Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to introduce an independent public advocate to support bereaved families.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to supporting bereaved families after public disasters, including their participation in any inquests and inquiries. Proposals to introduce an Independent Public Advocate were the subject of a public consultation in 2018 and we are carefully considering the best way forward in light of the responses received and recent work.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) total value of compensation orders issued by the courts and (b) average compensation order issued by each offence type was in each year since 2015; and what the ten largest compensation orders issued by the courts were in that period.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has published information on total compensation and amount paid, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, which can be found in Table A2 in Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: June 2022 publication.
Information on the average value of compensation orders, on an all-disposal basis, by offence type, in England and Wales, for year ending December 2015 up to year ending December 2017 is available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2020 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 6.04 MB)
and for year ending June 2018 up to year ending June 2022 is available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2022 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 83.2 MB).
The ten largest compensation orders issued by the courts between 2015 and June 2022 are listed in the attached spreadsheet.
Courts may impose a compensation order on an offender requiring them to make financial reparation to the victim for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence. Compensation may be ordered for such amount as the court considers appropriate having regard to any evidence including any representations made by the offender or prosecutor. There is no limit on the value of a single compensation order handed down to an adult offender. However, in determining whether to make a compensation order, and the amount to be paid under such an order, the court must take into account the financial circumstances of the offender.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the number of compensation orders that have been issued by the courts in each year since 2015 by offence type.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of compensation orders, on a principal and all-disposal basis, by offence type, in England and Wales. For figures for year ending December 2015 up to year ending December 2017 the information is available in Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2020 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 6.04 MB) and for figures between year ending June 2018 up to year ending June 2022 the information is available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2022 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 83.2 MB). For number of compensation orders issued, on a principal disposal basis (most severe disposal offender received) see the ‘Sentencing Outcomes’ worksheet and for an all-disposal basis see the ‘Compensation’ worksheet.
Courts may impose a compensation order on an offender requiring them to make financial reparation to the victim for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence. Compensation may be ordered for such amount as the court considers appropriate having regard to any evidence including any representations made by the offender or prosecutor. There is no limit on the value of a single compensation order handed down to an adult offender. However, in determining whether to make a compensation order, and the amount to be paid under such an order, the court must take into account the financial circumstances of the offender.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) exists to compensate for serious physical or psychological injury attributable to being a direct victim of a crime of violence. It provides an important avenue of redress for such victims and is part of the wider package of general and specialist support available to victims of crime.
In our Victims Strategy published in September 2018, we announced a review of the Scheme. The review examined whether the Scheme remains fit for purpose, reflects the changing nature of violent crime and effectively support victims in their recovery. In 2020, we held a public consultation on proposals to make claiming compensation simpler and more accessible for victims of violent crime. This was followed by a supplementary consultation in summer 2022 on whether the unspent convictions eligibility rule should be revised. Our conclusions will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what interim arrangements her Department has put in place to support victims in the absence of a Victims Commissioner.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The campaign to appoint a Victims’ Commissioner concluded in July without an appointment being made. A new campaign is currently underway and we expect to identify a new Victims’ Commissioner in early 2023.
Both officials and ministers meet regularly with the sector (for example, via the Victim and Witness Sector Engagement Group) to ensure that the voices of victims and witnesses continue to be heard.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the next Victims Commissioner will be appointed; and for what reasons the recruitment process for that role has been delayed.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The campaign to appoint a Victims’ Commissioner concluded in July without an appointment being made. A new campaign is currently underway and we expect to identify a new Victims’ Commissioner in early 2023.
