Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to reform the family court system to ensure children's best interests are prioritised.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Children Act 1989 states that the welfare of the child is the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions in relation to a child's upbringing.

This Government is committed to reform of the family court to improve the experience and outcomes for children and families. Central to this is the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model, which amplifies the voice of the child through a Child Impact Report and ensures a higher proportion of children are directly engaged by social workers during proceedings. The model is supporting the court in making safe decisions which prioritise the best interests of the child, without delay.

The Pathfinder pilot was launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022 and is now operating across 10 court in England and Wales, which accounts for around a quarter of relevant private law proceedings. Plans for further expansion will be announced in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of (a) court buildings and (b) technology used in courts.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Historical underfunding has resulted in challenges across the court estate, with an estimated £1.3 billion building maintenance backlog.

It is vital that court infrastructure does not prevent hearings from taking place, that is why we announced a boost in court capital maintenance and project funding from £120 million last year, to £148.5 million for 2025/26.

We are committed to enhancing the condition of our existing estate while also delivering new facilities. Examples include a purpose‑built modern court building under construction in the City of London, with further new facilities in Reading and Blackpool. A state-of-the-art Tribunals Centre in London, providing 30 hearings rooms, is scheduled to open in early March.

We also continue to invest in technology in courts as part of a providing a modern justice system. In 2025/26 HMCTS is investing over £20 million of capital funding in IT hardware to provide the courts with modern audio-visual capability - to improve digital evidence presentation and remote participation, replaced over a quarter of staff laptops and improved Wi-Fi coverage and capacity. In 2025, HMCTS replaced the contact centre solution used by the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres and modernised significant digital applications used in courts, moving old technology out of legacy data centres. As part of continual improvement, HMCTS is progressing with the adoption of Artificial Intelligence, to improve systems and services throughout the Justice system.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the publication of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Part 1 of Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts was published on 9 July 2025, which contained a number of recommendations for structural reform of the criminal courts. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister set out the reforms Government intends to pursue, alongside investment and modernisation.

On 4 February 2026 Sir Brian Leveson published Part 2 of his report, where he makes 135 recommendations to improve efficiency and modernise the criminal courts. The report is thorough and I welcome his ambition to see real improvements in the system.

We will urgently consider the latest recommendations, alongside Sir Brian’s remaining recommendations from Part 1, and respond to them in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take legislative steps through the Sentencing Bill to toughen fines and sentences for people convicted of the assault of retail workers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Sentencing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 22 January 2026 and is therefore not open to further amendment. However, the Government is taking additional steps to strengthen protections for retail workers through the Crime and Policing Bill. It is unacceptable that violence and abuse towards retail workers continues to rise. That is why, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. This bespoke offence will send a clear signal to perpetrators that assaults on retail workers are unacceptable and won’t go unpunished.

The Crime and Policing Bill also ensures that all shop theft is treated with the seriousness it deserves by repealing section 22A of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, so low value shop theft (of £200 or less) is no longer treated separately as a summary-only offence, but can instead be prosecuted as general theft, which carries a higher maximum penalty. Together, these measures further reinforce the Government’s commitment to tackling violence, abuse and criminality affecting retail staff.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the a) operation and b) alignment of Local Criminal Justice Boards within future policing structures.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the important role Local Criminal Justice Boards play as the forum where local criminal justice system partners collaborate, and the Ministry of Justice remain committed to supporting them. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the Home Office to ensure they collectively understand how local criminal justice governance, including the operation of Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs), will operate under any new policing model.

In tandem, the Government is considering the recommendations in Part II of Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts relating to the operation and governance of LCJBs and will respond to them in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of data collected on intestacy for the purposes of understanding regional differences in access to will-making and estate planning.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Will-making and estate planning services are largely offered by private providers and, in some instances, charities may offer similar free services.

The Government is not aware of any concerns regarding the availability of will-making and estate planning services. There are no plans to review the provision of these services.

