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.
The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into children and young adults in the secure estate in England and Wales …
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: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.
Ministry of Justice does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to make provision about the types of things that are not prevented from being objects of personal property rights.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 2nd December 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Make provision about sentencing guidelines in relation to pre-sentence reports.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 19th June 2025 and was enacted into law.
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).
Review possible penalties for social media posts, including the use of prison
Gov Responded - 25 Jul 2025 Debated on - 17 Nov 2025We call on the Government to urgently review the possible penalties for non-violent offences arising from social media posts, including the use of prison.
I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.
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.
We have interpreted this question as relating to successful appeals against verdicts, heard at the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal.
The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on successful appeals against magistrates’ courts verdicts heard at the Crown Court in the Criminal Courts Statistics release. Data started being published from 2016. As a result, the dataset covers the past nine years. This can be found in column E of Table_C11 in the statistical tables: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK.
Figures for the number of successful appeals against convictions in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) are published annually in the Royal Courts of Justice tables within Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly. This can be found in column B of table 2.2: Royal_Courts_of_Justice_Annual_Tables_2024.ods.
Public bodies are expected to identify material risks to vulnerable consumers or levels of resource available for frontline services, including due to any mass legal claims, and are responsible for managing their impact.
The Ministry of Justice has a partnership relationship with each of its funded public bodies that enables the body to escalate new risks as appropriate. The Department carries out an annual risk assessment of each of its public bodies, where significant upcoming risks can be identified and an assessment of the impact made.
Additionally, public bodies that receive funding from the Ministry of Justice are responsible for working collaboratively with the Department as it determines the level of funding that will be provided to them annually. Any pressures that can be predicted due to mass legal claims would be expected to be raised with the Ministry of Justice and levels of resource would be discussed with those bodies on an individual basis through existing financial allocation processes.
Other Government Departments are responsible for the assessment of risks to public bodies sponsored by them.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of former clients affected by the collapse of WW&J McClure Ltd (McClure) and is therefore not in a position to publish those figures.
The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of government. Responsibility for regulating the sector sits with approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales. Information about the impact of an individual firm’s closure on its former clients, including any estimates of affected client numbers, is a matter for the relevant regulator and those responsible for the firm’s former files.
Details of the SRA’s ongoing work in relation to McClure is available here: https://www.sra.org.uk/news/news/mcclure/.
The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operate independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales.
The SRA can publish information for clients following the collapse of a regulated firm, including guidance on their rights, options and routes to redress. This includes information on accessing client files, the role of the SRA’s intervention process, compensation arrangements where applicable, and signposting to complaints and redress bodies such as the Legal Ombudsman. For example, the SRA has published specific guidance for clients affected by WW&J McClure Ltd entering into administration in 2021, which is available here: SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority.
The Government keeps the overall framework for legal services regulation under review and engages regularly with regulators. While the independent regulators publish information for clients affected by law firm collapses, the Government may seek to support access to this information for consumers where appropriate.
The Government is committed to ensuring access to justice, and we welcomed the Justice Committee’s recent inquiry into the Work of the County Court. As the Government acknowledged in its response, the County Court faces substantial challenges. However, performance is beginning to turn a corner with good progress being made towards a more efficient, timely and digitised service; and we expect this to continue.
The Civil Justice Council (CJC) is a statutory body that advises the Lord Chancellor, the judiciary, and the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. Amongst its statutory functions, the CJC keeps the civil justice system under review and makes recommendations on, how to make the civil justice system more accessible, fair, and efficient. The CJC’s recent report into litigation funding has been critical in helping shape Government policy on improving the civil justice system.
Claimants may be able enter into a private agreement with a lawyer using a Conditional Fee Agreement or a Damages Based Agreement, or with a third-party funder using a Litigation Funding Agreement. Such agreements usually mean that a claimant will not have to pay all or part of their own legal costs unless they win their case. This payment would usually be deducted from the compensation awarded, though it could be defined as a percentage of compensation or a multiple of legal base costs, depending on the type of agreement used. Solicitors should inform their clients of any fees, and the circumstances in which their fees, or part of their fees, are payable.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the average percentage of a claimant’s compensation award that is taken up by legal and third-party costs.
Data on appeals to the Crown Court from magistrates’ courts are published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release in table C11. Data is split into appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence with breakdowns provided for those ‘Allowed’ (the same definition as successful) / ‘Dismissed’ and ‘Abandoned or otherwise disposed’. There is no breakdown specifically available for ‘Withdrawn’.
