Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the longest waiting time was for a case to be heard in a criminal court in England and Wales once referred, as of the most recent data available.

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

We have interpreted your question to be asking for information on the longest time a case has taken to have its first hearing at a criminal court from the point of crime referral.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data regarding timeliness from the date of crime referral.

The Department publishes quarterly timeliness data concerning the criminal courts in the ‘End-to-end timeliness tool (Crown Court)’ and ‘Magistrates’ courts timeliness tool’, at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

These Accredited Official Statistics present the latest statistics on type and volume of cases that are received and processed through the criminal court system of England and Wales, including multiple measures of timeliness. The statistics give a summary overview of the volume of cases and defendants dealt with by these courts over time, including further breakdowns of available timeliness stages, offence groups and factors impacting case flow (plea, remand and case type).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals relating to special educational needs and disabilities were lodged with the First-tier Tribunal in each of the last five years.

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

Information about appeals lodged with the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his proposed changes to the right to a jury trial on the rule of law.

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

The Government will publish a full impact assessment of our proposed justice reforms in the usual way with bill introduction. That will include an assessment of the impact of the proposed changes in the threshold for who can access a jury trial. Currently, over 90% of criminal cases are already heard by magistrates, without a jury. These proposals make a modest change to the threshold. All indictable only offences and any offence with a likely sentence over three years will continue to receive a jury trial.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of criminal legal aid firms that have ceased operating in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

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

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. The LAA monitors the number of legal aid providers contracted to provide criminal legal aid services throughout England and Wales.

Information regarding the number of legal aid providers with a criminal legal aid contract since 2018 is published as part of the LAA’s official statistics [table 9.6]. Please note that data for the current financial year has not yet been published. Information regarding number of contracted providers from 2008-2022 has previously been published in response to a PQ 121917.1

Fluctuations in provider volumes can be the result of consolidation or merger activity. As such a reduction to the overall number of firms with a contract to provide criminal legal aid services does not always equate to a loss of provision or coverage. Not all providers who cease undertaking legal aid work will have ceased operating altogether. Some firms may continue to provide criminal advice and representation on a private basis.

The LAA regularly reviews available supply of legal aid services across England and Wales to make sure there is adequate provision for legal aid, including under each criminal duty scheme, and takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise.

1. Please note that figures for 2018-2022 in the official statistics may differ for those released under the PQ as the information in the statistics presents data as at the end of the financial year whereas the PQ response presented the figures as at the start of the financial year or most recent period for which figures were available.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many unique offenders were convicted for an indictable offence and did not receive immediate custody in 2024 with i) zero, ii) 1-2, iii) 3-6, iv) 7-10, v) 11-14, vi) 15-25, vii) 26-35, viii) 36-45, ix) 46 - 60, x) 61-75 and xi) 76 or more previous convictions.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested is provided in the attached excel table. The table includes data covering 2024 on the number of offenders who received a conviction but not an immediate custodial sentence split by number of previous convictions. This data is not routinely published or held in an assessable format. The information supplied has been sourced from a bespoke retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

Previous convictions are already a statutory aggravating factor, with Sentencing Guidelines being clear that sentencers must consider the nature and relevance of previous convictions, and the time elapsed since the previous convictions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of duty solicitors available in rural areas.

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

It is vital that those who need legal aid can access it wherever they live in the UK.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas. The LAA monitors membership across individual duty schemes. Information about duty solicitor volumes broken down by individual scheme is published as part of the LAA’s Official Statistics.

The LAA considers that all police station and court slots are adequately covered for each duty scheme in England and Wales, including those in rural areas. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota.

The Government has made significant investments in criminal legal aid, to reflect the valuable work done by defence lawyers. We are investing around £92 million per year in steady state in criminal legal aid solicitors’ fees. The majority of the funding (around £82 million) came into effect from 22 December 2025, with the remaining funding (around £10 million) to be implemented as soon as possible this year.

Recruitment and retention of duty solicitors remains crucial. A significant proportion of the around £92 million investment in solicitors’ fees is directed towards supporting duty solicitors in police stations and in the magistrates' courts, including in rural areas. This investment is in addition to the £24 million per year increase we implemented in November 2024 for work done in the police station and Youth Court.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sitting days each (a) court and (b) tribunal in England and Wales has been allocated in the 2025–26 financial year.

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

The Ministry of Justice interprets this question as referring to the total allocations for each court and tribunal jurisdiction for the FY 2025/26. As part of this Government’s commitment to transparency, we began publishing total sitting‑day allocations by jurisdiction last year. The table below sets out the total allocations for FY2025/26 by jurisdiction. The Government has funded each jurisdiction to sit at or close to maximum capacity.

* This figure represents the total number of days funded from both Ministry of Justice and Home Office budgets. However, in order to maximise overall sittings within this funding, the total number of days allocated across the First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal in aggregate was slightly higher, at 23,450.

** This figure includes days funded from both Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions budgets.

*** This figure only represents the sitting days included in the Ministry of Justice's baseline funding. There are long-standing agreements with several other government departments whereby they provide funding for capacity in specific tribunals. Additional days will be sat as a result of this additional funding.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence were in prison on recall as of 1 December 2025 following a breach of licence conditions where no further criminal charge was brought; and how many of those people have been continuously in custody since their most recent recall for (1) fewer than 12 months, (2) 1–2 years, (3) 2–3 years, (4) 3–4 years, (5) 4–5 years, (6) 5–6 years, (7) 6–7 years, (8) 7–8 years, (9) 8–9 years, (10) 9–10 years, and (11) more than 11 years.