The latest published government statistics on probate applications can be found here: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether they will require their department and agencies to offer payroll deductions to all employees to enable them to join a credit union.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

I can confirm that the Ministry of Justice does not currently offer or promote credit union offerings through payroll deductions. However, the Department offers financial wellbeing support and advice through the employee benefits package.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on court workloads relating to possession proceedings; and whether administrative or time-limited possession processes have been considered where landlords have complied fully with regulatory requirements.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

My Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that the justice system is well prepared for the implementation of the Renters Right’s Act 2025, including the impact on the County Court. We will ensure that the County Court has the resources and capacity it need to handle the additional possession workload these reforms will generate. A core part of this work is the development of a brand new digital possession service.

In relation to administrative possession, the Government considers it important that a tenant has the opportunity to attend a possession hearing as this is vital for tenants’ access to justice, especially in the new tenancy system where landlords must always evidence that possession grounds have been met.

In relation to time limits, the Civil Procedure Rules have a target for all possession hearings to be listed within 8 weeks of issue. We believe this appropriate and balances the rights of the tenant and landlord.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of offences relating to human trafficking or sexual exploitation in each of the last three calendar years; and what the nationality of those people was at the time of conviction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions, including details around ethnicity, for a wide range of offences, including offences related to human trafficking or sexual exploitation in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

Criminal Courts data concerning nationality is not collated by the Ministry of Justice. Data on nationality is not operationally required to progress a case and deliver a justice outcome.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether ethnicity data is collected centrally for individuals convicted of human trafficking or sexual exploitation offences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions, including details around ethnicity, for a wide range of offences, including offences related to human trafficking or sexual exploitation in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

Criminal Courts data concerning nationality is not collated by the Ministry of Justice. Data on nationality is not operationally required to progress a case and deliver a justice outcome.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individuals convicted of sexual offences have been sentenced to immediate custody during the current Parliament; and what percentage of all individuals convicted of sexual offences received an immediate custodial sentence during that same period.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a variety of offences, including sexual offences, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. The tool can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. The data can be filtered by ‘month’ and ‘year’.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how his Department plans to promote the National Year of Reading within the criminal justice system.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to reduce the number of delays to court hearings caused by the late arrival of prisoners.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In 2025, the overall Criminal Justice System timely delivery to court performance was 98.19%, Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers met the contractual requirement for timely delivery of prisoners to court in 99.91% of cases. The impact of recent reform policies on delivery times is under review.

In addition to its regular oversight meetings with the contractors, the PECS contract management team continues to work collaboratively with criminal justice partners to address any performance issues. Strategic Partnership Boards convene quarterly to review performance and agree strategies to drive and sustain improvement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through skilled worker visas in (1) the Ministry of Justice, and (2) the Prison Service.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to apply trial by a single judge sitting alone retrospectively to defendants who have already entered a plea and elected trial by jury.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is focused on bringing down the backlog as soon as possible. Once the criminal court reforms come into force, they will apply to existing cases, provided the trial has not yet commenced. This will mean that cases which are past the point of initial mode of trial determination, but have not yet commenced trial, will be able to be changed from jury trial to trial by judge alone (either under the Crown Court Bench Division or on the grounds of technical complexity or length). Cases which are in the Crown Court will be retained within that jurisdiction.

Cases already part-way through a jury trial will proceed with a jury trial. Similarly, cases already assigned to one court jurisdiction (magistrates’ court or Crown Court) will not be reallocated to another jurisdiction.

The reason for taking this approach is so that the time savings and benefits of the reforms can be felt as soon as possible. Allowing pending cases to be tried by judge alone will enable us to start tackling the open caseload as soon as the new legislation is enacted, delivering swifter justice for victims without compromising defendants’ rights or fairness. It will also avoid two different procedures running in parallel in the Crown Court as a result of arbitrary cut-off dates. The application of procedural changes to existing cases is consistent with longstanding legal practice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the current number of either-way cases in the present Crown Court backlog that have yet to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the proportion of cases in the backlog are still pending the decision of the defendant to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has information on the median age of cases that have yet to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average Crown Court waiting time is for sexual offences in England and (b) Northumbria Local Criminal Justice Board; and what steps he is taking to help reduce those waiting times.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Waiting time is the time that a defendant spends at the Crown Court before the main hearing starts (for example, the trial). The latest data to Q3 2025 shows that the median waiting time for sexual offences in England was 27 weeks and was 32 in the Northumbria Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB).

