Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement the framework for out-of-court disposals introduced in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The Government is committed to delivering a strengthened and consistent Out of Court Disposals framework in England and Wales through the reformed two-tier cautions framework set out in the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act 2022. We are continuing to work towards implementing it effectively.

Our draft Code of Practice, covering the use, administration, and scrutiny of the revised framework of the Diversionary and Community Cautions, was put to public consultation from 2 August to 13 October 2023. We are analysing the responses received to inform any necessary revisions to the draft Code of Practice and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course. We will confirm the implementation timeline for the revised framework once this process is complete.