Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any compensation payments have been made to prisoners convicted of terrorism offences in the past two years.

In certain cases where there is a court order or a settlement agreed with an incontestable claim, compensation payments have been made to prisoners convicted of terrorism offences in the past two years. Such payments may relate to issues such as injury, negligence, or unlawful treatment. All cases are handled with thorough legal oversight.

The Department defends claims in line with the established policy of contesting all litigation brought by prisoners convicted of terrorist offences, a policy that has remained consistent under successive governments. Similar cases were defended and lost by the previous Government and compensation paid.

We are taking action to reduce the cost of compensation to the taxpayer by addressing issues in prisons that can lead to claims, and by improving case handling. HM Prison & Probation Service successfully defends around two-thirds of all litigation cases brought by prisoners. Where damages are awarded to prisoners, we seek to ensure that payments are offset against any outstanding debts owed to victims and the courts.