Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Plaid Cymru
Liz Saville Roberts (PC - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Shadow PC Spokesperson (Justice)

Liberal Democrat
Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Justice)

Labour
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (Lab - Life peer)
Shadow Spokesperson (Justice)

Liberal Democrat
Alistair Carmichael (LD - Orkney and Shetland)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)

Scottish National Party
David Linden (SNP - Glasgow East)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Social Justice)
Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Justice)

Labour
Shabana Mahmood (Lab - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Labour
Alex Cunningham (Lab - Stockton North)
Shadow Minister (Justice)
Janet Daby (Lab - Lewisham East)
Shadow Minister (Youth Justice)
Ruth Cadbury (Lab - Brentford and Isleworth)
Shadow Minister (Justice)
Ministers of State
Edward Argar (Con - Charnwood)
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Lord Bellamy (Con - Life peer)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Mike Freer (Con - Finchley and Golders Green)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Gareth Bacon (Con - Orpington)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Scheduled Event
Monday 25th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Legislation - Main Chamber
Victims and Prisoners Bill – committee stage (day 8)
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Scheduled Event
Tuesday 26th March 2024
11:30
Ministry of Justice
Oral questions - Main Chamber
26 Mar 2024, 11:30 a.m.
Justice (including Topical Questions)
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Scheduled Event
Tuesday 16th April 2024
Ministry of Justice
Legislation - Main Chamber
Victims and Prisoners Bill - report stage (day 1)
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Debates
Monday 18th March 2024
Select Committee Inquiry
Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Written Answers
Monday 18th March 2024
Prisoners' Release
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons the end of custody supervised licence scheme (a) is …
Secondary Legislation
Friday 15th March 2024
First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Chambers) (Amendment) Order 2024
The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Chambers) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2655) (“the 2010 Order”) organises the First-tier Tribunal and Upper …
Bills
Tuesday 21st November 2023
Arbitration Bill [HL] 2023-24
To amend the Arbitration Act 1996.
Dept. Publications
Monday 18th March 2024
14:30

Ministry of Justice Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Feb. 20
Oral Questions
Nov. 20
Topical Questions
Mar. 13
Westminster Hall
View All Ministry of Justice Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Introduced: 29th March 2023

A Bill to make provision about victims of criminal conduct and others affected by criminal conduct; about the appointment and functions of advocates for victims of major incidents; about the release of prisoners; about the membership and functions of the Parole Board; to prohibit certain prisoners from forming a marriage or civil partnership; and for connected purposes.

Commons Completed
Lords - 60%

Last Event - Committee Stage
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Next Event - Committee Stage
Monday 25th March 2024
Introduced: 21st November 2023

To amend the Arbitration Act 1996.

Lords - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Wednesday 17th January 2024
(Read Debate)
Introduced: 14th November 2023

A Bill to make provision about the sentencing of offenders convicted of murder or sexual offences; to make provision about the suspension of custodial sentences; to make provision about the release of offenders, including provision about release on licence; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Wednesday 6th December 2023

Acts of Parliament created in the 2019 Parliament

Introduced: 9th March 2021

A Bill to make provision about the police and other emergency workers; to make provision about collaboration between authorities to prevent and reduce serious violence; to make provision about offensive weapons homicide reviews; to make provision for new offences and for the modification of existing offences; to make provision about the powers of the police and other authorities for the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting crime or investigating other matters; to make provision about the maintenance of public order; to make provision about the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles; to make provision in connection with driving offences; to make provision about cautions; to make provision about bail and remand; to make provision about sentencing, detention, release, management and rehabilitation of offenders; to make provision about secure 16 to 19 Academies; to make provision for and in connection with procedures before courts and tribunals; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 21st July 2021

A Bill to Make provision about the provision that may be made by, and the effects of, quashing orders; to make provision restricting judicial review of certain decisions of the Upper Tribunal; to make provision about the use of written and electronic procedures in courts and tribunals; to make other provision about procedure in, and the organisation of, courts and tribunals; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 20th May 2020

A Bill to make provision about the sentencing of offenders convicted of terrorism offences, of offences with a terrorist connection or of certain other offences; to make other provision in relation to terrorism; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 27th February 2020

A Bill to implement the Hague Conventions of 1996, 2005 and 2007 and to provide for the implementation of other international agreements on private international law.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 14th December 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 8th January 2020

To require the Parole Board to take into account any failure by a prisoner serving a sentence for unlawful killing or for taking or making an indecent image of a child to disclose information about the victim.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th November 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 5th March 2020

A Bill to consolidate certain enactments relating to sentencing.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd October 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 7th January 2020

A bill to make in relation to marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales provision about divorce, dissolution and separation; and for connected purposes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 25th June 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 21st January 2020

A bill to give effect to Law Commission recommendations relating to commencement of enactments relating to sentencing law and to make provision for pre-consolidation amendments of sentencing law

This Bill received Royal Assent on 8th June 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 11th February 2020

A Bill to make provision about the release on licence of offenders convicted of terrorist offences or offences with a terrorist connection; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 26th February 2020 and was enacted into law.