The Government commissioned Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and, after considering the recommendations made in the report, we have announced our intention to take forward a bold package of structural reforms designed to speed up justice for all victims, including victims of sexual offences. This financial year we also funded 111,250 Crown Court sitting days – an all-time high - so that more cases could be heard.

We have also published our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy - ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse’ - setting out the Government’s approach to tackling sexual and other offences perpetrated against women and girls. We are already acting by:

• Supporting victims with the largest ever investment of £550 million in victim support services over the next three years;

• Announcing a package of court measures to protect victims, particularly of sexual offences, from unnecessary and intrusive cross-examination about their personal lives.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those acting under a valid and registered Lasting Power of Attorney are not subjected to (a) disproportionate and (b) burdensome additional evidential requirements by (i) banks and (ii) other third party organisations.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Banks and other financial institutions are required to follow the requirements under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, the Immigration Act 2017 and the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act 2018. The Ministry of Justice has worked with UK Finance and other stakeholders to review the extent of customer identification evidence required by banks and other third-party organisations to meet these requirements in relation to attorneys acting under a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and deputies acting under a court order.

Following a public consultation by HM. Treasury in Spring 2025, amendments were made to guidance issued by the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG). The amended guidance clarified the evidence that financial firms should request to confirm the identity of an attorney or court appointed deputy and the legal authority granted to them to access one or more accounts.

In December 2025, UK Finance issued a practice note for financial institutions which summarises the customer due diligence requirements that financial firms should take when registering an attorney appointed under an LPA or a court appointed deputy.

The changes to the JMLSG guidance and the UK Finance Practice Note should standardise the evidential requirements and make the identification process less burdensome for attorneys and court appointed deputies.

The Department and UK Finance will continue to monitor the situation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in the last 12 months, how many individuals convicted of (a) a violent offence and (b) homicide had a recorded history of detention under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not hold the information requested. While the Ministry of Justice holds data on convictions, our data relating to the Mental Health Act 1983 covers only individuals detained as restricted [Criminal Justice] patients and does not capture any prior detention under the Act.

NHS England is responsible for information relating to detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983. Any relevant information is therefore held separately by different Departments and is not linked.

As a result, we are unable to provide a breakdown of individuals convicted of violent offences or homicide who have a prior history of Mental Health Act detention.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory intervention plans on reoffending rates among children convicted of knife possession.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, whether children identified as victims of county lines drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within mandatory targeted plans.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of children remanded into custody in the last three years for carrying a knife did not receive a custodial sentence.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children were (a) convicted and (b) cautioned for knife possession in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Youth Justice Services staffing levels to deliver mandatory targeted plans for every child found carrying a knife.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, how compliance with mandatory targeted plans will be monitored; and what data will be collected on engagement and outcomes.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, whether there will be a statutory basis for mandatory targeted plans for children found carrying knives.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what proportion of the £320 million funding settlement will be ringfenced for early intervention and prevention programmes.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what sanctions will be applied for children not engaging with mandatory targeted plans.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children.

Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.

The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.

The Government will monitor compliance through:

• the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;

• new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; and

• upcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence.

Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to reform the family court system; and whether such reforms will include strengthening enforcement powers where child arrangement orders have been breached.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to reform of the family court to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, children and families. Central to this is the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model, which amplifies the voice of the child through a Child Impact Report, ensures a higher proportion of children are directly engaged by social workers during proceedings, and offers specialist support to victims of domestic abuse. The model is supporting the court in making safe decisions which prioritise the best interests of the child, without delay.