Figures are also provided for the proportion of appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence that were successful (“Allowed”): ccsq_accessible_publication_tables_2025Q3.ods.
Appeals by way of case stated and Judicial reviews are heard in the High Court with some of these originating from the Crown and magistrates’ courts. Published statistics on the annual volume of judicial reviews can be found in Table 2.5: Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.
Data on appeals to the Crown Court from magistrates’ courts are published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release in table C11. Data is split into appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence with breakdowns provided for those ‘Allowed’ (the same definition as successful) / ‘Dismissed’ and ‘Abandoned or otherwise disposed’. There is no breakdown specifically available for ‘Withdrawn’.
Figures are also provided for the proportion of appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence that were successful (“Allowed”): ccsq_accessible_publication_tables_2025Q3.ods.
Appeals by way of case stated and Judicial reviews are heard in the High Court with some of these originating from the Crown and magistrates’ courts. Published statistics on the annual volume of judicial reviews can be found in Table 2.5: Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold the information required to calculate the proportion of Crown Court convictions and sentences that were appealed to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
We intend to legislate to introduce proportionate regulation of litigation funding agreements when parliamentary time allows. The new regulatory framework will aim to enhance claimant protection, transparency, and the effectiveness of the litigation funding market.
The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice. That is why we are committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.
The Government is aware of concerns that misleading "no win, no fee" advertising can expose consumers to unexpected financial risk, including through unclear information about fees, deductions, and related funding or insurance arrangements. Whether entering into a “no win, no fee” arrangement through a legal services provider or claims management company (CMC), consumers should receive clear and timely information about what they are agreeing to.
The legal and claims management sectors are regulated independently of government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales, including claims management activities they undertake. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates specified claims management activities carried out by CMCs.
The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with relevant regulators and partners across the system, including engagement with the SRA and FCA, to understand and support action to address risks to consumers in the high-volume consumer claims market. I met with both organisations recently and impressed upon the regulators the need for tougher, more consistent regulation of conditional fee agreements.
The SRA has, and is, undertaking a range of work in this area, including ongoing investigations, a thematic review and discussion paper, requiring mandatory compliance declarations from firms operating in the high-volume consumer claims sector, consumer research, and guidance and Warning Notices for law firms. This includes action to improve how “no win, no fee” arrangements are explained, including exploring standardised wording and templates to support clearer consumer communications. The SRA will also shortly be reminding firms of their current obligations by publishing a Warning Notice relating to “no win, no fee” claims. Further information on the SRA’s work in relation to high-volume consumer claims is available at: https://www.sra.org.uk/home/hot-topics/high-volume-consumer-claims/.
The FCA has set out clear expectations for CMC marketing and customer communications, including that promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading and that “no win, no fee” advertising must include prominent information about relevant fees and termination charges. The FCA has also intervened to require misleading CMC promotions to be amended or withdrawn, and has recently written to CMCs active in motor finance claims to remind them to review their promotions and ensure compliance with FCA rules and the Consumer Duty.
Data on the number of decisions made in the county courts and the proportion appealed to the Court of Appeal can be found in the following official publications: Royal_Courts_of_Justice_Annual_Tables_2024.ods.
High Court data is not broken down by source court, therefore the number of appeals originating from county courts cannot be determined.
Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals.
In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) recorded the outcomes for appeals originating from the county courts that were allowed and dismissed. This along with data on the proportion of appeals against county court decisions that were successful can be found in the following official publication: Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.
Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.
Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals.
In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) recorded the outcomes for appeals originating from the county courts that were allowed and dismissed. This along with data on the proportion of appeals against county court decisions that were successful can be found in the following official publication: Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.
Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.
Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals that were allowed and dismissed. Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.
In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) outcomes for appeals originating from the crown courts and data on the proportion of appeals against crown court decisions were successful can be found in the following official publication:
Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.
Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals that were allowed and dismissed. Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.
In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) outcomes for appeals originating from the crown courts and data on the proportion of appeals against crown court decisions were successful can be found in the following official publication:
Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the Crown Court open caseload on a quarterly basis in the Criminal Court Statistics publication. The latest available data covers the period up to September 2025 and this can be broken down by offence category and region using the Crown Court receipts, disposals and open cases tool.
Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on trials that are ineffective due to a judge or magistrate not being available.
An ineffective trial does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date, and a further listing is required.
This information can be found on a quarterly basis using the ‘Trial effectiveness at the criminal courts tool’ and filtering the reason to ‘23. Ineffective reason: Judge/magistrate availability’ at the link below: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.