Ministry of Justice - Secondary Legislation

The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Chambers) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2655) (“the 2010 Order”) organises the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal into chambers and makes provision for the allocation of those tribunals’ functions between the chambers.
These Rules amend the tribunal procedure rules that apply in some of the chambers of the First-tier Tribunal.
View All Ministry of Justice Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
167,733 Signatures
(13,141 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
3,139 Signatures
(496 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
10,831 Signatures
(258 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
305 Signatures
(102 in the last 7 days)
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Open
167,733 Signatures
(13,141 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
14,961 Signatures
(71 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
10,831 Signatures
(258 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed
231,136
Petition Closed
7 Aug 2022
closed 1 year, 7 months ago

The proposed Human Rights Act reforms must be withdrawn. The Government must not make any changes to the Human Rights Act, especially ones that dilute people's human rights in any circumstances, make the Government less accountable, or reduce people's ability to make human rights claims.

167,690
Petition Closed
5 Jan 2023
closed 1 year, 2 months ago

As Parliament considers the Bill of Rights, the Government must reconsider including abortion rights in this Bill. Rights to abortion must be specifically protected in this legislation, especially as the Government has refused to rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.

The offence of causing 'death by dangerous driving' should be widened to include: failure to stop, call 999 and render aid on scene until further help arrives.

View All Ministry of Justice Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Justice Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


10 Members of the Justice Committee
Robert Neill Portrait
Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Justice Committee Chair since 29th January 2020
Kieran Mullan Portrait
Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)
Justice Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Maria Eagle Portrait
Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Justice Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Paul Maynard Portrait
Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Justice Committee Member since 2nd November 2021
Karl Turner Portrait
Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Justice Committee Member since 17th May 2022
James Daly Portrait
James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Justice Committee Member since 27th June 2022
Edward Timpson Portrait
Edward Timpson (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Justice Committee Member since 29th November 2022
Tahir Ali Portrait
Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Justice Committee Member since 28th March 2023
Chris Stephens Portrait
Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Justice Committee Member since 12th September 2023
Rachel Hopkins Portrait
Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Justice Committee Member since 5th December 2023
Justice Committee: Previous Inquiries
Constitutional relationship with the Crown Dependencies The work of the Lord Chancellor Coronavirus (COVID-19): The impact on prison, probation and court systems Ageing prison population Joint Enterprise: Follow-Up Mesothelioma claims The work of the Lord Chief Justice The work of the Youth Justice Board Manorial rights The work of the Administrative Justice Forum Women offenders: follow-up session The work of the Secretary of State: one-off Work of the Court of Protection The work of the Judicial Appointments Commission The work of the Parole Board Impact of changes to civil legal aid under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 Prisons: planning and policies Scrutiny Hearing: Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints Older Prisoners: follow-up MOJ Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 and related matters Criminal Cases Review Commission Follow up session on crime reduction policies and Transforming Rehabilitation Pre-appointment of new HM Chief Inspector of CPS Robbery Offences Guideline: Consultation Work of the Justice Committee during the 2010-2015 Parliament Health and safety offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety and hygiene offences guidelines consultation The work of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Work of HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service The work of the Attorney General Ministry of Justice report and accounts 2014-15 and related matters Work of Secretary of State for Justice Courts and tribunals fees and charges inquiry Young adult offenders inquiry Restorative justice inquiry Role of the magistracy inquiry Prison safety one-off evidence session Pre-appointment scrutiny Youth Justice Women Offenders Crown Dependencies: developments since 2010 Older prisoners Crime reduction policies: a co-ordinated approach? Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 EU Data Protection Framework Proposals Role of the Probation Service Court closures and other issues within the Minister's remit Operation of the Family Courts Access to Justice Draft Sentencing Guideline: Drug Offences and Burglary The Annual Report of the Sentencing Council Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council Ministry of Justice measures in the JHA block opt-out Prison reform inquiry Legal Services Regulation Criminal justice inspectorates and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Radicalisation in prisons and other prison matters Pre-appointment scrutiny of the Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission Law of homicide Ministry of Justice Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 The Work of the Secretary of State Work of the Serious Fraud Office Children and young people in custody Disclosure of youth criminal records inquiry Implications of Brexit for the justice system inquiry Work of the Crown Prosecution Service HM Inspectorate of Prisons' relationship with the Ministry of Justice The Lord Chief Justice's report for 2015 Prison reform The work of the Law Commission The work of the sentencing council The Lord Chief Justice's report for 2017 inquiry The work of the Ministry of Justice Work of the Parole Board Young adults in the criminal justice system; and youth custodial estate Pre-legislative scrutiny: draft personal injury discount rate legislation inquiry Transforming Rehabilitation inquiry Prison Population 2022: planning for the future inquiry Employment tribunal fees Work of the Crown Prosecution Service Work of the Serious Fraud Office Work of the Victims' Commissioner Implications of Brexit for the Crown Dependencies inquiry Lord Chief Justice's report 2016 Government consultation on soft tissue injury claims Courts and tribunals fees follow-up Transforming Rehabilitation inquiry Pre-appointment hearing: Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints Personal injury: whiplash and the small claims limits inquiry Work of the Prison Service inquiry The work of the Lord Chancellor inquiry Work of the Victims' Commissioner inquiry Ageing prison population - inquiry Children and young people in custody - inquiry Prison governance inquiry HM Chief Inspector of Probation inquiry The work of the Solicitor General inquiry Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 inquiry Progress in the implementation of the Lammy Review's recommendations inquiry Pre-appointment hearing for HM Chief Inspector of Probation inquiry Court and Tribunal Reforms inquiry Work of the Attorney General inquiry Bailiffs: Enforcement of debt inquiry Serious Fraud Office inquiry Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service - evidence session The Lord Chief Justice's Report for 2018 inquiry The role of the magistracy – follow up inquiry HMP Birmingham inquiry The implications of Brexit for the justice system: follow-up inquiry Pre-commencement hearing: Chair of the Parole Board inquiry Ministry of Justice Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 inquiry Pre-appointment hearing: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman inquiry The work of the Law Commission Criminal legal aid Disclosure of evidence in criminal cases inquiry Small claims limit for personal injury inquiry The transparency of Parole Board decisions and involvement of victims in the process HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Liverpool Private prosecutions: safeguards The Coroner Service The future of the Probation Service Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Victims Bill Public opinion and understanding of sentencing The prison operational workforce Whiplash Reform and the Official Injury Claim service Future prison population and estate capacity The use of pre-recorded cross-examination under Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Work of the County Court Regulation of the legal professions The Coroner Service: follow-up Probate Ageing prison population Bailiffs: Enforcement of debt Children and young people in custody Court and Tribunal Reforms Criminal legal aid Work of the Crown Prosecution Service Director of Public Prosecutions Employment tribunal fees HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Liverpool HMP Birmingham The implications of Brexit for the justice system: follow-up Prison governance HM Chief Inspector of Probation Progress in the implementation of the Lammy Review's recommendations Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 The Lord Chief Justice's Report for 2018 Ministry of Justice Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 Work of the Parole Board Pre-appointment hearing for HM Chief Inspector of Probation Pre-commencement hearing: Chair of the Parole Board Prison Population 2022: planning for the future The role of the magistracy – follow up Serious Fraud Office Transforming Rehabilitation Transparency of Parole Board decisions Work of the Victims' Commissioner Work of the Attorney General The work of the Law Commission The work of the Ministry of Justice The work of the Solicitor General Work of the Serious Fraud Office Young adults in the criminal justice system The work of the Lord Chancellor Work of the Prison Service The Lord Chief Justice's report for 2017 inquiry

