Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform or abolish Local Transgender Case Boards and Complex Case Boards, in light of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s code of practice for services, public functions and associations..
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We welcome the EHRC’s draft Code of Practice which has now been laid in Parliament. There will now be a 40-day period for Parliament to scrutinise and ratify this. We must let that process happen.
We are carefully considering the new Code and any implications for the prison estate, including the allocation of transgender prisoners, in which context Local and Complex Case Boards currently play an important role.
The vast majority of transgender women are held in men's prisons. Of the small number that are in women's prisons, the majority are held on E Wing, a separate unit co-located within HMP Downview that is not part of the general female estate.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce the age for jury service to 16 to align with the lower voting age.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
While both voting and jury service are civic duties, they carry distinct responsibilities. There are strong safeguarding and welfare reasons for maintaining jury service as an adult duty, including the fact that jurors may be exposed to distressing evidence and be disrupted from education or training at a potentially critical stage. The Government therefore considers it appropriate to maintain the current minimum eligibility age of 18 and has no plans to change this.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether they plan to make further updates to the Equal Treatment Bench Book regarding the long-term impact of rape trauma and how this can affect engagement with the criminal justice process.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for judicial training is held by the Lady Chief Justice, Senior President of Tribunals and Chief Coroner. These responsibilities are fulfilled by the Judicial College, which is also responsible for the publication of the Equal Treatment Bench Book.
The Equal Treatment Bench Book is intended to increase judicial office holders’ awareness and understanding of people’s different circumstances and requirements. It includes guidance on ensuring safe and effective participation in the judicial process in cases of sexual offences, including the impact of rape trauma. It is regularly updated to reflect developments in law, practice and procedure, with the last update published in February 2026.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost was of producing the Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030 was produced by the Judiciary, as part of the Lady Chief Justice’s statutory responsibility to encourage judicial diversity.
In keeping with the principle of judicial independence, the Ministry of Justice was not involved in producing the strategy and no costs were incurred by the Department.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 there have been in each of the last five years and whether he has considered changes to evidential thresholds for offences under the Hunting Act 2004.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions for a wide variety of offences in the Outcomes by Offences data tool including offences under the Hunting Act 2004. Data related to the years 2021 – 2025 can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.
In response to the second part of your question, this is a policy matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament. It is for individual Chief Constables to determine how their resources are deployed, and it is for locally elected PCCs to hold their forces to account. This includes consideration of how the police tackle the crimes that matter most to residents and businesses in rural and urban areas alike. The investigation and prosecution of all criminal offences, including consideration of whether an actual offence has been committed, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service who have comprehensive powers to take action under criminal law.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to jury trials on the criminal justice system.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Courts and Tribunals Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2026.
Alongside the Bill, an impact assessment of our proposed justice reforms was published. This includes an assessment of the impact of proposed changes in the threshold for who can access a jury trial - Courts and Tribunals Bill - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made in completing the design stage of HMP Kirklevington Grange, and what stage is the prison currently at.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
At HMPs Guys Marsh, Kirklevington Grange, Warren Hill and the new prison in Buckinghamshire, work remains ongoing following ISG’s administration in September 2024. Pre-construction work is either underway or complete at these sites, including design work, and all have been appointed a new contractor.
40 Rapid Deployment Cells have been delivered at HMP The Verne and are operational.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made in completing the design stage of the new prison in Buckinghamshire, and what stage is the prison currently at.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
At HMPs Guys Marsh, Kirklevington Grange, Warren Hill and the new prison in Buckinghamshire, work remains ongoing following ISG’s administration in September 2024. Pre-construction work is either underway or complete at these sites, including design work, and all have been appointed a new contractor.
40 Rapid Deployment Cells have been delivered at HMP The Verne and are operational.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made in completing the design stage of HMP Warren Hill, and what stage is the prison currently at.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
At HMPs Guys Marsh, Kirklevington Grange, Warren Hill and the new prison in Buckinghamshire, work remains ongoing following ISG’s administration in September 2024. Pre-construction work is either underway or complete at these sites, including design work, and all have been appointed a new contractor.
40 Rapid Deployment Cells have been delivered at HMP The Verne and are operational.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a new contractor has been appointed to deliver the expansion of HMP Guy's Marsh.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
At HMPs Guys Marsh, Kirklevington Grange, Warren Hill and the new prison in Buckinghamshire, work remains ongoing following ISG’s administration in September 2024. Pre-construction work is either underway or complete at these sites, including design work, and all have been appointed a new contractor.
40 Rapid Deployment Cells have been delivered at HMP The Verne and are operational.