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

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration his Department has given to the potential merits of allowing inquests into the death of a child by suicide to be conducted in private.

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

As I confirmed in my response the Honourable Member’s question on this issue on 23 July 2025 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament), the Government is committed to putting the bereaved at the heart of the inquest process, and we are particularly conscious of the importance of this for those who have suffered the unimaginable distress of losing a child through suicide.

However, in line with the principle of open justice - which applies in all courts including the coroner’s court - it is important that justice is administered in public, that everything said in court is reportable, and that any departure from this approach is closely regulated.

Accordingly, there are strict limitations on the coroner’s powers to sit in private, to withhold the names of witnesses or Interested Persons, or to prevent the reporting of matters heard in court. In particular, the public and media may only be excluded from an inquest hearing in the interests of national security.

Chapter 8 of the Chief Coroner’s Guidance for Coroners on the Bench (Chapter 8: Open Justice - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary) provides guidance for coroners on the principle of open justice and the application of any statutory powers to depart from it.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what male supportive gender specific rape and abuse support services were commissioned directly by his Department in 2025; and if he will list each service and how much spending was allocated to each in 2025.

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

The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) is centrally commissioned by the Department. Its purpose is to provide specialist support to victims of rape and sexual abuse. RASASF-funded activities provide holistic, trauma-informed, survivor-led support to all victims who have experienced rape or sexual abuse at any point in their lives, regardless of their gender, where they live in England and Wales or whether they report the crime to the police.

RASASF-funded organisations deliver a wide range of services: some RASASF-funded organisations only offer services to male victims; many organisations offer services to both male and female victims; others only offer services to female victims. The Department also provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) who commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic services based on an assessment of need in their area.

Details of organisations awarded RASASF grants for the period 01 August 2023 to 31 March 2025 are published online: Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund 2023 to 2025: Organisations awarded funding - GOV.UK. Grant funding award amounts for financial year 2025-26 were the same as the published amount for 2024-25. Exceptions are where RASASF-funded organisations have closed down and the Department has re-directed the funds to other specialist organisations within the PCC area. We continue to consider how best to share information on this fund in the public domain.

Alongside the RASASF, the Ministry of Justice funds the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, which offers victims, aged 16 and over, access to free and confidential emotional support whenever they need it. Where appropriate, the service will also signpost victims to longer-term support services, such as therapeutic support.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 rape support line were answered substantively within 5 minutes in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.

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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.

We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.

Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many call handlers were employed to staff the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025, and f) December 2025.

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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.

We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.

Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 Rape Support Line were answered in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.

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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.

We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.

Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the number of calls to the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.

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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.

We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.

Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Scottish Government's Burial and Cremations Department Funeral Director Code of Practice in reducing the number of funeral directors that are in breach of the law.

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

The Government recognises the urgency of concerns about the funeral sector and is committed to responding at pace to ensure that the highest standards are always upheld by funeral directors and others involved in the care of people that have died.

To that end, the Government is considering the full range of options to strengthen and improve standards to safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased. In this context, an interim update on progress with our response to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 report was published by the Department for Health and Social Care on 16 December 2025 (Fuller inquiry: government interim update on phase 2 recommendations - GOV.UK), and we will provide a full response by summer 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring organisations to contribute to legal fees when (a) an unfair dismissal and (b) a discriminatory employment practice has occurred.

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

Organisations can already be asked to contribute to the cost of legal fees where vexatious or unreasonable behaviour has occurred. The Employment Tribunals (ET) can issue cost orders where one side is ordered to pay the other’s legal costs. For unfair dismissal cases, if the tribunal decides a claimant has been unfairly dismissed, they can receive compensation. Compensation awards can be ‘basic’ (based on age, length of service and average weekly wage) and ‘compensatory’ (based on loss of earnings).

The Ministry of Justice has not carried out an assessment of the merits of introducing more widespread use of cost orders. This is because the Tribunal Procedure Committee (TPC) is responsible for making procedure rules in the ET that includes the rules regarding cost orders. The Lord Chancellor can consider impacts of the changes the TPC recommend before deciding whether to implement them.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which (a) professional bodies and (b) legal organisations his Department consulted prior to the publication of proposals to restrict jury trials; and what alternative measures his Department has considered to reduce the Crown Court backlog.

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

In developing his recommendations, Sir Brian Leveson and his expert advisers, including Professor David Ormerod, engaged with many external bodies and organisations with invaluable expertise of our Criminal Justice System including criminal legal organisations, charities, academics, and members of the judiciary. A full list is at Annex C of Part 1 of his report.

When considering Sir Brian’s recommendations and developing our proposals, I have engaged regularly with stakeholders and relevant sectors including but not limited to representatives from the legal sector (Law Society, Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association), victims and victims representatives (the Victims Commissioner, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Rape Crisis), judiciary (Circuit leaders, Judicial leadership), magistracy (Magistrates’ Association, Magistrates’ Leadership Executive), non-governmental organisations (Appeal, JUSTICE, Transform Justice), court staff in criminal courts around the country (Wood Green, Snaresbrook, Kingston, Southwark, Telford, Birmingham etc) and similar international jurisdictions. For example, I met judges and visited courts in Canada, which uses types of judge-only trial.

