Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total cost of the inquiry undertaken by the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens' Rights Agreements into delays issuing decisions on applications to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements does not record the cost of individual inquiries.
Costs to the Independent Monitoring Authority largely comprise staffing. The inquiry was primarily delivered by a small core team - three members of staff at any one time - who were also involved in other operational work.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons were for trends in the level of licence recalls between July and September (a) 2025 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) on licence recalls.
As per the OMSQ statistics, the level of recalls in the last five quarters are likely associated with the introduction of (a) Fixed-Term Recall Statutory Instrument (FTR-SI) in April 2024 and (b) Standard Determinate Sentences 40% (SDS40) in September 2024.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119800 on Sentencing: Gender, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that female offenders are typically lower risk to the public than male offenders.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The statement that women in the criminal justice system are typically lower risk to the public reflects a statement made by the Independent Sentencing Review (ISR) in its Part 2 Report.
Through its engagement programme, the ISR heard from third sector organisations working with women in the criminal justice system that many female offenders present with complex vulnerabilities and typically pose a lower level of risk to the public. This feedback was based on practitioners’ operational experience supporting women in custody and the community.
Government data, published here, supports this as women make up a small proportion (around 4%) of the overall offender and prison population. Women are also less frequently convicted of the most serious violent offences. For example, in the year to September 2025 data shows that out of all offenders where the sex is known, females account for only 17% of sentences for violence against the person, 2% for sexual offences, and 16% for criminal damage and arson. These patterns contribute to a different typical offending profile compared with men, though individual sentencing decisions must always be based on the facts of the case.
Sentencing remains a matter for the courts, which must assess culpability, harm, and all relevant aggravating and mitigating factors in line with statutory sentencing guidelines.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act on the number of employment disputes before the employment tribunal; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory mediation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Employment Rights Act (ERA) is part of the Government’s commitment to Make Work Pay. The Act includes measures that strengthens worker’s rights, which we expect will increase demand in the Employment Tribunal. The impact on the Employment Tribunal has been considered in the published impact assessments and economic analysis. A summary of the impact of the number of employment disputes before the Employment Tribunal is available in Table A11 here: Employment Rights Act 2025: economic analysis.
It is a question for the judiciary on whether they would like to expand judicial mediation. Judges can choose to mediate, depending on whether they think the case is appropriate, which is typically claims of discrimination or complex unfair dismissals.
We do recognise that there are significant demand pressures on the Employment Tribunals and are therefore working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure the Employment Tribunal is able to absorb the impact of the Employment Rights Act whilst ensuring timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that parties who are referred to the Small Claims Automatic Referral to Mediation pilot actively engage in the process.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service.
HMCTS supports this by issuing guidance to parties and writing to them in advance of their appointment with practical information about the mediation process, including relevant contact details. Judges also retain discretion to apply sanctions where a party fails to engage appropriately.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending existing rules on mediation in the civil courts to the tribunals system, in the context of proposed changes to the Office of the Senior President of Tribunals in the Courts and Tribunals Bill.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the value of mediation and other forms of dispute resolution in helping parties resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. We continue to explore and assess the potential merits of dispute resolution across different jurisdictions, including tribunals.
However, any changes to the Tribunal Procedure Rules will be made by the Tribunal Procedure Committee, an independent statutory body, who are responsible for the making of rules that govern tribunal practice and procedure. The provisions in the Courts and Tribunals Bill relating to the office of the Senior President of Tribunals concern judicial leadership and do not alter day-to-day decision-making in tribunals cases.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells and Mendip Hills)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the countries who have agreed to receive nationals who have been convicted of an offence in the UK; and what the arrangements are with each of those countries on prisoners serving the full term of the sentence handed down by the UK courts.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The removal of Foreign National Offenders with no right to stay in the UK to serve their sentences in their home countries is established Government policy. Prisoner transfers operate under binding legal multilateral or bilateral frameworks, known as Prisoner Transfer Agreements (PTAs), which set out robust obligations for recognising and enforcing UK sentences in accordance with the terms agreed. Of the countries the UK has a PTA with (listed in PQ tabled 3 March 2026 with Unique Identifying Number 117419), the UK has utilised the respective PTA arrangements to transfer individuals to the following countries:
Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United States of America, and Vietnam.
Under a PTA, the receiving State is required to recognise the sentence imposed by the UK courts and to enforce the full sentence, in line with the terms of the agreement and with its own domestic legal framework.
Generally, the receiving State would only adapt the sentence if it is more than the maximum sentence in that State. As part of the transfer application process, partner countries provide details of their proposed release arrangements, which are assessed carefully before approval. The UK only agrees to a transfer when satisfied that the receiving State will enforce the sentence appropriately.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any gifts or hospitality given to the Deputy Prime Minister in a Ministerial capacity since July 2024 by Lord Alli have been returned or refunded.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
All gifts or hospitality received in a Ministerial capacity are declared in the usual way.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Standford Hill.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansion at HMP Erlestoke.
Although the sites at HMP Leyhill, HMP Ford and HMP Standford Hill were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.