Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals recognising humanist marriages in advance of wider marriage law reform following a positive report from the Law Commission.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
In 2014, the Government published a consultation paper and response assessing the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups.
To ensure we are considering the implications of changing the law on marriage on all groups, we invited the Law Commission to undertake a review which is currently underway and is expected to report in July of this year. By looking at the law comprehensively, the Law Commission will seek to put forward proposals that would ensure that, insofar as possible, groups and couples are all subject to the same rules and the same level of regulation. That reform is not possible by only authorising Humanist weddings, even on a temporary basis pending the Law Commission report.
The Government will carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations when the final report is published in July, and it is right for us to wait for the outcome of the report before amending marriage law any further.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Ministry of Justice is currently updating its Net Zero Carbon Strategy which sets out plans to put the department on course to meet Net Zero by 2050 or sooner.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has implemented a training programme to provide civil servants with skills to support its transition to net zero.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of Net Zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other Departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants.
This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions and will signpost the training and other resources on Net Zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government Departments.
In MoJ, some Net Zero-related training has already been provided to specific professional functions including Commercial and Property teams.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a senior manager in his Department has been given the portfolio for leading on departmental sustainability.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter. In the Ministry of Justice, this is led by an appointed Minister, myself, with support from the Chief Sustainability Officer, other senior officials and an appointed Non-Executive Director.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total floor area of his departmental estate was in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Details of the department’s total floor area in each year are published as part of the annual State of the Estate report.
The most recent report can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1040332/CCS118_CCS1021490260-001_State_of_the_Estate_Report_PAGES.pdf
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the compliance of his Department's staff working from home with the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
For staff working from home the Working Time Regulations 1998 will apply in the same way as for staff in a workplace environment. Line Managers will look to ensure that their members of staff manage their working time to meet their contracted hours.
Central records are not held of hours worked, so it is not possible to assess compliance with the Regulations formally, but MoJ’s smarter working guidance supports flexibility in local ways of working whilst meeting the requirements of the role, and seeks to ensure better wellbeing and a more inclusive culture.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what records relating to staff working times are kept by his Department under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Records relating to staff working times under the Working Times Regulations 1998 are locally managed in the Department’s business areas, Agencies and ALBs, and the 2 year retention of these records under the Regulations will be managed locally also.