We welcome the recommendations made in Part 1 of Sir Brian’s Review, which provided the blueprint for reform. Sir Brian’s recommendations were ambitious, but he also recognised that the Government might need to take his recommendations further to address the scale of the challenge we are facing. We have three levers for restoring stability and confidence in the criminal courts system – investment, modernisation, and structural reform. Pursuing any one of these levers in isolation would not be enough to meet projected demand into the courts, let alone address the rising caseload. The Government has already invested heavily in the system – in record sitting days, court buildings and technology, and in legal professionals. On 4 February 2026, Sir Brian published Part 2 of his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which makes recommendations to improve the efficiency of the criminal courts. We will urgently consider the proposals set out, alongside Sir Brian’s remaining recommendations from Part 1, and respond to them in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made by law enforcement on apprehending those responsible for the Legal Aid Agency cyber attack.

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

Since April 2025 there has been a net increase to the number of providers contracted to deliver legal aid services. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes data about provider numbers as part of its official statistics (table 9.6). Data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

The LAA also routinely publishes data about the volume and value of legal aid cases across all legal aid schemes as part of its official statistics. As above, data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

As set out in my response to PQ 98862, since the serious criminal attack on the LAA’s digital services was identified we have worked closely with relevant law enforcement agencies and Police. As sensitive investigations remain ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on the nature or detail of this engagement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of court sitting days on the Crown Court backlog.

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

We have funded 112,250 Crown Court sitting days this financial year – 5,000 more than the previous Government and a record number. The Deputy Prime Minister has made clear that sitting days will continue to increase in both the Crown and magistrates’ courts.

As our latest published projections show, demand by 2030 is forecast to be 7% higher in the Crown Court than current levels. This means the courts would need to sit 139,000 days just to keep up with demand and even that would not enable us to reduce the backlog. The system is not able to deliver that number – there are insufficient prosecutors, defence barristers and judges to keep up with the demand. As a benchmark, the Lady Chief Justice has said that the maximum the judiciary could presently sit is around 113,000 sitting days.

Therefore, even with record-breaking investment in sitting days, the Crown Court backlog will continue to grow, leaving people waiting for longer and longer for justice. That is why we are pulling every lever we have – investment, reform and efficiency – to turn the tide on the backlog and begin to deliver justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to reform powers in relation to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation cases.

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

The Government implemented the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While this was a positive first step, we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 22 December 2025 to Question 100065 on Legal Aid Scheme, how many legal aid providers have left the market in total since 23 April 2025.

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

Since April 2025 there has been a net increase to the number of providers contracted to deliver legal aid services. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes data about provider numbers as part of its official statistics (table 9.6). Data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

The LAA also routinely publishes data about the volume and value of legal aid cases across all legal aid schemes as part of its official statistics. As above, data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

As set out in my response to PQ 98862, since the serious criminal attack on the LAA’s digital services was identified we have worked closely with relevant law enforcement agencies and Police. As sensitive investigations remain ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on the nature or detail of this engagement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many legal aid cases there were in each month since 23 April 2025.

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

Since April 2025 there has been a net increase to the number of providers contracted to deliver legal aid services. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes data about provider numbers as part of its official statistics (table 9.6). Data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

The LAA also routinely publishes data about the volume and value of legal aid cases across all legal aid schemes as part of its official statistics. As above, data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.

As set out in my response to PQ 98862, since the serious criminal attack on the LAA’s digital services was identified we have worked closely with relevant law enforcement agencies and Police. As sensitive investigations remain ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on the nature or detail of this engagement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what demographic data in relation to ethnicity, gender and age his Department holds on convictions and cautions over the last 30 years.

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

The Ministry of Justice holds an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) which holds data on ethnicity, gender and age for convictions and cautions since 2000. A breakdown of this information is published annually in the First Time Entrants and Offenders History publication here: First Time Entrants and Offenders History publication

In addition, the Ministry of Justice holds data on convictions in the Court Proceedings database which includes details of gender and age from 1984. Ethnicity data is included from 2005 onwards. This information, along with a technical guide for each report containing further details around demographic information, is routinely published in Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK Information on cautions from the PNC extract is also published within the reports.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current notification procedures for County Court Judgments; and whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring that all notifications of impending County Court Judgments be sent by recorded and tracked delivery to ensure defendants receive proper notice of court proceedings.

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

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee is responsible for the rules that govern the procedure for notifying people of court proceedings, known as the rules of service. In July 2025 it consulted on changes to the service rules including to permit electronic service on parties with whom there has already been electronic communication pre-action. The work to review responses to the consultation and any subsequent Civil Procedure Rules amendments is ongoing. The consultation can be found at - Civil Procedure Rule Committee - service consultation

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what research he has undertaken into (a) inequalities in the criminal justice system and (b) the impact of DBS checks on those inequalities.

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

Equality before the law is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system. We are committed to working in partnership with ethnic minority communities, stakeholders and delivery partners to seize opportunities and remove barriers to racial equality across the UK and to hear people’s lived experiences.

Data First is a pioneering data-linkage, research and academic engagement programme, led by the Ministry of Justice. By making linked data across courts, prison and probation services available to accredited academic researchers, Data First continues to facilitate new research on the nature and extent of ethnic disparities in sentencing outcomes that has not been possible before.

DBS checks and the wider criminal records regime must strike a balance between safeguarding and rehabilitation, but we recognise the different ways that they can impact on an individual’s life. Sir Brian Leveson’s recent independent review of the Criminal Courts also highlighted these impacts. On 2 December 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement, that we are considering Sir Brian’s recommendation, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Sharia law courts have operated in the UK in each year since 2010 and broken down by local authority area.

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

There are no sharia law courts.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation officers have been recruited since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Between 5 July 2024 and 30 September 2025, 55 qualified Band 4 probation officers joined HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). This figure reflects only those who already held the required qualification at the point of appointment.

