Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide language services to enable access to justice for users for whom English is not their first language and those who require visual and tactile services, under the provisions of the Equality Act.
Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
The total cost of translation and interpretation services in FY24/25 was £30,208,228.05, excluding British Sign Language and the Welsh language.
To support the answer to part b, the below tables show the split per contract and per commissioning body for FY 24/25. These tables include interpretation and translation services only.
Lot 1 Contract (Face to Face)
Excludes: English
Commissioning Body | Total FY 24/25 |
HM Courts and Tribunals Service | £25,921,301.19 |
The Probation Service | £1,116,839.04 |
Crown Prosecution Service | £316,223.31 |
Cafcass | £241,885.26 |
HM Prison Service | £105,849.83 |
Legal Aid Agency | £77,950.08 |
Office of the Public Guardian | £3,510.95 |
HM Inspectorate of Prisons | £815.90 |
Official Solicitor and Public Trustee | £189.34 |
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman | £329.20 |
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority | £50.65 |
Total | £27,784,944.75 |
Translation & Transcription Contract
Excludes Language pairs:
English (United Kingdom) > Welsh (United Kingdom)
Welsh (United Kingdom) > English (United Kingdom)
English (United Kingdom) > English (United Kingdom)
Commissioning Body | Total FY 24/25 |
HM Prison Service | £1,485,869.95 |
Official Solicitor and Public Trustee | £284,540.39 |
The Probation Service | £280,647.57 |
Crown Prosecution Service | £143,853.76 |
Cafcass | £116,820.56 |
HM Courts and Tribunals Service | £64,112.15 |
Independent Monitoring Authority | £6,057.43 |
HQ | £4,012.18 |
Office of the Public Guardian | £6,496.96 |
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority | £1,095.89 |
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman | £24,431.67 |
HMIPEW | £3,479.31 |
Independent Monitoring Board | £270.13 |
Legal Aid Agency | £11.56 |
Parole Board | £1,382.34 |
HM Inspectorate of Prisons | £201.45 |
Total | £2,423,283.30 |
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of grooming gangs have applied for compensation; and how many have been rejected.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) deeply sympathises with all victims of sexual crimes and recognises the trauma suffered by victims of these abhorrent offences.
CICA cannot provide figures about compensation to victims of grooming gangs. This is because awards of compensation under the statutory Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme are made for the physical and/or mental injuries sustained by the victim rather than the type of offence committed.
Each claim for compensation is considered on its own facts and decided using all the information available from the applicant, the police, and other relevant sources.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign-born prisoners are currently serving sentences for knife crime offences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Statistics of this nature do not currently form part of our published statistics. Our current approach to publication of nationality data is in line with that used during the previous Conservative Government. However, we are monitoring the data that we collect and publish on the prison population and will keep this under review.
Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. The Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Since 5 July 2024, more FNOs have been returned than in the same period 12 months prior.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisoners undertake (a) litter collection and (b) graffiti removal.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Prisoners currently can access community service work through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) during the custodial element within their sentence.
The Prison Rules in England and Wales provide that a prisoner may be granted leave from prison for short periods on temporary licence. ROTL is an important rehabilitation tool which allows prisoners to participate in activities in the community which have been identified as serving a particular purpose in meeting their individual resettlement objectives. Suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example, attend college, attend an interview, maintain/re-establish links with their family or undertake community work, such as litter clearance or graffiti removal. This helps them develop responsibility and gain valuable skills.
The decision to allow temporary release is taken by the prison governor, on behalf of the Secretary of State, who must always balance the needs of the prisoner and the purpose of the ROTL applied for, against the need to maintain public safety and the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system. Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis to safeguard the public. Any breaches can result in additional time in custody.
In addition, Unpaid Work is the punitive community requirement set by the court. In 2023, around half of those on community sentences had such a requirement, with around 5 million hours delivered each year. This can include carrying out work such as litter clearance and graffiti removal.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce a minimum 5-year mandatory sentence for adults convicted of carrying a knife.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families, and communities. It is important that those who commit violent crimes receive appropriate, proportionate and robust sentences.
Minimum sentences are rare in England and Wales. It is the function of the independent courts to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any relevant Sentencing Guidelines published by the Sentencing Council. We have a robust legal framework in place to respond to knife crimes with the maximum penalty for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years imprisonment.
In recognition of the seriousness of offences related to knives, the law already provides for minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Adults face a minimum of 6 months of imprisonment whilst young people aged 16 or 17 face a four-month Detention and Training Order. Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to review the adequacy of legal protections available to homeowners who use force in self-defence against intruders.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice currently has no plans to review or reform the law regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in self-defence.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that individuals who are subject to police investigations are provided with appropriate (a) legal and (b)reputational protections.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Those under police investigation are entitled to free, independent, legal advice at the police station, through the provision of criminal legal aid. Legal aid is a vital part of the justice system and enables individuals, who need it most, to have access to publicly funded legal assistance to uphold their legal rights.
The Department has taken significant steps to support the criminal legal aid profession. In December 2024, we announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year, subject to consultation, to support the sustainability of the criminal legal aid market. The consultation is now live and closes on 4 July 2025. The funding is in addition to the £24 million increase we announced in November 2024 for criminal solicitors. This latest commitment reflects the vital work that is undertaken by those who provide criminal legal aid and demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding the legal needs of those who rely upon their services.
In relation to reputational protections for individuals who are subject to police investigations, the Government is unable to comment on or intervene in individual police investigations, so as not to undermine the Police’s operational independence. Where a police force investigates an individual, the force is expected to use their judgement on how best to support those involved throughout and after conclusion of the investigation.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of grooming gang convictions since 2005 have involved perpetrators born outside the UK.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government takes the issue of child sexual exploitation extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that all perpetrators are brought to justice, regardless of their background.
It is not possible to identify an offender’s place of birth, or whether their offending was part of a grooming gang, from centrally collated convictions data.
The Government is focused on delivering meaningful change for victims impacted by these horrendous crimes and we must do so in a way that is unburdened by cultural sensitivities. This includes legislative reforms to strengthen mandatory reporting as part of our implementation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendations. A progress update on this work was published on 8 April 2025.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has statutory obligations to provide language services where they are needed in the delivery of justice services.