Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of increasing prison capacity.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This Government inherited a prison system in collapse. We have taken decisive action to put prison capacity on a sustainable footing and end the cycle of repeated crises.
We have committed to the largest expansion of the estate since the Victorians, investing £7 billion in building prison places between 2024/25 and 2029/30. We are on track to deliver 14,000 new prison places by 2031 with c. 2,900 delivered already under this Government.
On top of this, we have introduced landmark sentencing reforms to end our prisons crisis – and deliver punishment that cuts crime. On 2 September we introduced the Sentencing Bill to take forward most of the recommendations made by David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review, as well as the measures that go further to manage offenders in the community. The House of Lords committee stage was concluded on 3 December.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress on increasing the processing capacity of the court system.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has made significant progress in increasing the processing capacity of the courts and tribunals system and remains committed to reducing backlog.
In the Crown Court for this financial year, we have allocated 111,250 sitting days - the highest number of sitting days on record and over 5,000 more than the previous Government funded for the last financial year.
In the Family Courts, reforms are already delivering results. Courts operating under the private law Pathfinder model are achieving some of the lowest case durations nationally, in South East Wales, for example, average duration fell from 37 weeks to 12 weeks on average. In addition, the Department for Education invested £10 million in 2024/25 to fund pilots aimed at reducing delays in family proceedings, with evaluation due to conclude in 2026.
Across the tribunals system, we are taking a comprehensive approach to improve productivity. Sitting day capacity has been set at or close to the maximum deliverable level. We are also promoting early dispute resolution to reduce unnecessary demand, including judicial Alternative Dispute Resolution pilots in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on allocation for 2025-26 and we will say more in due course.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases are currently being processed under the Eastwood Park Compensation Scheme; and what the average waiting time is for cases under the scheme.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Eastwood Park Detention Centre Settlement Scheme commenced on 14 January 2025. To date, 659 claims have been received including 264 claims settled with damages paid. There are 6 further claims where settlement has been agreed, and payments will be made shortly.
Of the 264 claims settled to date, the average payment is £3,114.
Since the commencement of the scheme in January, the average length of time taken to settle claims is 136 days (at 30 September 2025). This figure should not be taken as a benchmark expectation for any outstanding or future claims. The amount of time taken to settle a claim will vary in each case based on a variety of factors such as incomplete information provided when the claim is lodged. All claims are subject to appropriate scrutiny and HM Treasury approval.
The Prison Service successfully defends two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners. Any debts owed by offenders to their victims and the courts are deducted before a payment is made.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of claims under the Eastwood Park Compensation Scheme have resulted in payouts; and what the average amount paid out for those claims is.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Eastwood Park Detention Centre Settlement Scheme commenced on 14 January 2025. To date, 659 claims have been received including 264 claims settled with damages paid. There are 6 further claims where settlement has been agreed, and payments will be made shortly.
Of the 264 claims settled to date, the average payment is £3,114.
Since the commencement of the scheme in January, the average length of time taken to settle claims is 136 days (at 30 September 2025). This figure should not be taken as a benchmark expectation for any outstanding or future claims. The amount of time taken to settle a claim will vary in each case based on a variety of factors such as incomplete information provided when the claim is lodged. All claims are subject to appropriate scrutiny and HM Treasury approval.
The Prison Service successfully defends two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners. Any debts owed by offenders to their victims and the courts are deducted before a payment is made.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when court room six at Shropshire Justice Centre will be re-opened.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The works to make courtroom six operational were completed on 7 June 2025, and the first sitting took place on 10 June 2025.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reopen court rooms at Telford Justice Centre.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I recently visited Telford Justice Centre and observed for myself the state of the court estate. Of the eight courtrooms at Telford Justice Centre, seven are currently operational, with one courtroom temporarily out of use due to damage caused by water ingress from the roof which requires complete replacement.
HMCTS is focused on completing the works required to bring this courtroom back into operation as quickly as possible. Temporary patch repair is complete, and redecoration works are now being scheduled.
We are already progressing complete replacement of the roof as a priority project, and HMCTS is working with contractors to develop designs and final project proposals. The extensive and complex nature of the work means that commencement of this project is unlikely before March 2026.
Historical underfunding under the previous Government has resulted in challenges such as this across the court and tribunal estate. That is why this Government has announced a boost in court capital maintenance and project funding from £120 million last year, to £148.5 million for 2025/26.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the length of the longest serving Magistrate in each Justice area.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In the majority of the 75 Local Justice Areas across England and Wales, the current longest-serving magistrate for each has been in post for over thirty years, with many of these serving in excess of 40 years. In Shropshire, the longest service is 38 years, and across all Local Justice Areas, the longest that a current magistrate has been in service is over 46 years. The full breakdown can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Magistrates have been awarded a Royal Honour due to their service as a Magistrate in each year for which data is available.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Over the last five years, the Ministry of Justice has recorded that there have been 56 magistrates awarded UK national honours. Records are not kept for longer than five years. Many more than this have been nominated across all Departments, but not all are successful. This number does not include the Birthday Honours List for 2025 which is not due to be published until 14 June 2025.
The breakdown by year (across two lists per year) is as follows:
2020: 11
2021: 9
2022: 8
2023: 9
2024: 12
2025 (One list only so far): 7
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Magistrates have served as Magistrates for (a) 10 years or more, (b) 20 years or more and (c) over 25 years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Magistrates are a central pillar of our justice system. Their resilience and commitment have been and continue to be vital in ensuring continued access to justice. Of all currently serving magistrates, 3406 have served for 10 years or more, 1273 have served 20 years or more, and 1467 have served over 25 years.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to recognise the long service of Magistrates.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice recognises the outstanding service of magistrates through several initiatives. Magistrates can be nominated for UK National Honours by anyone who has noticed their exceptional conduct. Additionally, there is a scheme to recognise extended periods of service, where magistrates receive certificates upon reaching 10, 20, and 30 years of service, signed by Lord-Lieutenants and the Lady Chief Justice respectively. Magistrates may also be invited to attend a Royal Garden Party through the allocation of tickets given to the Magistrates Association as a recognition of their invaluable contribution to society.