The majority of Band 4 probation officers join HMPPS as trainees and qualify within the Department, rather than being recruited directly into Band 4 roles.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been recruited since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There have been 2,623 Band 3–5 prison officers who joined HMPPS between 5 July 2024 and 30 September 2025.

This data only covers Public Sector Prison establishments in England and does not include Private Sector Prison establishments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his assessment is of the effectiveness of Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The UK fully supports the operation of the international treaties which enable the cross-border enforcement of maintenance decisions. Children have a right to care and support, and parents have a responsibility to provide it. That responsibility endures regardless of family separation and includes situations where the paying parent and the child are living in different countries.

The effectiveness of reciprocal enforcement depends on how national governments operate the procedures required under the different treaties. The administration of the reciprocal enforcement of maintenance procedures in England and Wales is kept under continuous review and officials work to address any issues arising.

Regular discussions take place between UK officials and officials from other countries.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels due to the applicant being a convicted sex offender.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held.

This is because applicants are not required to provide details of any criminal convictions as part of the Gender Recognition Certificate application process.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels due to concerns around safety and risk.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held.

This is because applicants are not required to provide details of any criminal convictions as part of the Gender Recognition Certificate application process.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Between April - September 2025, the latest period for which statistics are published, 709 Gender Recognition Certificates applications were approved, with 42 (6%) refused.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to implement proportionate regulation of third-party litigation funding agreements in this parliament.

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

We have carefully considered the recommendations from the Civil Justice Council's review and, as well as seeking to mitigate the effects of the PACCAR judgment, we wanted to tighten up regulation of third-party litigation funding.

We intend to introduce legislation to implement proportionate regulation of Litigation Funding Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. The new regulatory framework will aim to enhance claimant protection, transparency and the effectiveness of the litigation funding market. The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, what steps he has taken to help ensure that changes to sentencing do not adversely impact (a) public safety and (b) offender rehabilitation.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The greatest risk to public safely is the risk of not being able to lock up dangerous offenders. Without the Sentencing Act, which received Royal Assent on 22 January, the country would have completely run out of prison places as early as June this year. This Government’s decisive action has safeguarded the police, courts, and wider criminal justice system, and avoided a potentially catastrophic breakdown of law and order.

Public protection is our main priority, and many offenders will still go to prison, some for a very long time. Where offenders are on licence, in the community, we are imposing more intensive supervision, including ramped up tagging. We are also introducing new restriction zones for the most serious offenders, locking them down to a specific area.

We are prioritising rehabilitation of offenders: evidence shows that short prison sentences exacerbate issues with employment, housing, and maintaining family ties, without allowing sufficient time for offenders to access effective rehabilitative services. Whereas suspended sentence orders give offenders a chance to stay in work, keep stable housing, and access support, all of which help reduce repeat offending and support rehabilitation.

To support rehabilitation and managing offenders in the community, this Government is rebuilding the probation service, increasing investment by up to £700 million by 2028/29, a 45% increase.

We are creating a tougher, smarter system that protects the public and supports rehabilitation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will bring forward changes to allow independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.

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

The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.

In the upcoming consultation, we will invite views on the possible introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published to help to inform our next steps on weddings reform.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Government intends to launch the public consultation on wedding law reform.

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

We will be undertaking the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales early this year. The exact publication date is yet to be confirmed.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in the prison population are deemed to have a learning difficulty.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The data we hold is for public sector prisons in England only (education in Wales is a devolved responsibility) and is limited to prisoners who have undertaken an assessment of educational standard prior to enrolment on an education course, rather than the population as a whole. It can be found via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-education-and-accredited-programme-statistics-2024-to-2025/prison-education-and-accredited-programme-statistics-2024-2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in England and Wales are on remand awaiting trial.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the untried remand population in custody in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication. This data can be found in Population Table 1_Q_2 of OMSQ: Offender management statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biologically male prisoners were held in E Wing of HMP Downview as at 1st February 2026.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As of 1 February 2026, seven biologically male prisoners were being held on E Wing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of regulation and (b) level of trade body membership of funeral service providers contracted by local authorities for provision of services that fall outside of a local authority's obligations under Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984.

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

The Government recognises the urgency of concerns about the funeral sector and is committed to responding at pace to ensure that the highest standards are always upheld by funeral directors and others involved in the care of people that have died.

To that end, the Government is considering the full range of options to strengthen and improve standards to safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased. In this context, an interim update on progress with our response to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 report was published by the Department for Health and Social Care on 16 December 2025 (Fuller inquiry: government interim update on phase 2 recommendations - GOV.UK), and we will provide a full response by summer 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates served in a) magistrate courts and b) family courts in each year between 2009 and 2025.

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

Magistrates are the cornerstone of our long and established judicial System. The extraordinary voluntary commitment given by individuals across England and Wales, giving up their valuable free time to make a difference to our Justice system is incredible.

The earliest data we have is 2018, when we had a total of 14,008 magistrates. Currently, we have 14,466 magistrates sitting in crime and family.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was between charge and trial in a) rape, b) murder and c) GBH cases in each year between 2009 and 2025 for each court in England.

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

Data showing the time from charge to main hearing for defendants dealt with for the selected offences following the entry of a not guilty plea at the Crown Court from 2016 to 2024 can be found in the attached tables. Data is not available for years prior to 2016.

Data has been provided at the lowest geographical level of our published Accredited Official Statistics, Local Criminal Justice Board Level (LCJB).

Please note that many of the averages are based on very small volumes of defendants and as such the figures should be treated with caution.