The court has a range of powers open to it in relation to the enforcement of child arrangement orders, including the power to make an enforcement order under Section 11J of the Children Act 1989 where one party has failed to comply without reasonable excuse. The court will consider the circumstances of the breach, and the impact on the child ahead of making any decision in relation to enforcement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of either-way cases in the present Crown Court backlog that have yet to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of cases in the backlog are still pending the decision of the defendant to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds information on the median age of cases that have yet to elect mode of trial.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly.

The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the cases awaiting a Crown Court trial that have a potential sentence of up to three years imprisonment and that would go before a Judge-only court under his proposed court reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of cases in the overall Crown Court backlog are either way cases that would be no longer eligible for jury trial under the government’s proposed reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the overall Crown Court backlog which comprises the cohort of up to three years’ imprisonment cases and would go before a Judge only court under proposed court reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of cases in the overall Crown Court backlog which are either way cases that would be no longer eligible for jury trial under his proposed reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the percentage of the current Crown Court backlog would be sent for judge alone trials under the government’s proposed court reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of the current Crown Court backlog that would be sent for judge alone trials under his proposed court reforms.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the role of Legal Aid in enabling consumers to hold water companies to account for overcharging and environmental damage.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The scope of legal aid is set out under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and applicants are subject to relevant means and merits tests. Legal aid is available in relation to injunctions for nuisance arising from prescribed types of pollution of the environment, and for public law challenges, such as judicial reviews of decisions concerning water regulation. This would cover challenges that would benefit the environment. Proceedings related to private consumer law are generally not in scope.

Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF), which will be granted where they can show that without legal aid, there is a risk that their human rights may be breached. ECF applications are considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory disclosure of unspent criminal convictions on rates of reoffending.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to helping people with convictions overcome barriers to employment and turn away from reoffending. The criminal records regime is designed to play a role in this process, balancing the need to safeguard the public, with enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.

We recognise, however, that disclosure requirements can impact on an individual’s chances to reintegrate into society. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that we are considering the recommendation made by Sir Brian Leveson in his independent review of the Criminal Courts, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.

We are also committed to reducing barriers to employment in other ways, as we know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points in the year following release. For example, last year we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders leaving prison back into work.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, how has he tasked prisons with learning from Ukraine's drone expertise.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.

International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.

As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.

As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that people in the criminal justice system participate in the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to promote literacy enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were a) convicted for theft and b) did not receive an immediate custodial sentence were foreign nationals, by year of conviction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a wide range of offences, including theft in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

However, data held centrally does not include if the defendant is a foreign national. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Strategic Housing Specialists have been employed in women's prisons; and whether he plans to increase that number.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his target number is of Strategic Housing Specialists in women's prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he taking to ensure that people in the criminal justice system can engage with the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, what progress has he made in launching high-stakes competitions to develop technologies to help counter the scourge of illegal drones and drugs in prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.

International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.

As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.

As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, how will his Department benefit from the £6.5 million UKRI funding available to accelerate anti-drone research and development.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are working closely with international partners across our priorities, including lessons learnt from the battlefield to counter the threat of malicious drones. Officials are in further discussion with counterparts in Ukraine and other international allies to understand best practice and what lessons could be applied to the security of our prison estate.

International companies are also encouraged to take part in ongoing challenges to industry, for example the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on 3 March. The challenge is looking for practical, low-collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to £1.85 million combined funding is available across the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.

As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on his visit to Ukraine in January 2026, UKRI has committed an additional £6.5 million to help accelerate counter-drone research and development (R&D). This funding is owned and will be delivered by UKRI as part of the R&D Mission Accelerator Programme. Decisions for how this funding will be allocated are still being finalised and will be announced in due course.

As well as the £1.85 million challenge led by UKDI, the Ministry of Justice has also delivered counter-drone R&D through His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. The Counter-Drone Challenge, launched in November 2025, invited industry to find cutting-edge solutions to detect drones. Successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period. The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with UKRI, UKDI and the wider counter-drones ecosystem to develop innovative solutions to keep our prisons secure and protect the public.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 3 February (HL14086), what steps they are taking to improve data collection for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller prison staff, prisoners, probationers and children.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Work was completed in the summer of 2024 to update systems to capture Gypsy, Roma and Traveller data for Ministry of Justice staff, using the “19+1” approach. This approach uses the standard 19 detailed UK census ethnicity categories, plus one additional category for “Not declared/Prefer not to say”. It enables more detailed analysis, while still allowing data to be grouped into broader ethnicity categories for reporting.