Although domestic abuse is not a standalone offence, it is a context within which a wide range of criminal offences may be committed, which courts will take into account.
We recognise the importance of consistently identifying domestic abuse offenders at every stage of the system. That is why we are moving at pace to implement a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing in criminal cases, delivering on a recommendation made in the Independent Sentencing Review.
This domestic abuse identifier will enable police, prisons and probation to more consistently identify domestic abuse offenders. This will mean improved support for victims, whether the domestic abuse perpetrator is in the community or in prison.
The Government is committed to ensuring all victims, including victims of agricultural crimes, get the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. Under the Victims’ Code, victims of agricultural crimes are entitled to be given information about and be referred to victim support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime. A consultation on a new Victims’ Code will take place in due course to ensure it gets the foundations right for all victims.
The Ministry of Justice continues to provide all 42 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas in England and Wales with annual grant funding to commission local support services for victims of all crimes, including those affected by agricultural crime. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area.
The Government announced on 2 October that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows. The reforms reflect a commitment to making marriage law fairer, simpler and more modern while also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. The next step is to undertake a consultation on reform of wedding law in England and Wales early into this year.
I refer the right honourable Member to the answer I gave on 11 December to Question 97787.
The information requested is provided in the following table:
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The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were classed as ‘minor’ and were quickly dealt with by staff. Medical assessment is provided to anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges. All operational staff receive training in responding to fire incidents, including the use of specialist safety and firefighting equipment. |
We are committed to ensuring that robust pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, so that accommodation needs are identified early and the right support is put in place. Dedicated Pre-Release Teams in prisons work closely with individuals to identify immediate needs, coordinate referrals to relevant services, and support continuity between custody and the community.
In the National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government has committed to reduce the proportion of people released from prison homeless by 50% by the end of this parliament. 50 prison-based Strategic Housing Specialists (SHS) across England and Wales work with probation teams and Local Authorities to enable a multi-agency approach to securing housing before release, including by establishing pre-release accommodation panels with appropriate Local Authorities. We are also investing in integrating digital community accommodation services to make it easier to identify and match individuals to the right housing-related support at the right time.
Neither I, nor my ministerial colleagues have had any recent discussions with counterparts in Northern Ireland on access to mental health support in prisons.
Compensation and legal costs were paid in order to comply with an order of the High Court. Failure to do so would have constituted a breach of the court order.
As of 30 September 2025, there were 266 prisoners with an index offence of murder in prisons whose predominant function is open in England and Wales.
Information on the number of prisoners in the open estate with a history of attacking prison officers could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
The decision to categorise a prisoner at Category D, indicating suitability to be placed in open conditions, involves a thorough risk assessment that takes into account the prisoner’s individual circumstances, including the nature of the offence and any risk they present to the public. In the case of a prisoner serving a sentence of imprisonment for life, or for public protection, the assessment takes account of advice from the independent Parole Board.
Note: The figure has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The Government is committed to bearing down on the backlog. We allocated the highest number of Cown Court sitting days on record this financial year (2025/26) and have allocated a further 1,250 sitting days for this financial year.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on the allocation for 2025-26 and we will say more in due course.
The table below shows allocated sitting days for Warwick and Leicester Crown Courts. It should be noted that Coventry Crown Court is a “satellite site” primarily used by Warwick, but also utilised by Birmingham Crown Court for sittings. It therefore has no sitting day allocation (as the sitting days come from the allocations of either Warwick or Birmingham).
Financial year | Warwick Crown Court | Leicester Crown Court |
24/25 | 1377 days | 1578 days |
25/26 | 1517 days | 1560 days |
Source: Internal HMCTS management information
On top of the above allocations, during 25/26 Leicester has been allocated an additional 60 sitting days, and Warwick has been allocated an additional 25 days.
No systematic concerns have been raised by stakeholders about the operation of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009, and as such, no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Act.
The then Perpetuities and Accumulations Bill was read for a Third Time on 2 November 2009 and passed without amendment. This is a complex and technical area of law. There are several regimes that apply in practice, following the 2009 Act coming into force, which are briefly summarised below.
In all other cases, only the common law rules apply.
Statistics of this nature could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
The regulation of legal services in England and Wales operates independently of government and is underpinned by the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007. The Act establishes a framework under which certain activities, known as reserved legal activities, may only be carried out by authorised persons regulated by an approved regulator (or persons otherwise exempt from authorisations). Conveyancing is a reserved legal activity when it involves legal tasks such as preparing instruments like transfer deeds, charges, and applications for land registration.