Our published timeliness metrics are produced at a sufficiently 'high' level to reduce the volatility and fluctuations associated with low volumes of cases i.e. offence groups. Where court level offence breakdowns are based on fewer than five cases in these tables, timeliness values are suppressed as they are particularly volatile and can be misleading.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take legislative steps to reverse the effects of R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Appeal Tribunal and provide for the changes to apply retrospectively.

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

We intend to introduce legislation to clarify that Litigation Funding Agreements (LFAs) are not Damages-Based Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. This will mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment and improve access to justice by reassuring funders that LFAs can be used to fund cases. We intend to make this change with prospective effect.

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has set a timeline for publication of legislation to reverse the effects of R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Appeal Tribunal.

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

We intend to introduce legislation to clarify that Litigation Funding Agreements (LFAs) are not Damages-Based Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. This will mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment and improve access to justice by reassuring funders that LFAs can be used to fund cases. We intend to make this change with prospective effect.

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court days were lost in 2025 due to non-delivery of remanded prisoners to court by courier firms by a) prison held in, b) contracted courier company, c) Crown Court and d) Magistrates court.

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

Data on the number of trials declared ineffective due to the non-production of defendants can be found here: Trial effectiveness at the Criminal Courts tool.

In the most recent reported quarter (July to September 2025), non-production of defendants accounted for 2% of ineffective trials in the Crown Court and 4% of ineffective trials in the magistrates’ court.

Securing data on the impact that non-production of defendants has had on sitting time would come at a disproportionate cost, due to the time required to process this information.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to monitor and evaluate the adequacy of Legal Aid funding awarded under the Schedule 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

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

Schedule 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) describes the civil services in scope of legal aid under s.9 LASPO.

In January 2023, the Ministry of Justice launched a comprehensive Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA), to identify issues facing the system and improve its sustainability. The Review examined the civil legal aid system in its entirety, including how services are procured, how well the current system works for users and providers, and how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system. The Review has now concluded, and all reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/civil-legal-aid-review.

The evidence from RoCLA indicated that the housing and immigration sectors face particularly acute challenges with service provision and high demand. In response, we are increasing fees for all housing and debt, and immigration and asylum legal aid work. This represents a significant investment – the first major increase in fees since 1996. Uplifts to fees for controlled immigration and housing work - generally early advice and some legal representation - came into effect on 22 December 2025, injecting an additional £18 million into the civil legal aid sector each year.

We will monitor and evaluate the impact of this fee increase through engagement with the sector and through provider numbers. We are in regular dialogue with representative bodies and our provider base more broadly about the health of the market, and several new research and evidence projects are underway that aim to improve our understanding about market capacity and demand.

RoCLA identified a range of issues – beyond fees – that make a difference to the profession. We are looking at other potential changes to support providers, for example contractual requirements that providers say are burdensome.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court days were lost in 2025 due to the unavailability of courtrooms as a result of building failures by a) crown court, b) magistrates court and c) family court.

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

The number of court days lost due to building failures in the last full financial year (2024/25) is as follows:

Crown Court – 258 days

Magistrates’ Court – 36 days

Family Court – 2 days

To put this into context, over the same period we sat over 107,000 days in the Crown Court.

A lost court day is defined as a planned sitting day consisting of two sessions (one morning, one afternoon session) that is cancelled, adjourned or unable to proceed due to unforeseen circumstances, structural issues or scheduling conflicts. The figures above reflect court days lost due to building failures only. Workforce shortages are also a major cause of lost time: in 2024, over 1,000 trials were cancelled owing to a lack of counsel, which is why we are investing further in legal aid and match funding pupillages for criminal barristers.

Thanks to the efforts of court staff and the judiciary, where a building failure occurs, losing court days can often be averted through our ability to move cases to another courtroom or nearby court building, or by using remote hearing arrangements.

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 in 2024/25, to £148.5 million for 2025/26.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to prevent individuals subject to active civil court orders from receiving Legal Aid.

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

Anyone can receive civil legal aid, provided that their case is in scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and they pass the applicable means and merits tests, along with any necessary evidence requirements.

Criminal legal aid may be granted to defendants in criminal cases if they pass the applicable means and merits (interests of justice) tests. It is an accepted principle under both domestic law and international human rights agreements, as a component of the right to a fair trial, that those charged with a criminal offence have the right to legal assistance if needed.

It is possible for individuals subject to active civil court orders to claim legal aid; the legal aid framework does not prevent this. To receive legal aid, the matter must fall within the scope of the legal aid scheme, and the applicant must pass both the means and merits tests. The tests only apply to the case for which legal aid is sought, assessing financial eligibility and merits eligibility including, in relation to domestic violence cases, prospects of success and proportionality. An individual being subject to an unrelated active civil court order would not impact that assessment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to address the funding anomaly whereby Legal Aid funding may be granted to alleged or confirmed perpetrators rather than judicially recognised victims.

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

Anyone can receive civil legal aid, provided that their case is in scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and they pass the applicable means and merits tests, along with any necessary evidence requirements.

Criminal legal aid may be granted to defendants in criminal cases if they pass the applicable means and merits (interests of justice) tests. It is an accepted principle under both domestic law and international human rights agreements, as a component of the right to a fair trial, that those charged with a criminal offence have the right to legal assistance if needed.

It is possible for individuals subject to active civil court orders to claim legal aid; the legal aid framework does not prevent this. To receive legal aid, the matter must fall within the scope of the legal aid scheme, and the applicant must pass both the means and merits tests. The tests only apply to the case for which legal aid is sought, assessing financial eligibility and merits eligibility including, in relation to domestic violence cases, prospects of success and proportionality. An individual being subject to an unrelated active civil court order would not impact that assessment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what safeguards are in place to ensure that Legal Aid awarded under the LASPO Schedule 1 pathway is provided solely to individuals who have been judicially recognised as victims.

