Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the reference in the answer of 14 January 2026 to question 103614 to “all other cases” in which common law perpetuity rules apply is intended to include commercial land instruments, including commercial options, rights of pre-emption, and easements; and, if so, which perpetuity regime the Department considers applicable to such instruments.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The reference in the Government’s response to Question 103614 “in all other cases, only the common law rules apply” refers to all instruments not captured by the regimes established by the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009, the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1964 and the Law of Property Act 1925.
As set out in the answer to Question 103614 this is a complex and technical area of law, and there will be a lot of fact specific issues in each case. Individuals should seek independent legal advice on what regime applies to their circumstances.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009; and whether any measures referred to in the House of Commons Hansard debate of 2 November 2009 (Vol. 498, col. 6) were implemented, withdrawn or remain in effect.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No systematic concerns have been raised by stakeholders about the operation of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009, and as such, no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Act.
The then Perpetuities and Accumulations Bill was read for a Third Time on 2 November 2009 and passed without amendment. This is a complex and technical area of law. There are several regimes that apply in practice, following the 2009 Act coming into force, which are briefly summarised below.
In all other cases, only the common law rules apply.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to introduce legislation to remedy the impact of the judgment in R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) (Appellants) v Competition Appeal Tribunal and others (Respondents) UKSC/2021/0078.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all.
The Government welcomes the Civil Justice Council review of litigation funding, which will help inform the approach to potential reforms. We are considering the report carefully and will outline next steps in due course.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support the funding of third-party litigation in London.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all.
The Government welcomes the Civil Justice Council review of litigation funding, which will help inform the approach to potential reforms. We are considering the report carefully and will outline next steps in due course.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) update victim notification procedures.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Victims’ Code is statutory guidance that sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive from the criminal justice system. Under the Code, victims have the right to information when reporting the crime, during investigation and prosecution, during the trial, and at the outcome of the trial. We will be consulting on a new Code in due course to make sure we get the foundations for victims right.
Through the Victim and Courts Bill, we will be updating the legislative framework that establishes the Victim Contact Scheme to bring victims currently served by different post-conviction communication schemes into the Victim Contact Scheme and provide a new route for other victims to request information via a dedicated helpline. This will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims have been notified of the early release of their offender in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that information about an offender’s release is available to victims who need it most. Victims who are eligible for, and who have opted into, the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme will be informed about any changes to an offender’s release date where it is appropriate to do so. Responsibility for informing victims about release through each of these schemes sits with HMPPS Victim Liaison Officers.
We have committed to improve the support and information for victims, which is why, through the Victim and Courts Bill, we are establishing a new route for all other victims to request information about an offender’s release, which will be delivered through a new, dedicated Helpline. This will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
With regards to how many victims have been notified of the early release of their offender in each of the last five years, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims are informed when offenders are released early from custody.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that information about an offender’s release is available to victims who need it most. Victims who are eligible for, and who have opted into, the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme will be informed about any changes to an offender’s release date where it is appropriate to do so. Responsibility for informing victims about release through each of these schemes sits with HMPPS Victim Liaison Officers.
We have committed to improve the support and information for victims, which is why, through the Victim and Courts Bill, we are establishing a new route for all other victims to request information about an offender’s release, which will be delivered through a new, dedicated Helpline. This will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
With regards to how many victims have been notified of the early release of their offender in each of the last five years, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance has been issued to police forces on informing victims about the early release of offenders.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that information about an offender’s release is available to victims who need it most. Victims who are eligible for, and who have opted into, the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme will be informed about any changes to an offender’s release date where it is appropriate to do so. Responsibility for informing victims about release through each of these schemes sits with HMPPS Victim Liaison Officers.
We have committed to improve the support and information for victims, which is why, through the Victim and Courts Bill, we are establishing a new route for all other victims to request information about an offender’s release, which will be delivered through a new, dedicated Helpline. This will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
With regards to how many victims have been notified of the early release of their offender in each of the last five years, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests are outstanding in the Isle of Wight Coroner’s Office; and how long they have been waiting to be heard.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Real-time information is not centrally collated on the total number of uncompleted coroner investigations in individual coroner areas, and their length.
However, the number of open inquests at 31 December 2024 is published in the Coroner Statistics (Coroners statistics 2024 - GOV.UK). The data for each coroner area can be found in the CSV tables published alongside the statistical report.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison deaths were recorded by the Isle of Wight coroner in each of the last five years; on what dates the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation was (a) opened and (b) completed for each of those cases; and whether an inquest was held.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Coroners have a statutory duty under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to hold an inquest into all deaths of individuals who die while in custody or other state detention. The coroner will typically suspend their investigation into a death pending the completion of any related investigatory processes, primarily to avoid duplication of process.
The annex sets out the dates on which the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) opened and completed investigations into prison deaths occurring in the Isle of Wight coroner area in each of the last five calendar years. Information on fatal incidents and investigations are published by the PPO on their website, including in their annual report, available here: Death investigations & reports – Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or here Fatal Incident reports | Document Types | Archive website - Prisons & Probation Ombudsman post July 2024.
Inquests have concluded into two of the deaths that occurred in 2020, and eight that occurred in 2021. Inquests into the remaining deaths listed in the annex have not yet concluded.