 is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends, at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Those statistics are broken down by whether the death was self-inflicted, from natural causes, or from other non-natural causes, or by homicide. They also show the number of ‘awaiting further information’ cases where the cause of death cannot yet be ascertained and remains under investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or a coroner.