For prisoners, people on probation and children, in addition to the “Gypsy and Irish Traveller” category, “Roma” has been added as an ethnicity option in both prisons and probation data systems with effect from January 2025.

We are currently developing an e-learning product which will be made available to all HMPPS staff by May 2026. It is aimed at improving cultural literacy and the support provided to people from Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Traveller backgrounds in prison, on probation and within the Youth Custody Service. This product includes a focus on supporting people from Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Traveller backgrounds to disclose their ethnicity to prison, probation or Youth Custody Service staff.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, how many prisons across the prison estate currently have access to active counter-UAS capabilities.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones that deliver contraband so that prisoners have access to a safe and stable rehabilitative environment. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.

H M Prison & Probation Service uses targeted physical countermeasures, such as improvements to windows, installing specialised netting and grills to prevent drones from delivering contraband into prisons. HMPPS also conducts vulnerability assessments across the estate, to understand the risk and develop and implement plans to mitigate the threat.

We work widely across Government to understand how current and emerging counter-drone capabilities can be used to keep our prisons and the public safe. We are also engaging with international counterparts to develop our learning, support our strategy and share best practice.

We cannot share information about our counter-drone tactics, but HMPPS uses suitable technology, alongside a variety of countermeasures and intelligence tools to prevent drones delivering contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what counter-Unmanned Aircraft System capabilities are available to HM Prison and Probation Service staff.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones that deliver contraband so that prisoners have access to a safe and stable rehabilitative environment. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.

H M Prison & Probation Service uses targeted physical countermeasures, such as improvements to windows, installing specialised netting and grills to prevent drones from delivering contraband into prisons. HMPPS also conducts vulnerability assessments across the estate, to understand the risk and develop and implement plans to mitigate the threat.

We work widely across Government to understand how current and emerging counter-drone capabilities can be used to keep our prisons and the public safe. We are also engaging with international counterparts to develop our learning, support our strategy and share best practice.

We cannot share information about our counter-drone tactics, but HMPPS uses suitable technology, alongside a variety of countermeasures and intelligence tools to prevent drones delivering contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that those in the criminal justice system benefit from the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those in the criminal justice system benefit from the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote literary enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.

As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to conveyancers, the Land Registry, or other stakeholders on the application of perpetuity rules to commercial land instruments following the enactment of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

No guidance has been issued by the Ministry of Justice since the Act came into force. The explanatory notes to the legislation set out the effects of the changes to the law: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/18/notes/contents.

This is a complex and technical area of law. Individuals should seek independent legal advice on how the Act applies to their unique circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for Release on Temporary Licence pilot scheme to be completed.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As set out in the Government’s IPP Action Plan (2025/26), we are progressing work to expand opportunities for IPP sentence progression, including piloting Release on Temporary Licence in Progression Regime Prisons. This work is ongoing, and further details on implementation will be set out in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 3 February (HL14086), what plans they have, if any, to use the ethnicity harmonised standards in published statistics; why the Offender Management Statistics use the 6+1 identity code system; and whether they plan to start to use the 18+1 identity code system.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In accordance with the principles embodied in the Code of Practice for Statistics; Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, we keep statistics for publication under continuous review. Uniform standards across Government are applied wherever appropriate, including in the reporting of ethnicity, where it is necessary to balance the benefit of a high level of detail in data gathering, against ease of interpretation for those reporting the information, and the value of consistency in reporting over time.

In the case of Offender Management Statistics, the 18+1 classification is used for the ethnicity information published in the annual prison population tables, which supplement the 6+1 series produced quarterly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for a breakdown of what prison education courses, according to annual delivery plan data, were provided in January (a) 2025, and (b) 2026, by prison, level of qualification and duration.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.