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

Anyone can receive civil legal aid, provided that their case is in scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and they pass the applicable means and merits tests, along with any necessary evidence requirements.

Criminal legal aid may be granted to defendants in criminal cases if they pass the applicable means and merits (interests of justice) tests. It is an accepted principle under both domestic law and international human rights agreements, as a component of the right to a fair trial, that those charged with a criminal offence have the right to legal assistance if needed.

It is possible for individuals subject to active civil court orders to claim legal aid; the legal aid framework does not prevent this. To receive legal aid, the matter must fall within the scope of the legal aid scheme, and the applicant must pass both the means and merits tests. The tests only apply to the case for which legal aid is sought, assessing financial eligibility and merits eligibility including, in relation to domestic violence cases, prospects of success and proportionality. An individual being subject to an unrelated active civil court order would not impact that assessment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a permanent exemption to Jury service for people suffering from lifelong or degenerative conditions.

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

The Government has not made a specific assessment of introducing a permanent exemption for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions. Jury service is an important civic duty, and the Government is committed to ensuring that disability is never a barrier to serving.

People with these conditions who feel unable to undertake jury service may apply to be excused, with each application considered carefully on a case-by-case basis.

Where a person wishes to serve, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate their needs whenever possible, so they can participate fully at no personal cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the operation of it complaints procedure for matters involving alleged Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.

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

The Government has not held any discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding its handling of complaints relating to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The SRA operates independently of Government, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to comment on its decisions.

The SRA has taken a series of regulatory, guidance-based, and enforcement-related actions to address SLAPPs to tackle reports of related misconduct within the legal profession. This includes issuing a warning notice in 2022 setting out expectations on solicitors’ conduct in SLAPP-type cases, which was updated in 2024, and publishing accompanying guidance reminding solicitors and law firms of their wider professional obligations not to bring unmeritorious or abusive claims. However, I will raise this with the SRA to determine what additional action they might be able to take in this area.

The Government implemented the SLAPPs measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While this represents a positive first step, we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on ensuring the adequacy of legal protections for journalists, academics, campaigners and other public-interest actors facing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation that fall outside the scope of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

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

The Government has not held any discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding its handling of complaints relating to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The SRA operates independently of Government, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to comment on its decisions.

The SRA has taken a series of regulatory, guidance-based, and enforcement-related actions to address SLAPPs to tackle reports of related misconduct within the legal profession. This includes issuing a warning notice in 2022 setting out expectations on solicitors’ conduct in SLAPP-type cases, which was updated in 2024, and publishing accompanying guidance reminding solicitors and law firms of their wider professional obligations not to bring unmeritorious or abusive claims. However, I will raise this with the SRA to determine what additional action they might be able to take in this area.

The Government implemented the SLAPPs measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While this represents a positive first step, we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on their approach to complaints involving alleged Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation activity, including concerns that such complaints are being closed without substantive investigation.

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

The Government has not held any discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding its handling of complaints relating to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The SRA operates independently of Government, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to comment on its decisions.

The SRA has taken a series of regulatory, guidance-based, and enforcement-related actions to address SLAPPs to tackle reports of related misconduct within the legal profession. This includes issuing a warning notice in 2022 setting out expectations on solicitors’ conduct in SLAPP-type cases, which was updated in 2024, and publishing accompanying guidance reminding solicitors and law firms of their wider professional obligations not to bring unmeritorious or abusive claims. However, I will raise this with the SRA to determine what additional action they might be able to take in this area.

The Government implemented the SLAPPs measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While this represents a positive first step, we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen protections against non-economic crime Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.

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

The Government has not held any discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding its handling of complaints relating to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The SRA operates independently of Government, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to comment on its decisions.

The SRA has taken a series of regulatory, guidance-based, and enforcement-related actions to address SLAPPs to tackle reports of related misconduct within the legal profession. This includes issuing a warning notice in 2022 setting out expectations on solicitors’ conduct in SLAPP-type cases, which was updated in 2024, and publishing accompanying guidance reminding solicitors and law firms of their wider professional obligations not to bring unmeritorious or abusive claims. However, I will raise this with the SRA to determine what additional action they might be able to take in this area.

The Government implemented the SLAPPs measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While this represents a positive first step, we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners who are biologically (a) male and (b) female are housed in prisons designated for the opposite sex.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As of 1 February 2026, there were seven prisoners on E Wing, the separate unit for transgender women at HMP Downview.

The information requested cannot be provided for the general female or male prison estates without breaching our legal obligations under data protection legislation. Where a request is made for statistical information and the total figure amounts to five or fewer, we must consider whether this would be likely to lead to the identification of individuals, and whether disclosure of this information would be in breach of our statutory obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Transgender women with birth genitalia and/or any history of violent or sexual offending cannot be placed in the general women’s estate except in exceptional circumstances, where an exemption has been granted by Ministers. No transgender women have received such an exemption under this Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of new prisons places that will result from the building of prisons that received planning approval since 5 July 2024; what his proposed timetable is for these prison places to become available.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. Around 4,300 of these places have received planning permission since 5 July 2024. This includes full planning permission for a c.1,500 place prison near the existing HMPs Grendon and Springhill and outline planning permission for a c.1,700 place prison near the existing HMPs Garth and Wymott. We will seek to deliver these new places as quickly as possible and continue to identify opportunities to accelerate delivery of places wherever possible.

