Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the process for assigning judges to cases involving legal challenges to Government decisions.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Under section 7(2)(c) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice is responsible for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the deployment of the judiciary and the allocation of work within courts. Accordingly, the Government has no role in the process for assigning judges to cases.
This is consistent with the important principle of judicial independence, which shields judges from external pressures and gives the public confidence that cases will be decided fairly and in accordance with the law.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is planning to take to ensure that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained if the use of jury trials is reduced.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. The significant delays in our courts are corrosive of public confidence in our justice system. In many cases, witnesses and victims are pulling out of the court process, resulting in the collapse of trials and justice not being served. That is why this Government is determined to tackle the crisis and why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation. The central purpose of these reforms is precisely to restore public confidence in the justice system.
Whilst jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. The removal of the defendants’ right to elect is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conducted fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to remove jury trials for offences other than the most serious crimes on defendants’ rights.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Whilst the jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. The removal of the defendants’ right to elect or right to insist on a jury trial irrespective of the seriousness of the offence is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conduct fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.
The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. One of the first priorities of this Government has been to tackle this crisis, which is why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his independent review. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on (a) prisoner rehabilitation outcomes and (b) reoffending rates in establishments where they have been deployed.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative retention rates of (a) prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme and (b) those recruited through standard routes; and what steps he is taking to ensure similar retention rates for future cohorts.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison officer recruitment capacity of the conclusion of the Unlocked Graduates contract in 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.
The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.
The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings; and if it will legally recognise humanist marriages in the interim.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 2 October, the Government announced its intention to reform weddings law in England and Wales when parliamentary time allows and plans to consult on the details of reform early next year. These reforms will allow for the first time non-religious belief groups (including humanists) to conduct legally binding weddings. Reforms will create a level playing field within weddings law for all groups, and ensure that all groups have the same freedoms in relation to how they get married.
The Government is of the view that using the existing order-making power to legally recognise humanist weddings, even on an interim basis, would mean introducing new inequalities into existing law. This is because humanists would gain more freedoms in relation to how they marry than those available to most religious groups. The Government has decided to enable humanist weddings as part of thorough comprehensive reform that ensures all groups are treated equally and fairly.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the recruitment of magistrates from (a) younger age groups and (b) ethnic minority communities.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to building a strong and sustainable magistracy that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. Marketing materials are specifically designed to attract younger and more ethnically diverse candidates, and the Department keeps the recruitment process under review to ensure it supports applications from diverse applicants. In 2024-25, ethnic minority individuals constituted 23% of all magistrate appointments; and 41% of magistrate appointments were aged under 50.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) long service (i) awards and (ii) medals and (b) additional forms of formal recognition to support the (A) retention and (B) morale of magistrates.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Magistrates are already recognised for their service through initiatives such as long service certificates, nominations for UK National Honours, and invitations to Royal Garden Parties. Ministers are actively considering options to further recognise the invaluable contribution of magistrates to our criminal justice system.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to (a) speed up the marriage application process, (b) expand the scope of legal marriage venues and (c) review the 28-day notice period prior to the marriage ceremony.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The 28-day notice period implemented by the Immigration Act 2014 remains in place not only for administrative reasons but also to support safeguards against sham marriages. The Government has no plans to review this.
The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the reform of weddings law, including in relation to preliminaries, and where weddings can take place. The Government appreciates the importance of these issues and will provide an update in due course.