Both officials and ministers meet regularly with the sector (for example, via the Victim and Witness Sector Engagement Group) to ensure that the voices of victims and witnesses continue to be heard.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Probate Service in processing applications for probate in 2019; how he measures that performance; and how long it took on average to process a probate application in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Official statistics are not published on the average length of time from receipt of the application to the issue of a grant of probate. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) internal management information, which is not subject to the rigorous quality assurance processes of official statistics, has been used to show the following average times from receipt of an application to a grant being issued:
Month and year | Average Weeks to grant issued |
July 2017 | 3 |
August 2017 | 3 |
September 2017 | 3 |
October 2017 | 3 |
November 2017 | 3 |
December 2017 | 3 |
January 2018 | 3 |
February 2018 | 3 |
March 2018 | 3 |
April 2018 | 3 |
May 2018 | 3 |
June 2018 | 3 |
July 2018 | 3 |
August 2018 | 3 |
September 2018 | 3 |
October 2018 | 3 |
November 2018 | 3 |
December 2018 | 3 |
January 2019 | 2 |
February 2019 | 2 |
March 2019 | 3 |
April 2019 | 2 |
May 2019 | 6 |
June 2019 | 9 |
These figures do not include cases which are waiting for a grant to be issued. The data from April 2019 to June 2019 have been extracted from the HMCTS Reform Core Case Data system, which is a new system in active development, and may not be directly comparable with figures for earlier periods. All figures, especially those for April 2019 to June 2019, are provisional and subject to revision.
Some grants are experiencing delays of between four and six weeks outside of our targets as a result of significant increases in work during March and April and some technology issues which have now been resolved. We have recruited more staff and are now issuing in excess of 1,000 grants a day, which is bringing waiting times down further.
Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to reduce the time taken to process applications for probate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Official statistics are not published on the average length of time from receipt of the application to the issue of a grant of probate. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) internal management information, which is not subject to the rigorous quality assurance processes of official statistics, has been used to show the following average times from receipt of an application to a grant being issued:
Month and year | Average Weeks to grant issued |
July 2017 | 3 |
August 2017 | 3 |
September 2017 | 3 |
October 2017 | 3 |
November 2017 | 3 |
December 2017 | 3 |
January 2018 | 3 |
February 2018 | 3 |
March 2018 | 3 |
April 2018 | 3 |
May 2018 | 3 |
June 2018 | 3 |
July 2018 | 3 |
August 2018 | 3 |
September 2018 | 3 |
October 2018 | 3 |
November 2018 | 3 |
December 2018 | 3 |
January 2019 | 2 |
February 2019 | 2 |
March 2019 | 3 |
April 2019 | 2 |
May 2019 | 6 |
June 2019 | 9 |
These figures do not include cases which are waiting for a grant to be issued. The data from April 2019 to June 2019 have been extracted from the HMCTS Reform Core Case Data system, which is a new system in active development, and may not be directly comparable with figures for earlier periods. All figures, especially those for April 2019 to June 2019, are provisional and subject to revision.
Some grants are experiencing delays of between four and six weeks outside of our targets as a result of significant increases in work during March and April and some technology issues which have now been resolved. We have recruited more staff and are now issuing in excess of 1,000 grants a day, which is bringing waiting times down further.
Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the application-processing performance of the Probate Service of changes to the fees structure in 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Full consideration has been given to the effect of the proposed fees structure for grant of probate applications on receipts and subsequently on processing performance. We would expect an increase in the number of applications received prior to the introduction of the new fees, which would be partly offset by a decline in receipts post-introduction.
In March 2019 there was a significant increase of probate applications ahead of the anticipated implementation of the new fee structure but, as the fees were not introduced as planned, the high volume of receipts continued into April.
Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convicted sex offenders released from custody on licence have committed further sexual offences during the period that they are under licence in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Serious Further Offences (SFO) are rare. Fewer than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision are convicted of an SFO. Nonetheless, every single SFO is taken extremely seriously, and in all cases a review is carried out to identify any lessons for the better management of future cases.
The table below provides the number of convicted sex offenders released from custody on licence who were convicted between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2018 of a SFO sexual offence during the period that they were under licence.
Year | Number of sex offenders released on licence, who committed (convicted of) a sexual SFO, whilst subject to licence |
2013-2014 | 10 |
2014-2015 | 14 |
2015-2016* | 15 |
2016-2017* | 25 |
2017-2018* | 19 |
*Provisional figures subject to change as outstanding cases are concluded at court.
An SFO review is undertaken where an offender under statutory supervision in the community is charged with a qualifying offence – a “notification”. Not every offender charged with an SFO will eventually be convicted of an SFO.