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons the end of custody supervised licence scheme (a) is operational and (b) has been since October 2023.

Unlike Labour’s End of Custody License scheme which ran from 2007 to 2010, End of Custody Supervised Licence only operates in specific prisons where it is absolutely necessary. The number of prisons where it is in operation is reviewed constantly and therefore varies as required.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of their legal aid budget is spent on asylum seekers’ appeals, in (1) percentage, and (2) gross, terms.

Funding for legal aid is on a demand led basis, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not have a specific budget allocation for delivery of legal aid services in relation to specific categories of law. The table below sets out the total expenditure, on a closed case basis, in relation to asylum seekers’ appeals in gross terms and as a percentage of overall legal aid expenditure for the last 10 years.

Financial Year

Asylum Appeal Expenditure (£M)

Total Legal Aid Expenditure (£M)

Percentage of Legal Aid Expenditure spent on Asylum Appeals

2013-14

13

2,017

0.6%

2014-15

10

1,821

0.6%

2015-16

12

1,650

0.7%

2016-17

17

1,615

1.1%

2017-18

17

1,652

1.0%

2018-19

16

1,665

1.0%

2019-20

18

1,679

1.1%

2020-21

12

1,345

0.9%

2021-22

12

1,656

0.7%

2022-23

13

1,835

0.7%

Legal aid is generally available for asylum cases, including appeals, under paragraph 30 of Schedule 1, Part 1 Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO). However, not all cases will qualify for legal aid as eligibility is subject to an assessment of legal merits of the case and of the applicant’s financial resources.

Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for a first hearing of a civil justice case was in the latest period for which data is available.

I refer the honourable Member for Stockton North to the answer I gave on 19 February 2024 to PQ 13277 and the answer I gave on the 23 January 2024 to PQ 9675 in relation to the steps being taken to improve timeliness in civil courts.

Due to the nature of Civil claims, data relating to the number of people awaiting hearing is not held centrally. The time to hearing in relation to the small proportion of civil claims which are defended and proceed to trial is published quarterly: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the backlog in civil courts; and whether he has set targets to reduce average waiting times by case type.

I refer the honourable Member for Stockton North to the answer I gave on 19 February 2024 to PQ 13277 and the answer I gave on the 23 January 2024 to PQ 9675 in relation to the steps being taken to improve timeliness in civil courts.

Due to the nature of Civil claims, data relating to the number of people awaiting hearing is not held centrally. The time to hearing in relation to the small proportion of civil claims which are defended and proceed to trial is published quarterly: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are waiting for their civil case to be heard by claim type.

I refer the honourable Member for Stockton North to the answer I gave on 19 February 2024 to PQ 13277 and the answer I gave on the 23 January 2024 to PQ 9675 in relation to the steps being taken to improve timeliness in civil courts.

Due to the nature of Civil claims, data relating to the number of people awaiting hearing is not held centrally. The time to hearing in relation to the small proportion of civil claims which are defended and proceed to trial is published quarterly: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Over £1 billion savings for motorists as whiplash reforms come into force, published on 31 May 2021, what estimate he has made of the average saving on motor insurance in each of the last three years.