The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.

In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison education staff, according to annual delivery plan data, were employed in January (a) 2025, and (b) 2026, by prison.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.

The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.

In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison education staff were employed in January (a) 2025, and (b) 2026, by prison.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to ensuring that prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces re-offending.

The curriculum delivered through core education contracts is decided at local level, as is the number of education staff employed. It would not be possible to obtain this information from each prison without incurring disproportionate cost. It should be noted that the majority of teaching staff are employed by external providers.

In the interests of transparency, we intend to publish figures for changes to core education delivery volumes at individual prison level in the coming weeks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is his Department’s timescale for the distribution of updated materials on the Victims Code to police forces; and what assessment has he made of adherence to that timescale.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We launched the consultation on a new Victims’ Code on 5 February, which will be open to responses for 12 weeks. Following consideration of the consultation responses, and any subsequent changes, we will issue a government response and then issue the new Code in accordance with the Parliamentary process set out in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. We will update and distribute revised materials alongside the new Code.

We want the Government to introduce legislation creating a clear right of appeal against Coroners’ inquest conclusions, allowing families to challenge findings where there are errors of law, procedure, or failures to properly examine state involvement or evidence.

While the mission behind the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to compensate innocent victims of crime is vital, we feel its current operational methods are failing the very people it was designed to protect.

Make it an offence for a dog to kill or seriously injure a cat, whether in public or on private property. Introduce penalties for negligent dog owners and compensation for cat owners that reflects the emotional impact & distress caused plus vet bills or cremation costs.

Many victims who need mandatory protective orders are expected to pay substantial legal fees, or navigate a complex legal system alone unaided while traumatised. This creates a 2 tier system of access to safety, where protection depends on income rather than risk.

We want the Government to require prisons to run separate, safeguarded visiting sessions for prisoners convicted of sexual offences so that children visiting other prisoners are not exposed to them during visits.

We want the parliament to consider making adultery illegal

Found: Next steps Officials will remain in discussion with the College of Policing, NPCC, CPS, MoJ and others

Found: Communications05.25.20Transfer from MHCLG for Building Safety Regulator013.84513.8450.242Transfer from MoJ

Found: DWP, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Home Office and Ministry of Justice have

Found: It works with the MOJ, the Prison Service and police custody in courts to look at what the process means

Found: That reflects the fact that although this bid is specifically about the spending of the Ministry of Justice

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Found: It would appear the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), simply overlooke d Mrs Eaton or chose to take the view

Found: My colleague Isabel and I have a meeting with the Ministry of Justice on Thursday.

Found: reading for pleasure in custodial settings, scheduled to commence delivery ASAP subject to final Ministry of Justice

Found: The Ministry of Justice has taken steps to bring rule-of-law considerations to the fore in its policy

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Found: the largest employers - the Department of Work and Pensions, HMRC, Ministry of Justice

Found: The Board will meet every six weeks and includes senior colleagues from Ministry of Justice , M inistry

Found: Letter from the Minister for Courts and Legal Services at the Ministry of Justice relating to the consultation

Found: sustainability of children’s care homes HC 1233 60th DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 HC 1447 59th Ministry of Justice

Found: I should also note for the record that the Ministry of Justice has always been extremely responsive

Found: Ministry of Justice officials are meeting with the Welsh Government, and officials between the two

Found: Crown dependencies, which are similarly cousins of the mainland United Kingdom, are in the Ministry of Justice

Found: The relationship is now really quite strong both with the PSNI and the MoJ in Northern Ireland and

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents have been prosecuted for their child's non-attendance at school in each quarter of the last five years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department does not hold data on the total number of parents that have been prosecuted for their child’s non-attendance as this is a matter for the courts. However, our statutory guidance is clear that schools should take a ‘support first’ approach to pupils’ attendance and prosecutions should only be used as a last resort, where all other routes have been exhausted or deemed inappropriate in the circumstances of the individual case.

