Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Government intends to launch the public consultation on wedding law reform.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We will be undertaking the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales early this year. The exact publication date is yet to be confirmed.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of CAFCASS in supporting children during family court proceedings who have (a) experienced or (b) witnessed domestic abuse.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As a Non-Departmental Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, the oversight and assurance arrangements for Cafcass are carried out in accordance with the Arms-Length Body Code of Practice. Specific areas of oversight are also covered in the Framework Document between the Ministry of Justice and Cafcass. Cafcass is subject to regular inspection by Ofsted; at the most recent inspection conducted in January 2024 Cafcass was rated as “outstanding”. The key findings of the Ofsted report are available here. Ofsted also carried out a ‘focused visit’ between 21 and 23 October 2025, which considered Cafcass’s work in relation to private law proceedings where domestic abuse is a factor. Ofsted’s findings are available here.
Cafcass Family Court Advisers complete mandatory domestic abuse training, including on using Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework which has guidance and tools for assessing when domestic abuse is a feature of the child’s case. Family Court Advisers are also trained to follow Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy which sets out the actions they must undertake when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse.
This Government is determined to take action to improve the experience of those involved in family law children proceedings, including both adults and children who are victims of domestic abuse and other serious offences. With our partners across the family justice system, we are committed to long-term reform of the family courts and recognise the wide-ranging issues that can make the experience of private law proceedings difficult for vulnerable court users.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to introduce stricter penalties for dangerous driving.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out next steps on this in due course.
Provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 increased the maximum penalty from 14 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment for the offences of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, and causing death by dangerous driving. These measures came into force on 28 June 2022 and apply to offences committed on or after that date.
The Sentencing Council has reflected these changes in the sentencing guidelines and the starting point for cases falling into the highest level of seriousness is now 12 years’ imprisonment – a significant increase from the previous 8 years’ starting point. The sentence range for the most serious instances is now 8 to 18 years’ imprisonment.
Independent judges decide sentences. However, we are committed to making sure the courts have the sentencing powers to ensure punishments fit the severity of the crime.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons offer the provision of braille transcription services for prisoners with visual impairments.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Braille translation services are available in publicly operated prisons through the national translation and transcription contract, which is currently held by thebigword Group Limited. Privately managed prisons must have arrangements in place using either this national contract or equivalent arrangements.