There are currently c.5,000 places under construction across the prison estate, including c.1,700 at our next new prison, HMP Welland Oaks, in Leicestershire.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to build new female prisons during this Parliament.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031; we have already delivered more than 2,900 of these places since taking office.

The 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy set out our ambition to establish a pipeline of future supply beyond these 14,000 places. Decisions regarding the female estate are kept under continuous review and are balanced against government ambition, demand for places, and the need to protect both prisoner and public safety.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with her Polish counterparts on Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There have been no recent discussions on Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders between the Secretary of State for Justice and Polish Ministers. Regular discussions take place between UK and Polish officials.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) education and (b) training programmes support the rehabilitation of people leaving prison in Surrey.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS are committed to improving the quality of education, skills and work provision in prisons to support rehabilitation and reduce reoffending. Heads of Education, Skills and Work support Governors to design a prison wide curriculum that provides education and training to meet the varying needs of their prison population.

The five prisons in Surrey have an education offer that includes vocational and employability programmes such as construction and rail‑track safety training, barista qualifications, digital and in‑cell learning, horticulture, peer mentoring, and other industry‑recognised courses such as an Optician’s Assistant accredited qualification that strengthen employment prospects on release. These programmes help prisoners gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to move into work on release, an important factor in reducing reoffending and supporting safer communities.

We are also prototyping the ‘Working Week Project’ at HMP Downview, alongside four other sites nationally. The project’s aim is to increase the time prisoners spend in purposeful work-based activity, developing their skills, as well as strengthening links with businesses in the community to improve employment prospects upon release.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, on what date the 2,900 prison spaces were approved for construction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, when the 2,900 prison spaces began construction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Answers to Questions 109199, 109198, 109197 and 109196, if he will publish the spreadsheet with the information requested in these questions with the number of previous occasions the offender has been convicted as individual categories up to a maximum of six times rather than in groups.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested is provided in the attached excel tables. These tables include data covering the period 2020 – 2024 on:

- The number of offenders who were convicted of a specified offence but did not receive an immediate custodial sentence, by the number of previous convictions for that specified offence up to a maximum of 6.

As set out in response to questions 109196-109199, this data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a bespoke retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

Previous convictions are already a statutory aggravating factor, with Sentencing Guidelines being clear that sentencers must consider the nature and relevance of previous convictions, and the time elapsed since the previous convictions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of financial abuse by negligent Financial Deputies on vulnerable adults under the court of protection.

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

When the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) receives notice that the court has appointed a deputy to manage the finances or a person who lacks mental capacity, it provides the deputy with access to the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and supporting guidance known as Deputy Standards. Those standards are published on gov.uk and provide information on legal duties and responsibilities.

OPG expects Public Authority and professional deputies to have a higher level of technical knowledge and expertise than lay deputies, such as family members. For lay deputies, OPG provides initial support to help them meet their responsibilities competently. All deputies are subject to supervision by OPG and that process requires the deputy to submit annual accounts. Where a deputy fails to meet the Deputy Standards, they may be asked to complete a number of corrective actions. A significant breach of the standards may result in an application to the Court of Protection to remove the deputy.

If someone believes a deputy has breached their duties, they can report the matter to OPG. Under Section 58 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 OPG has the power to deal with complaints or representations about the way in which a deputy is exercising their powers, including any alleged financial mismanagement or abuse. Where necessary, OPG refers cases to the Court of Protection and other agencies such as local authorities or the police.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has his department made of the potential benefits of introducing mandatory regular building surveys and maintenance plans in support of vulnerable adults under the court of protection.

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

No such assessment has been made. The court can appoint a range of persons to fulfil the role of deputy in managing the financial affairs, and if appropriate the property affairs, of a vulnerable adult who lacks the capacity to make decisions about their assets.

Where a deputy is authorised to manage such property, they must act in accordance with the terms of the deputyship order and must act in the best interests of the vulnerable adult. The deputy must protect the property by ensuring it is secure and that appropriate insurance is in place. Keeping the property secure includes ensuring that any necessary maintenance is carried out by an appropriately qualified contractor.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letters of 7 October 2025 and 8 January 2026 from the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough with case reference TG09539.

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

The Department apologises for the significant delay in responding. We regret that this falls short of expected standards. A response was sent on 10 February.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the number of fines issued by the court system to individuals were unpaid in the last full year for which they have data, broken down by economic region if that breakdown is available.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has no ability to identify the number of fines that are unpaid in the last full year by reference to available digital system reports. Nor could any such report be created and run. Instead, it would be necessary to interrogate court records manually. Accordingly, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

In addition to the complexities of the way digital systems operate, assessing payment outcomes over a fixed period is complicated in and of itself. For example, complexities are introduced by later account movements, including account consolidations, Transfer of Fine Orders and write offs. These processes can remove accounts as discrete records or require them to be written off and re raised on different systems, creating a risk of misattribution and double counting. As a result, activity recorded within a given period may relate to fines imposed outside that period, meaning period-based measures of payment rates or balances are inherently unreliable without full account level review.