A new national framework for penalty notices came into effect from August 2024 designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistency and fairness across the country. Data collected by the department from the first year of the new framework (the 2024/25 academic year) shows 148 cases reported where a parent was prosecuted due to reaching the limit of two penalty notices within three years. Comprehensive data on prosecution offences is collected by the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) charged and (b) convicted for offences related to human trafficking or sexual exploitation following National Referral Mechanism referrals in each of the last three calendar years.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not collect data on police investigations specifically following an NRM referral or disaggregated data on charges or convictions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation. Given this, we are unable to provide the information you have requested.

Prosecutions and convictions data related to modern slavery is recorded by the Crown Prosecution Service in their quarterly data summaries.

Sentencing data for modern slavery offences in England and Wales is published by the Ministry of Justice in their Criminal Justice System statistics.

Offences and charges data for modern slavery is published in the Home Office police recorded crime statistics collection.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that young girls that are subject to online grooming in the UK are supported indiscriminately, regardless of their faith and race.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years, including funding to Police and Crime Commissioner areas to commission victims support services locally, as well asfunding to over 60 specialist support organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. These organisations provide support for victims and survivors of sexual abuse, including recent and non-recent victims of child sexual abuse, to cope and move forward with their lives. The Home Office’s Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund also supports seven voluntary and community sector organisations to have national reach and supports victims and survivors of child sexual abuse with a range of one-to-one and peer and survivor led support groups. These services support all victims and survivors irrespective of personal characteristics such as faith and race.

In 2025 as part of our response to recommendation 16 of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Government set out ambitious proposals to strengthen therapeutic support for victims, announcing it will provide up to £50 million in new funding to expand the Child House (Barnahus) model to every NHS region in England. This internationally recognised model—rightly viewed as the gold standard for supporting children who have experienced sexual abuse—will ensure that wherever a child lives, they can access the specialist, trauma-informed care they need to begin recovering and rebuilding their lives.

Children’s Independent Sexual Violence Advisor’s also provide practical and emotional support to children and young people aged 4 to 17 years, who have experienced rape, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation at any time during their life. They provide emotional and practical support and liaise between the police, courts and other agencies, acting as an advocate for the survivor.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether evidence or representations from stakeholders in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Motor Insurance Taskforce; and what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Northern Ireland insurance market, including differences in (a) pricing, (b) claims costs and (c) legal frameworks.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The work of the motor insurance taskforce focused on issues and concerns associated with the cost of insurance premiums and claims that are shared across the UK.

The taskforce heard representations that some of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland have led to increasing costs there. Some of those, such as road safety and costs associated with taking claims through the judicial system, are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider. The government will continue to work constructively with the Executive on relevant areas of policy.

The taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and subsequently met on 28 April 2025 and 21 July 2025, which was the final meeting of the taskforce. Taskforce members were the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, who were the co-chairs.

We do not plan to publish the minutes or summaries of meetings as they cover the formulation and development of ‘live’ government policy and to do so would hinder future policy development as it could inhibit a free exchange of views.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Motor Insurance Taskforce met since its establishment; on what dates those meetings took place; which organisations and departments were represented; and whether she plans to publish minutes or summaries from those meetings.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The work of the motor insurance taskforce focused on issues and concerns associated with the cost of insurance premiums and claims that are shared across the UK.

The taskforce heard representations that some of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland have led to increasing costs there. Some of those, such as road safety and costs associated with taking claims through the judicial system, are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider. The government will continue to work constructively with the Executive on relevant areas of policy.

The taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and subsequently met on 28 April 2025 and 21 July 2025, which was the final meeting of the taskforce. Taskforce members were the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, who were the co-chairs.