Part 3 of the Civil Liability Act 2018 (the Act) requires motor insurers in England and Wales to provide the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with data on savings arising from its provisions and on how they have been passed on to policy holders. The Act also requires that a report on the savings made must be completed and laid before Parliament by no later than 1 April 2025. The data gathering phase has been completed and the FCA are now working with HM Treasury officials to prepare a report which will be published in line with statutory deadlines.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2023 to Question 199796 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges, how many and what proportion of those orders were made for trials that involved allegations of (a) rape and (b) serious sexual assault.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
5th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 5 March (HL2679), and in the light of recent reports of mitigating circumstances such as acute illness appear to have been overlooked, whether they intend to amend the training provided to magistrates to specify more clearly their powers to draw mitigation to the attention of prosecutors.

To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lady Chief Justice has the statutory responsibility for judicial training, including magistrates, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.

Any training provided to magistrates on this matter is therefore for the independent judiciary to determine and it is not for the Government to comment.

Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths have been recorded at HMP Wandsworth since 30 June 2023.

Deaths recorded by prison are published as part of our Safety in Custody statistics, updated quarterly, and available in the Deaths Data Tool at the following link: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Please note that deaths at Wandsworth are currently published from 30 June 2023 – end of December 2023. Figures to the end of March 2024 are not due for publication until April 2024 and cannot be released at this time.

Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.

In addition to deaths in prison custody which occur in hospitals, hospices or nursing homes, a small proportion will occur while in an ambulance on the way to hospital, while the prisoner is under escort.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.

We have implemented a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) case management approach across the prison estate. Revisions in ACCT v6 include a stronger emphasis on taking a person-centred approach; better multi-disciplinary team working; a consistent quality assurance process and an improved focus on identifying and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.

We are implementing a new safety training package for staff. It brings together related safety topics, including suicide and self-harm prevention and understanding risks, triggers and protective factors.

We fund Samaritans through a grant providing total funding of just under £2 million between 2022 and 2025. This is primarily for the delivery of the Listener scheme (through which selected prisoners are trained to provide support to fellow prisoners in emotional distress).

We have also worked with Samaritans to develop a postvention response to providing support in the period following a self-inflicted death in order to reduce the risk of further deaths. This has been successfully piloted and the renewed grant includes funding for this service to be maintained until March 2025.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of conditions in Wandsworth prison on the health of (a) prisoners and (b) staff.

The Prison Group Director for London is taking active measures to support the health and well-being of staff and prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. He conducts regular visits to assess and monitor conditions at the prison. Accompanied by lead representatives for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, he meets regularly with the Governor to discuss any actions that need to be taken to address identified concerns.

In addition, monthly tripartite meetings are held between Regional Estates, Finance and Health and Safety representatives, where decency is a standing agenda item. A Senior Safety Lead has recently been appointed to support local initiatives and work to improve safety outcomes for prisoners. A Task and Finish Group has recently been set up to address concerns about the physical environment of the in-patient unit at HMP Wandsworth, to improve infection prevention and control.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to monitor the effects of conditions in HMP Wandsworth on the health and well-being of prisoners and staff.

The Prison Group Director for London is taking active measures to support the health and well-being of staff and prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. He conducts regular visits to assess and monitor conditions at the prison. Accompanied by lead representatives for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, he meets regularly with the Governor to discuss any actions that need to be taken to address identified concerns.

In addition, monthly tripartite meetings are held between Regional Estates, Finance and Health and Safety representatives, where decency is a standing agenda item. A Senior Safety Lead has recently been appointed to support local initiatives and work to improve safety outcomes for prisoners. A Task and Finish Group has recently been set up to address concerns about the physical environment of the in-patient unit at HMP Wandsworth, to improve infection prevention and control.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to measure productivity in the prison service.

Across the Ministry of Justice, we are focused on improving productivity through streamlining and strengthening key processes and funding innovative schemes that will drive down reoffending, delivering better value for taxpayers and a more efficient justice system. The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates for productivity across the public sector, and my officials are working with them to improve the way that productivity is measured for the justice sector. HMPPS is also in the process of refreshing the staffing resource model for prisons, which will support productivity by refining how we attribute target staffing to delivery outcomes, and support prioritisation of resources at both a local and national level.

We are also investing in digital and technological initiatives in prisons, which will increase staff productivity by reducing administrative burden on staff. This means staff time can be spent more meaningfully on core, purposeful tasks, such as running the regime, building on staff-prisoner relationships, and engaging more effectively with vulnerable prisoners.

I welcome the Chancellor’s public sector productivity review and, as part of this, the Ministry of Justice has been working to identify new opportunities for improving productivity across HMPPS and the MoJ. As announced in the Spring Budget, the Government is investing £170m into the justice system over the next four years to improve productivity and deliver a justice system fit for the modern era. This includes a £6m investment to accelerate the development of digital services to replace legacy systems and improve productivity, and £16m to increase prison workshop activity to boost employability and focus resources on rehabilitative activities.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme.

End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) began in October 2023, and an analysis of its use will be based on one year’s worth of data and published on an annual basis in line with other statistics, such as deaths of offenders in the community.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) reviews of Sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection for people sentenced for rape and (b) a ban on such Sentences on victims of rape.

The sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was abolished in 2012. For those still serving the sentence, it is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether to release an IPP prisoner by considering the evidence presented and applying the statutory release test.

On 16 October 2023 the Lord Chancellor announced to the Parliament reforms to ensure that convicted rapists (and those convicted of the most serious sexual offences) must serve 100% of their custodial term in prison. These reforms will be legislated for in the Sentencing Bill. Since 2010, offenders convicted of rape are serving longer in prison, with sentences rising almost 3 years, from approximately 6.5 years in 2010 to approximately 9.5 years now – an over 40% increase.

Gareth Bacon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Governors from (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby Young Offender Institution have met (i) the Youth Custody Service and (ii) officials from his Department in the last 12 months.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence.


The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times a member of the Senior Leadership Team from Oakhill Secure Training Centre has met (a) the Youth Custody Service and (b) officials from his Department in the last 12 months.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence.


The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Senior Leadership teams at Secure Children’s Homes in England and Wales have met (a) the Youth Custody Service and (b) officials in his Department in the last 12 months.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence.


The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Governors from HM YOI (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby have met the (i) Senior Leadership Team from Oakhill Secure Training Centre ii) the Senior Leadership teams at Secure Children’s Homes in England and Wales in the last 12 months.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence.


The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to promote communication between (a) HM YOI governors, (b) the senior leadership team of Oakhill Secure Training Centre and (c) Secure Children Home managers in England and Wales and (i) the Youth Custody Service and (ii) officials in his Department.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence.


The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
26th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in prison are accommodated (a) alone in a cell intended to accommodate one person, (b) alone in a cell intended to accommodate two persons, (c) in a cell or dormitory intended to accommodate more than one person and (d) with another person in a cell intended for one person as of 26 February 2024.

The requested information has been provided in table form below. Please note that the sum of these populations does not match the recorded total population on the day. This is because some of the prisoners in (b) are also counted in (c). A prisoner could be the sole occupant in cell for 2 people and would be included in (b) and the same prisoner in the same cell would also be included in (c).

Categories

Number

(a) alone in a cell intended to accommodate one person

51701

(b) alone in a cell intended to accommodate two persons

882

(c) in a cell or dormitory intended to accommodate more than one person

13857

(d) with another person in a cell intended for one person

22095

The determination of the maximum crowded capacity of a particular establishment is a matter of operational judgement, considering risks to safety and stability. In times of severe population pressure, establishments will be expected to hold as many prisoners as they can safely accommodate, but it is equally clear that that number should be determined by the operational managers responsible for managing the prison, not by a central process or by wider supply and demand issues.

We are delivering 20,000 additional modern uncrowded prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, helping to cut crime and protect the public. We have already delivered c.5,900 places including through our two new 1,700-place prisons, HMP Five Wells and HMP Fosse Way and we are on track to have delivered around 10,000 places in total by the end of 2025.

We are also investing in our prisons to make them safer for both prisoners and staff by taking a preventative approach to safety, making key changes to the physical environment and testing new technology. We will continue to invest in critical prison maintenance and renewal to ensure that we keep as much capacity as possible in use and fit for purpose.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many weapon finds there were in prisons in England and Wales in each year sine 2018.

The number of incidents of weapon finds in prisons in England and Wales is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest through the Finds Incidents Data Tool.

The figures include incidents occurring within escort areas. These figures represent the number of incidents where weapons were found - multiple weapons can be found and recorded as one incident.

Weapons drive violence, undermine safety and security and have no place in our prisons.

Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the smuggling of illicit items such as weapons, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2023, we have recorded 46,925 positive indications, helping to tackle the smuggling of weapons and other illicit items into prisons. The investment also funded Enhanced Gate Security at 42 high-risk sites, enhancing our routine searching of staff and visitors. 84 X-ray baggage scanners have also been installed at 49 sites to further strengthen our ability to detect the smuggling of illicit items including weapons.

In January this year, we introduced Restricted Fly Zones around prisons to disrupt illegal drone use. This strengthens our ability to intercept illicit items, such as weapons, being smuggled via drones, and enables the police to fine or prosecute those seeking to undermine prison security.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) domestic abusers and (b) stalkers are ineligible for release under the end of custody supervised licence scheme.

Nobody convicted of serious violence will be released early and anyone convicted of any sexual or terror offence is automatically excluded. Unlike Labour’s End of Custody Licence scheme, which ran from 2007 to 2010, all offenders who may be eligible for release will be subject to the same set of licence conditions that would apply had they been released automatically.

Those licence conditions will reflect the risk management release plan prepared by probation staff and what is necessary to safely manage the offender in the community. The offender can be immediately recalled to prison if they do not comply or otherwise behave in a way that is assessed to be putting the public at risk.

In contrast to Labour’s approach, we have introduced an additional safeguard, whereby it remains at the discretion of the prison service to block the ECSL release of any prisoners where releasing an offender earlier presents a heightened risk than if they were released at their automatic release date.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for which types of offences prisoners released under the end of custody supervised licence scheme were sentenced.

End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) allows certain lower-level offenders to be released before their automatic release date. Unlike Labour’s scheme, which ran from 2007 to 2010, all offenders will be released onto strict licence conditions.

