Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the case for a statutory duty on courts to identify whether individuals sentenced to prison or held on remand have children or vulnerable adults dependent on them.

The Government has considered the case for a statutory duty on courts to inquire about the existence of dependents and satisfy themselves of the adequacy of care arrangements. The Government remains concerned however that the proposed statutory duty may be impractical for the courts to operate and not be effective in encouraging defendants and offenders to disclose, as early as possible, the existence of dependents. The Government is however examining alternative approaches to ensuring that information about dependents of those sent to custody is recorded.