Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the number of children in administrative detention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to advocate for their release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. Israeli authorities must either charge or release detainees. UK officials regularly engage with groups supporting children in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to understand the impact of administrative detention and prison conditions on children.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of cases awaiting trial at Truro Crown Court in the last 12 months.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. We have funded a record-high allocation of Crown Court sitting days – 110,000 days this financial year, 4,000 more than the previous Government – to tackle the outstanding caseload.
However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days alone can achieve.
This is why we commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to consider the merits of longer-term reform and the efficiency of processes in the criminal courts. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals in more detail before setting out the Government’s full response to the report in the autumn.
At the end of March 2025 there were 373 open cases at Truro Crown Court. 328 of these were "for trial" cases, up from 191 the previous year.
Truro continues to maximise the use of Crown Court estate to increase the number of cases sat. In June 2025 Crown Court appeals were heard at Truro magistrates’ court to reduce the appeal backlog, whilst also maintaining trials at Truro Crown Court.
Further information regarding caseload trends can be found in the published statistics which can be found here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the health risks posed by (a) microplastics and (b) plastic-related toxins to (i) people and (ii) ecosystems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. Defra published this report on 12 May 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments are considering its findings.
The Environment Agency (EA) has identified areas of key research that will assist policymakers in developing targeted, proportionate, and effective interventions to minimise the impacts of microplastics on the environment.
The EA continues to support the water industry and National Highways with microplastics investigations and options appraisal for minimising microplastics releases from infrastructure. Additional collaboration with academia ensures understanding of environmental risk and regulatory development is informed by strong scientific evidence.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to work with international partners to support lower-income countries in meeting Global Plastics Treaty obligations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the importance of mobilising support for countries most in need to implement the agreement and that this is an essential element for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution.
The Government supports the use of the Global Environment Facility to support the implementation of the treaty – this will avoid further fragmentation of the environmental financial architecture and to allow for synergies with funding for the related challenges of climate and nature.
The UK has supported developing countries to attend the negotiations and regional consultation meetings, including through a £200,000 uplift ahead of INC-5.2, bringing the total of UK support for the treaty process to £2.2 million. The UK is also the largest donor (£20.5 million) to the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which bring together governments, businesses, and civil society to tackle plastic pollution and increase investment in the circular economy in ODA-eligible countries. Members across GPAP’s networks have committed a total US$2.9 billion to plastic pollution initiatives as of March 2024.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contract management procedures are in place for prisoner escort contracts.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The contracts for supply of services to the Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS), which is part of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), are overseen by a specialist team, which monitors supplier performance against contractual obligations, works closely with suppliers to address any issues, and applies appropriate commercial levers and financial remedies should this be necessary. It reports quarterly to Ministers.
In addition to initiatives to improve outcomes at a local level, HMPPS collaborates with criminal justice partners through the Strategic Partnership Board. The board includes representatives from His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, the police, and PECS suppliers. Its core objective is to ensure that prisoners are delivered to court on time, and that courts are prepared for their arrival, supporting a timely start to the court’s business day.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK is taking steps to align its domestic circular economy strategy with the Global Plastics Treaty's likely obligations including (a) packaging reform and (b) waste reduction targets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has set its plan for providing the direction and certainty for businesses to plan and spearhead the nation’s transition to a truly circular and future-proof economy. The first six priority sectors that the Circular Economy Taskforce will focus on have been confirmed – with chemicals & plastics one of the six.
Global action is critical for our domestic and international ambitions which is why at inc 5.2, we will continue to push for ambitious measures across the whole lifecycle of the treaty. After negotiations conclude we will reflect on what this means for our domestic policy to ensure the UK continues to show leadership domestically and on the international stage.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of outsourced forensics contracts.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
There has always been a mixed model of forensic provision in England and Wales, with some work done in-house by police forces and some contracted to the commercial sector.Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables are responsible for procuring forensic services from the commercial sector should they choose to do so.
However, the Home Secretary acknowledged in November last year that forensic science had been held back by uncoordinated funding and fragmented governance. This is why we will be consulting on plans to create a National Centre of Policing, including forensics as a national capability, to bring together crucial support services that local police forces can draw upon, to raise standards, and improve efficiency.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra agreed to the proposal by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority to increase the minimum landing size of Fal oysters on 21 July 2025. Cornwall IFCA has been informed and further engagement on this issue with relevant stakeholders will take place in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of (a) Serco and (b) GeoAmey PECS under the prisoner escort and custody service contract.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is recognised that there are many factors that can lead to trials being delayed, and that the efficient running of the criminal justice system requires a whole-system approach.
Over the three months March to May 2025, GEOAmey, the PECS supplier in the north, escorted 45,632 prisoners to court. There were 11 instances of delay in arrival for which PECS was responsible, and nine instances where failure to staff a court resulted in a delay. The overall performance rating was 99.96%.
In the south, during the same period, Serco escorted 41,052 prisoners to court and were found responsible for 51 instances of delay in arrival. There were also 19 instances of failure to staff a court leading to a delay. The overall performance rating was 99.83%.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will publish a cross-government strategy on children and armed conflict.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The latest UN Secretary General's report on Children and Armed Conflict is shocking. It shows that children are being harmed and denied lifesaving aid on an unprecedented scale.
In the UN Security Council, the UK has called on all parties to armed conflict to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children, and for perpetrators to be held to account. The UK also remains committed to promoting and defending the UN's Children and Armed Conflict mandate.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) is currently reviewing our approach to children in conflict.