Nobody convicted of serious violence will be released early and anyone convicted of any sexual or terror offence is automatically excluded. In contrast to Labour’s approach, we have also introduced an additional safeguard, whereby it remains at the discretion of the prison service to block the ECSL release of any prisoners where releasing an offender earlier presents a heightened risk than if they were released at their automatic release date.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to provide additional funding to help facilitate the hearing of the longest-delayed rape cases; and what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for criminal trials.

We remain committed to addressing the outstanding caseload at the Crown Court and have introduced a raft of measures to speed up justice for victims, such as recruiting up to 1,000 Crown Court judges and tribunal members this financial year, continuing the use of 20 Nightingale courtrooms to increase the capacity of our courts system, and increasing the fees paid to defence and prosecution lawyers by 15% in recognition of the essential work they do in facilitating the administration of justice.

As a result of the growth in the outstanding caseload during Covid and the subsequent Criminal Bar Association action, we recognise that there are some cases in the outstanding caseload which are taking longer to progress through the system. While the judiciary already look to prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales announced on 6 March 2024 that around 181 rape cases which have been outstanding for more than two years will be listed by the end of July 2024, demonstrating a renewed commitment to tackling the toughest cases still awaiting trial.

Alongside this, we are doing more than ever to support victims throughout their criminal justice journey, introducing our 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, quadrupling victim support funding by 2024/25 compared to 2010, and increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors (ISVAs and IDVAs) to around 1,000 by 2024/25.

Laura Farris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times was PAVA spray deployed in (a) Youth Offender Institutes and (b) prisons in each year since 2019.

PAVA is intended to protect staff and prisoners in very serious assaults. Safe implementation of PAVA use is accompanied by clear and explicit guidance ensuring staff are confident as to when PAVA spray should be used. Staff can use the PAVA spray where there is serious violence or an imminent or perceived risk of it, and there is an immediate need to create a safe and protective environment. It has been rollout out to prison officers in the adult estate only.

PAVA may be deployed by specialist staff, on the authority of the Gold commander, in Young Offender Institutes that hold those under 18 years of age as a tactical option to resolve an incident for the safety of young people and staff.

PAVA has been deployed once in 2019 at Feltham (A). There have been no other uses the under-18 YOI estate.

There has been an increase in PAVA use as HMPPS have rolled out to all adult male prisons and therefore it is available to more staff to respond to violent incidents where appropriate.

The information requested is in the attached tables for adult YOIs and prisons.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to help tackle (a) poor pay and (b) high stress among barristers working on sexual violence cases; and what other steps he is taking to help increase the retention of such barristers.

In September 2022, following the conclusion of the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, we uplifted fees for all defence advocates by 15%, which we expect will see a typical criminal barrister earn nearly £7,000 more a year. Fees for prosecution advocates were subject to 15% increase by the CPS in May 2023.

We also increased the fee for advocates who undertake s.28 cases (which provides for a special measure enabling certain vulnerable victims and witnesses to have their cross-examination and re-examination pre-recorded and played at trial) from £670 (exc. VAT) to £1,000 (exc. VAT). The s.28 fees and special and wasted preparation fees brought the overall increase for barrister fees from 15% to 17%.

The CPS recognise that barristers’ wellbeing should be supported and therefore have provided CPS Advocate Panel members dealing with potentially distressing casework access to their Employee Assistance Programme since September 2023.

I am hopeful that our latest funding increase for s.28 cases will help to retain Rape and Serious Sexual Offences barristers and ensure these cases continue to be prioritised. The Lord Chancellor is holding a roundtable on Wednesday 13 March to discuss this issue further.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the retention of specialist counsel for cases involving rape and serious sexual offences.

In September 2022, following the conclusion of the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, we uplifted fees for all defence advocates by 15%, which we expect will see a typical criminal barrister earn nearly £7,000 more a year. Fees for prosecution advocates were subject to 15% increase by the CPS in May 2023.

We also increased the fee for advocates who undertake s.28 cases (which provides for a special measure enabling certain vulnerable victims and witnesses to have their cross-examination and re-examination pre-recorded and played at trial) from £670 (exc. VAT) to £1,000 (exc. VAT). The s.28 fees and special and wasted preparation fees brought the overall increase for barrister fees from 15% to 17%.

The CPS recognise that barristers’ wellbeing should be supported and therefore have provided CPS Advocate Panel members dealing with potentially distressing casework access to their Employee Assistance Programme since September 2023.

I am hopeful that our latest funding increase for s.28 cases will help to retain Rape and Serious Sexual Offences barristers and ensure these cases continue to be prioritised. The Lord Chancellor is holding a roundtable on Wednesday 13 March to discuss this issue further.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a second life sentence after being released from prison in each year since 2010; and if he will list the offences which resulted in the (a) first and (b) second life sentence for each person.

The answer to this question could only be provided at a disproportionate cost, as it involves linking prison data with the Ministry of Justice extract of the police national computer.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the National Tactical Response Group was deployed in the youth estate in each year since 2015, broken down by institution type.

The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving (a) one life sentence, (b) two life sentences and (c) more than two life sentences were released from prison into the community in each year since 2015.

To determine the number of active life sentences at the point when an offender is released would require manually reading the record files of offenders with multiple life sentences and then linking these together from the different data systems which would incur disproportionate costs.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) the National Dog and Technical Support Group was deployed in prisons and (b) dogs were used in those deployments in each year since 2015, broken down by institution.