Reserved conveyancing services are regulated by approved regulators under the LSA 2007, for example the Solicitors Regulation Authority where they are provided by solicitors or solicitor-led firms, and by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) where they are provided by licensed conveyancers or CLC-authorised firms. In both cases, authorised providers are subject to professional standards for entry to the profession, ongoing regulatory oversight which includes ensuring adherence to a wide range of published codes of conduct, mandatory Professional Indemnity Insurance, and clear and transparent complaints arrangements. Consumers may pursue redress through internal complaints procedures and then through the Legal Ombudsman if the response from the provider is not satisfactory.
The Government recognises the impact that poor performance by conveyancing providers can have on consumers. The home buying and selling process is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government who recently consulted on proposals to drive improvements. This has involved extensive engagement with the wider industry, including conveyancing regulators, to ensure it takes maximum advantage of the opportunities of technology to improve the functioning of the housing market in the consumer and public interest, and support growth. The Ministry of Justice keeps the overall framework for legal services regulation and associated consumer protections under review to ensure it remains proportionate and effective, but has no current plans to introduce additional measures.
There were 57 absconds in the year ending March 2025. Data on absconds is published annually in the HMPPS Annual Digest: HMPPS Annual Digest 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. This only includes a 30-day reference point for whether prisoners remained at large. Data for April 2025 to March 2026 will be published in July 2026 as part of the next HMPPS Annual Digest.
Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody.
Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions will likely face longer before they are released.
The Department publishes regular statistics on Employment Tribunals claims, which includes claims relating to pay and working conditions (such as unauthorised deductions, minimum wage, working time, and equal pay) which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025.
The published data does not break down claims by claimant characteristics (such as nationality or visa status), or the type of work conducted by claimant.
New digital systems developed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service during the Reform Programme, are already of sufficient size to cater for most documents that need to be uploaded during proceedings. Limits are currently 1GB for documents and 500MB for multimedia. These are in place to protect systems from malicious attack. A 1GB limit allows for a standard text document of around 26,000 pages, and around 7,000 pages if images are included. These standards will be the baseline for future digital development.
A review is being completed on the current limit relating to email submissions which is set at a lower level, and we recognise is particularly restrictive for users.
The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse, including children, are properly supported through court processes in England and Wales.
We are reforming court procedures in private family law proceedings relating to children to make them safer and more child-centred, including through the expansion of the Pathfinder model. This innovative court model uses a less adversarial approach for private law children proceedings and is now operating in 10 court areas including all of Wales. The model sees the courts work closely with local domestic abuse agencies, to ensure that specialist support and access to domestic abuse risk assessments are in place. We are committed to expanding the model so that more people can benefit from this approach.
We are also committed to improving the criminal court response to domestic abuse and are considering additional measures to achieve better outcomes for victims. As recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review, this includes considering whether to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts.
Victims of domestic abuse involved in family court proceedings, as well as in civil or criminal court proceedings, may have protections such as special measures, including giving evidence via a video link or from behind a screen. Alongside this, abusers may be prohibited from directly cross-examining their victims, in family and civil proceedings. In these cases, the court may appoint a qualified legal representative instead. In the criminal courts there are longstanding statutory prohibitions against an unrepresented defended cross-examining a complainant or witness. Practice Directions in the criminal and family courts also permit Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) to accompany parties in proceedings, which provides further support to victims.
The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.
The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.
We are unable to separate advertising and marketing spend. Total spend with our media buying agency Omnigov and TMP for the last three financial years is as follows:
22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
£3,120,675 | £12,609,151 | £8,975,058 |
The Ministry of Justice advertising spend is published yearly within our Annual Report and Accounts. Attached are the reports that cover the three previous financial years.
2022/23 – Annual Report and Accounts
2023/24 – Annual Report and Accounts
2024/25 – Annual Report and Accounts
The Ministry of Justice uses advertising to support the Department in delivering its key priorities. These priorities include campaigns that ensure victims of crime are aware of, and able to access the support services available to them, as well as our recruitment campaigns that support filling our operationally critical front line roles in the Prison and Probation Service, and Magistrates roles.
As the majority of the issues raised do not fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, the correspondence was transferred out of the Department and accepted by the Home Office.
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and commissioning an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
The Deputy Prime Minister has asked Dame Lynne Owens to report back by the end of February 2026, with recommendations on how to reduce the likelihood of releases in error in the future.
Following this, the Deputy Prime Minister will consider the findings and recommendations carefully.
In line with the Deputy Prime Minister’s commitment to transparency, Parliament will be kept informed of the outcomes related to the review.
