Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to ensure that parents are held accountable in the event that their child is convicted of a serious offence where it is deemed that the parent’s action or inaction contributed to that offence.
Answered by Damian Hinds
We believe it is important for those who are responsible for a child’s care and well-being to be involved in their rehabilitation where appropriate.
Youth offending teams (YOTs) assess children engaging in, or at risk of, offending and determine whether parenting programmes or parenting contracts are needed to improve the guidance provided by parents and guardians to their children.
Courts can issue a parenting order where a child has been convicted of an offence and can include failure by the parent and guardian to comply with the requirements of a parenting contract. Parenting orders require the parent to comply for up to 12 months with certain requirements and, where appropriate, attend counselling or guidance programmes designed to improve parenting skills, manage difficult adolescent behaviour or ensure school attendance, for up to three months. Consistent non-compliance without good reason can lead to a police investigation and breach proceedings in court. Where the child is under 16, and has been convicted of an offence, the courts also have the power to order the parent or guardian to pay the fine.
As an alternative to parenting orders, YOTs often prefer where possible to engage and build strong relationships with parents on a voluntary basis. Parents often engage readily and take part in specific parenting support activities.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with his Japanese counterpart on increasing cooperation between the Japanese and UK legal service sectors.
Answered by Mike Freer
The UK and Japan have a strong legal services trading relationship, with bilateral legal services trade valued at approximately £147m in 2021 (ONS data) and multiple UK law firms maintaining a presence in Japan. The UK and Japan regularly engage to discuss legal services. This includes as part of ongoing cooperation under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which was reaffirmed by the signing of the Hiroshima Accord by PM Sunak and PM Kishida in May 2023.
In July 2023, the Secretary of State for Justice undertook a visit to Japan to attend the G7 Justice Ministerial Forum. As part of the visit, the Secretary of State for Justice discussed legal services with his counterpart, the Japanese Justice Minister, and with representatives from the UK and Japanese legal sectors. The Secretary of State for Justice and Japanese Justice Minister signed a UK-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on legal and justice affairs. The Memorandum of Cooperation will increase collaboration between Justice Ministries by establishing a regular dialogue on legal and justice matters. The agreement signals a mutual desire to strengthen cooperation between the Japanese and UK legal services sectors, and commits to cooperation on international legal services and dispute resolution.