The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Nico 9 stun grenades were used in prisons in each year since 2015, broken down by institution.

The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including distance learning undertaken by prisoners as purposeful activity.

All prisons have systems in place for the day-to-day management of regime delivery. Each prison has a regime management plan that clearly sets out the full range of prisoner activities and services delivered within the prison, morning and afternoon, from Monday to Friday.

All types of education, including distance learning, are factored into a prison’s regime management plan as part of the purposeful activity that prisoners undertake.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders sentenced to a suspended sentence order were subsequently sent to immediate custody for (a) breaching the conditions of the order and (b) reoffending in each year since 2017.

The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. The below detail is provided as background information.

A 2019 Ministry of Justice analysis of a matched cohort of over 30,000 offenders shows that those who serve sentences of immediate custody of less than 12 months reoffend at a rate higher than similar offenders given community orders and suspended sentence orders by the courts.

Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with suspended sentence orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.

Based on this evidence, the Government introduced the presumption to suspend short sentences as part of the Sentencing Bill, currently before Parliament. The courts will retain a wide discretion to impose immediate custody in many circumstances.

Offenders will then serve their sentence in the community. When the court imposes a suspended sentence, they can impose requirements on the offender and the sentencing framework provides a flexible range of requirements, such as unpaid work, drug and alcohol treatment, curfew, and electronic monitoring, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any criminogenic or rehabilitative needs of the offender which may otherwise increase the likelihood of their reoffending.

Gareth Bacon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and which offences were committed by people on a suspended sentence order in each of the last three years.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The below detail is provided as background information.

A 2019 Ministry of Justice analysis of a matched cohort of over 30,000 offenders shows that those who serve sentences of immediate custody of less than 12 months reoffend at a rate higher than similar offenders given community orders and suspended sentence orders by the courts.

Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with suspended sentence orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.

Based on this evidence, the Government introduced the presumption to suspend short sentences as part of the Sentencing Bill, currently before Parliament. The courts will retain a wide discretion to impose immediate custody in many circumstances.

Offenders will then serve their sentence in the community. When the court imposes a suspended sentence, they can impose requirements on the offender and the sentencing framework provides a flexible range of requirements, such as unpaid work, drug and alcohol treatment, curfew, and electronic monitoring, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any criminogenic or rehabilitative needs of the offender which may otherwise increase the likelihood of their reoffending.

Gareth Bacon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government why they do not centrally hold data on the number of Parental Orders awarded each year through the Family Court for England and Wales in cases of surrogacy (1) where the child was born abroad through a commercial surrogacy arrangement, and (2) where the child was born in the United Kingdom through a surrogacy arrangement in which the mother uses her own egg.

The number of these orders is not recorded centrally. The current recording system only collates data on the total number of parental orders made and there is no capability to break the data into further sub-sets of the different types of surrogacy arrangements. Such information can only be obtained through individual analysis of court files at disproportionate cost since they would require a manual search of court records. The Government has no plans to record this information centrally, doing so would require fundamental changes to existing IT systems.

You will be aware that in March 2023 the Law Commission of England and Wales published a joint report with the Scottish Law Commission; “Building families through surrogacy: a new law". The report puts forward recommendations for a robust new system to govern surrogacy in the UK, including recommendations specifically for the family court system.

The Government is currently considering all of the recommendations within the report and will publish a full response in due course. If and when further action is taken in response to the report, we will consider the collection of data in this area rather than risk making piecemeal changes.

Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to collect and publish data on the number of Parental Orders awarded each year through the Family Court for England and Wales in cases of surrogacy (1) where  the child was born through a commercial surrogacy arrangement abroad (2) where the child was born in the United Kingdom through a surrogacy arrangement in which the surrogate mother uses her own egg, and (3) where a child was born through surrogacy in this country using the egg of a third party egg donor, and not the egg of the commissioning female parent.

The number of these orders is not recorded centrally. The current recording system only collates data on the total number of parental orders made and there is no capability to break the data into further sub-sets of the different types of surrogacy arrangements. Such information can only be obtained through individual analysis of court files at disproportionate cost since they would require a manual search of court records. The Government has no plans to record this information centrally, doing so would require fundamental changes to existing IT systems.

You will be aware that in March 2023 the Law Commission of England and Wales published a joint report with the Scottish Law Commission; “Building families through surrogacy: a new law". The report puts forward recommendations for a robust new system to govern surrogacy in the UK, including recommendations specifically for the family court system.

The Government is currently considering all of the recommendations within the report and will publish a full response in due course. If and when further action is taken in response to the report, we will consider the collection of data in this area rather than risk making piecemeal changes.

Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
29th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they, or prison authorities, hold on the volume and value of claims by persons held in custody against (1) prison authorities, and (2) independent insurers (where prison authorities are made aware of the insurance claims).

As of 4 March 2024, there were 3,828 open claims by prisoners against His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS). The nominal amount of claims against HMPPS is of the order of £62 million but that figure is not indicative of any ultimate liability. HMPPS does not hold data on claims made by prisoners against independent insurers. The number and value of claims has remained fairly consistent over recent years. A significant number of open claims and proportion of the total value of claims are historic and relate to incidents that are alleged to have occurred in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

HMPPS 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.

Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report by the Traveller Movement entitled Fair Sentencing for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller People, published in December 2023.

HMPPS has been working closely with The Traveller Movement since the publication of ‘Pre-Sentencing Report Toolkit Fair Sentencing for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller People’.

We are working through the report together to see how the some of the findings can better support our work.

As part of the HMPPS Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Strategy, an Aide Memoir: ‘Preparing pre-sentence reports for ethnic minority people’ was published in December 2023, giving specific guidance and information regarding GRT community members. We will add to this as appropriate through the above-mentioned collaboration. We will also carefully consider the findings of the report regarding future policy reviews and updates.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of cases under the single justice procedure were prosecuted in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

The number of defendants dealt with via Single Justice Procedure (SJP) notifications at the magistrates’ courts is published as part of the National Statistics series ‘Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly’. Additionally, this series also provides the total number of defendants dealt with in the magistrates’ court, these can be used to calculate the proportion of SJPs in the magistrates’ caseload.

The latest published data is available to September 2023 and can be found in Tables T1 & T2 which are accessible by the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Equality Act 2010 on legal cases brought forward via the single justice procedure.

The Single Justice Procedure (SJP) was introduced under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Prior to the introduction of the procedure, in accordance with the Equalities Act 2010, an equality impact assessment was undertaken in relation to SJP. This concluded that on the basis of the available evidence, the planned change in summary justice would not lead to any positive or negative impact on people with protected characteristics.

HMCTS committed to the Justice Select Committee to collect protected characteristic data in all reform services. This includes protected characteristic data for SJP, which has been monitored since 2023.

The decision to prosecute under SJP is a decision for the prosecutor and not the Government.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an estimate of the average number of single justice procedure cases magistrates presided over per day in the last 12 months.

There were 251 distinct days in which Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases were heard in a magistrates’ court between October 2022 and September 2023.

The latest published data on completed SJP cases is available to September 2023 and can be found in Table T1 which is accessible at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Based on this information, the average number of SJP cases completed per working day is 3,151. This excludes weekends and the 9 public holidays.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to PQ 17532 on 13 March 2024.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond substantively to the correspondence of 1 February 2024 from the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, reference MC112949.

The Ministry of Justice responded to the letter on 14 March 2024. The Ministry of Justice takes the handling of correspondence very seriously and in this instance, due to an administrative error, there was a delay in responding. As outlined in our response, we apologise for the delay in responding.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of coroners' inquests.

The coroner’s statutory duty, through the investigation and inquest process, is to establish who has died, and when, where and how they died. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way in which they conduct their investigations and inquests is a matter for them. However, the Government and the Chief Coroner are clear that the bereaved should be placed at the heart of this process.

The office of the Chief Coroner was introduced in 2013 to provide judicial leadership, guidance and support to coroners and to promote consistency of standards and practice. In addition, the Chief Coroner is required to provide an annual report to the Lord Chancellor which, amongst other issues, assesses the consistency of standards between coroner areas.

The Government continues to identify and implement measures to promote consistency of standards in coroner services – for example, through the programme of coroner area mergers, and by means of a suite of provisions in the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 to streamline coronial processes.

We also accepted a number of recommendations made by the Justice Committee following its 2021 Inquiry into the Coroner Service, and undertook to give further consideration to others. The Committee’s current follow up Inquiry will, amongst other issues, consider progress against those recommendations.

Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to open the healthcare centre at HMP Wandsworth.

The healthcare unit is expected to open in the coming weeks, once a number of IT hardware issues and telephony have been resolved. Its delay in opening is due to supply chain issues which we are working to expediate.

The cost to the public purse of this delay is being evaluated and cannot be confirmed at present.

The refurbishment of healthcare facilities at HMP Wandsworth is part of the wider decisive action we are taking to improve safety and conditions at the prison, including boosting staffing levels and investing millions into upgrades such as rolling out new CCTV, installing new windows and repairing roofs.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the healthcare centre at HMP Wandsworth did not open in October 2021; and what the cost to the public purse was of the change in opening date.

The healthcare unit is expected to open in the coming weeks, once a number of IT hardware issues and telephony have been resolved. Its delay in opening is due to supply chain issues which we are working to expediate.

The cost to the public purse of this delay is being evaluated and cannot be confirmed at present.

The refurbishment of healthcare facilities at HMP Wandsworth is part of the wider decisive action we are taking to improve safety and conditions at the prison, including boosting staffing levels and investing millions into upgrades such as rolling out new CCTV, installing new windows and repairing roofs.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 15927 on Prisons: Civil Disorder, whether there is a minimum staffing requirement for Tornado teams.

Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:

  • In response to a serious incident requiring a reinforcement of staff.
  • In response to other events or crisis requiring additional staff, who may not necessarily need to be Tornado trained.
  • To aid the transfer of prisoners in the event of a serious incident or the threat of one (with the GOLD commander’s agreement).

There is no minimum staffing requirement for Tornado teams. HMPPS monitors the number of staff available for deployment and offer training spaces to ensure resilience to respond to serious incidents.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how many children in youth offender institutions are care experienced.

Data on children in youth offender institutions who have experience of local authority care are not collated centrally and could not therefore be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is committed to meeting the needs of all vulnerable children and young people, including those who have previously been in local authority care.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)