We do not plan to publish the minutes or summaries of meetings as they cover the formulation and development of ‘live’ government policy and to do so would hinder future policy development as it could inhibit a free exchange of views.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether they will require their department and agencies to offer payroll deductions to all employees to enable them to join a credit union.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not offer payroll deductions for credit unions. However, the department offers financial wellbeing support and advice through the employee benefits package. The employee benefits package is provided to NIO staff by the Ministry of Justice and its contracted suppliers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides on when a mental capacity review should be carried out on a patient.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is designed to protect and empower people who lack the mental capacity to make a decision themselves. It says that every person must be presumed to have capacity to make the decision in question unless it is established otherwise, and sets out a two-stage test to establish if a person can make specific decisions regarding their care and treatment. Capacity assessments are done locally, and data is not collated or held centrally on how many assessments are carried out.

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) is a procedure prescribed in law under the MCA when a person who lacks mental capacity to consent to their care or treatment is being deprived of their liberty in a care home or hospital in order to keep them safe from harm. DoLS assessments data is collated and published, the most recent data available is for 2023/24.

In 2023/24 there were 323,870 DoLS applications completed, 145,945 fully assessed, 15,270 closed partially assessed, 162,655 closed without assessments, and 123,790 not completed at year end.

The MCA code of practice gives guidance to people who work with, or care for, people who can’t make decisions for themselves, including when a mental capacity assessment should be carried out, and by whom. Government is clear that professionals applying the MCA are expected to keep up to date with guidance and caselaw, and to correctly use the principles within the act.

In October 2025 we announced our intention to run a joint consultation with the Ministry of Justice to consult on Liberty Protection Safeguards and an updated draft of the Code of Practice in 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental capacity assessments have been carried out on patients in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is designed to protect and empower people who lack the mental capacity to make a decision themselves. It says that every person must be presumed to have capacity to make the decision in question unless it is established otherwise, and sets out a two-stage test to establish if a person can make specific decisions regarding their care and treatment. Capacity assessments are done locally, and data is not collated or held centrally on how many assessments are carried out.

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) is a procedure prescribed in law under the MCA when a person who lacks mental capacity to consent to their care or treatment is being deprived of their liberty in a care home or hospital in order to keep them safe from harm. DoLS assessments data is collated and published, the most recent data available is for 2023/24.

In 2023/24 there were 323,870 DoLS applications completed, 145,945 fully assessed, 15,270 closed partially assessed, 162,655 closed without assessments, and 123,790 not completed at year end.

The MCA code of practice gives guidance to people who work with, or care for, people who can’t make decisions for themselves, including when a mental capacity assessment should be carried out, and by whom. Government is clear that professionals applying the MCA are expected to keep up to date with guidance and caselaw, and to correctly use the principles within the act.

In October 2025 we announced our intention to run a joint consultation with the Ministry of Justice to consult on Liberty Protection Safeguards and an updated draft of the Code of Practice in 2026.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether they will require their department and agencies to offer payroll deductions to all employees to enable them to join a credit union.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office does not employ any staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers.

Any matters relating to payroll are the responsibility of the employing departments.

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Found: Ministry of Defence Police £4,338 and £3,105 South East Allowance - £2,000 to £3,000 N/A Ministry of Justice

Found: As Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice she led the official response to the civil unrest of

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Found: - The Board’s strategic funding case for the next two years ha s been submitted to the MoJ, the Board

Found: Contact Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office: https://www.gov.uk

Found: Ministry of Defence Police £4,338 and £3,105 South East Allowance - £2,000 to £3,000 N/A Ministry of Justice

Found: HMPPS HQ HQ ICT Digital and Change Digital Studio Other Bands 4-6 2 2017-03-31 00:00:00 HMPPS HQ HQ MoJ

Found: Prison and Probation Service Workforce Statistics Bulletin England and Wales 31 December 2025 Ministry of Justice

Found: national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics © Crown Copyright Produced by the Ministry of Justice

Found: national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics © Crown Copyright Produced by the Ministry of Justice

Found: 00:00 Next release 20 August 2026 Press enquiries Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice

Found: Cover Cover page Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service

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Found: this publication should be sent to us at Public.Enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or Contact the Ministry of Justice

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Found: The Welsh Government submitted a completed Justice System Impact Identification Form to the Ministry of Justice

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