Together with NHS England, we are committed to continuing to work in partnership to improve services to ensure that people in contact with the criminal justice system have access to timely and effective mental health care that is tailored to their needs. This is reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England which was published in February 2023 and is supported by robust governance and regular ministerial engagement between Departments.
The National Partnership Agreement sets out a shared priority workplan to deliver safe, decent and effective care that improves health outcomes for people in prison and those subject to supervision by the probation service in the community. This ensures a coordinated approach between health and justice partners to improve health outcomes for those in contact with the justice system.
To improve continuity of care and swift access to treatment on release, we have recruited over 67 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators who strengthen healthcare pathways and bolster support, including for those on Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs), by building partnerships between prison, probation and treatment providers. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs, to engage with the right health services in the community. Services work with people up to 12 weeks before release, and 6 months post-release.
Our ongoing partnership with NHSE has achieved an increase in the number of MHTRs, with the number of people sentenced to MHTRs now more than five times higher than it was a decade ago, up from 960 in 2014 to 4,880 in 2024.
We are committed to continuing to work with our health partners to provide effective, coordinated services for those with a mental health need.
The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.
Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been shown to be a factor in their offence or offending behaviour, and in support of other requirements added to a court order or post-custody licence. There will and should be instances where an individual is required to serve a custodial sentence given the offence they have committed and for public protection. The compliance rate of alcohol monitoring imposed by the court as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, which imposes a total ban on drinking alcohol for up to 120 days, showed from the introduction of the technology in October 2020 through to 6 June 2025, the devices did not register a tamper or alcohol alert for 97.3% of the days worn.
The number of individuals subject to alcohol monitoring between October 2020 and June 2024 is available in Table 4.1 of the data tables published in the following link: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2024 - GOV.UK. The most recent provisional figures for alcohol monitoring, covering November 2025, can be found in the following link: Ad-Hoc Alcohol Monitoring Statistics Publication, Dec 2025 - GOV.UK
Please note that caseload statistics published after July 2025 are not directly comparable with earlier data due to changes in the definition and methodology used to classify individuals as “tagged”.
The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.
Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been shown to be a factor in their offence or offending behaviour, and in support of other requirements added to a court order or post-custody licence. There will and should be instances where an individual is required to serve a custodial sentence given the offence they have committed and for public protection. The compliance rate of alcohol monitoring imposed by the court as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, which imposes a total ban on drinking alcohol for up to 120 days, showed from the introduction of the technology in October 2020 through to 6 June 2025, the devices did not register a tamper or alcohol alert for 97.3% of the days worn.
The number of individuals subject to alcohol monitoring between October 2020 and June 2024 is available in Table 4.1 of the data tables published in the following link: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2024 - GOV.UK. The most recent provisional figures for alcohol monitoring, covering November 2025, can be found in the following link: Ad-Hoc Alcohol Monitoring Statistics Publication, Dec 2025 - GOV.UK
Please note that caseload statistics published after July 2025 are not directly comparable with earlier data due to changes in the definition and methodology used to classify individuals as “tagged”.
By the nature of their roles, staff working in the prison system can experience challenging situations and it is essential that they are supported to carry out their important roles to support prisoners, including those who refuse food. Given these challenges, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services.
We deliver Trauma Risk Management training (TRiM) - a peer-led support scheme for frontline staff who have experienced a traumatic event - in all establishments, and our TRiM practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty.
The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 telephone helpline for counselling and provides a range of wellbeing and health promotion workshops. EAP also delivers reflective sessions which are a proactive mental ill health preventative intervention. The sessions focus on the impact of traumatic events at work, helping employees to develop coping strategies and preventing an adverse impact on their professional and private life.
Financial records allow us to provide the direct contractual costs of alcohol monitoring which include the cost of the tag purchases and system monitoring but do not distinguish between case type for Electronic Monitoring in terms of tag installation or physical monitoring and therefore the table below excludes these costs for the three years. Costs also exclude probation and other criminal justice system partners’ resource supporting EM in the community.
As a result of our record investment in electronic monitoring, we are tagging more offenders than ever before. The technology is playing a significant role in the Government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which the National Audit Office estimate costs the UK economy £21 billion a year. Evidence is increasingly proving the effectiveness of tags, with offenders banned from drinking alcohol staying sober for 97% of the days they were tagged.
| 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
(Actual) | (Actual) | (Actual) | |
Procurement and System Monitoring of Alcohol Monitoring tags | £8.1m | £12.5m | £15.2m |