Found: gross programme spend for Improve the environment and rural services following a transfer to Ministry of Justice

Found: Amendment) Regulations 2025 Instruments not reported 3 Annex 3 Appendix 1: Memorandum from the Ministry of Justice

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

Found: local authorities; Rural England Prosperity Fund 0.00 -0.76 -0.76 -33.00 Net transfers to/from Ministry of Justice

Found: custodial partners has similarly matured, with His Majesty’s Prison working closely with the UK Ministry of Justice

Found: inconsistent. 3.2 During my employment with the St Helena Government (2017–2021), FCDO (policing) and MoJ

Found: )Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for the Innovation Fund0.8=SUM(B110:C110)Ministry of Justice

Found: for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for ReDesign-0.744Supplementary EstimateTransfer to Ministry of Justice

Found: economy of an open and competitive legal sector is highlighted in a recent report for the Ministry of Justice

Found: Embryology Authority (HFEA), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Ministry of Justice

Found: We have shared examples of our work to support innovation and growth with the Ministry of Justice and

Found: SUM(B44:C44)Marginal Platform Costs to FCDO-60.599999999999994=SUM(B45:C45)Clear Asylum Backlogs to MoJ

Found: Transfer to MoJ for JITs # OFFICIAL-FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OFFICIAL-FOR PUBLIC RELEASE# Transfer to CO re

Found: . ● Family Mediation Voucher Scheme (MoJ) — extension to March 2026. ● ICE Annual Report 2024/25 (DWP

Found: Introduction and reason for submitting evidence The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) as a department is forging

Found: introducing-the-ai-safety-institute 59 See: AI Security Institute, https://www.aisi.gov.uk/ 60 Ministry of Justice

Found: The Secretary of State for Justice has suggested that the Ministry of Justice is “actively exploring

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

Found: for contribution to the National Shipbuilding Office. 0.0 -0.4 -0.4 0.0 0.0 -0.4 Transfer to MoJ

Found:   Transfer out of The National Archives administration of Military Personnel archives to Ministry of Justice

Found: thresholds, which they used to be until about five years ago, requires primary legislation, and the Ministry of Justice

Found: For the panel, Mr Hinds asked a question to my colleagues from MOJ and MOD in the last panel.

Found: Letter from the Director for Finance Strategy and Partnerships at the Ministry of Justice relating to

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice relating to the Committee’s evidence session

Found: Letter dated 27 January 2026 from the Ministry of Justice, regarding the Prisoner Transfer Agreement

Found: Letter dated 22 January 2026 from the Ministry of Justice, regarding the response to Legal Aid Agency

Found: Letter dated 15 January 2026 from the Ministry of Justice, regarding the Commencement of Offences relating

Found: Letter dated 21 January 2026, from the Ministry of Justice regarding gambling harms in the CJS Correspondence

Found: T +4420 3334 3555 F +44870 761 7753 E https://contact-moj.service.justice.gov.uk/ www.gov.uk/moj

Found: T 020 3334 3555 F 0870 761 7753 E https://contact-moj.service.justice.gov.uk/ www.gov.uk/moj 102

Found: T +4420 3334 3555 F +44870 761 7753 E https://contact-moj.service.justice.gov.uk/ www.gov.uk/moj

Found: T +4420 3334 3555 F +44870 761 7753 E https://contact-moj.service.justice.gov.uk/ www.gov.uk/moj

Found: 2025/1243 8 The Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 2025 Appendix 2: Memorandum from the Ministry of Justice

Found: years—there was a single, excellent director for the overseas territories, who had come from the Ministry of Justice

Found: That compares with nine times for passports, six times for court fees in the Ministry of Justice and

Found: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), but it might not be near the top for the Ministry of Justice

Found: the policymakers in other departments, particularly in the Home Office and to some extent in the MoJ

Found: Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Housing, Communities

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, 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 Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Staff in my Department are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which provides payroll services on our behalf.

The MoJ does not currently operate a payroll‑deduction facility for credit union membership, however, staff who wish to join a credit union can already do so independently. My department continues to support staff financial wellbeing through the MoJ’s wider financial wellbeing offer, which provides access to information, tools, and advice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on outcomes of asylum appeals since March 2023.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Data on asylum appeals is published in table Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2023.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

Appeals data from April 2023 onwards is currently unavailable for publication due to ongoing work as immigration data transitions to a new caseworking system. Work is ongoing to make this information available, and it will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release.

Please note that figures for immigration and asylum appeals at First-Tier Tribunal and subsequent stages are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of their Tribunal Statistics release. The latest data relates to January to March 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the a) longest and b) shortest custodial sentence handed down for possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The data requested is published by the Ministry of Justice.

The Sentencing Council’s guideline on ‘Possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply’ can be found here: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/supplying-or-offering-to-supply-a-controlled-drug-possession-of-a-controlled-drug-with-intent-to-supply-it-to-another/ which sets out the relevant factors for courts to consider when sentencing for this offence.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making injury-related pension enhancement and compensation elements protected within divorce settlements.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

People may be able to access a workplace or private pension earlier than the scheme’s normal minimum pension age due to ill health, subject to the rules of the individual scheme. These rules vary, and it is for schemes to determine the conditions under which benefits can be paid before the normal pension age and/or on enhanced terms.

Where an ill health pension is paid from an arrangement that meets the legal definition of an occupational pension scheme, it is generally a shareable asset in the event of a divorce. This applies even where the pension has been brought into payment early for ill health reasons.

There is a specific exception in legislation for benefits that arise solely due to disablement, or death resulting from an accident suffered by a person that occurs during their pensionable service. These rights are not shareable on divorce.

The division of assets in divorce proceedings is a matter for family courts, which make decisions based on the law of the country in which the divorce takes place. In England and Wales, this falls under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, for which responsibility rests with the Ministry of Justice.

Found: Times, Orpo: Finland should issue a state apology to the Sámi people, 4 December 2025 77 Ministry of Justice

Found: Chamber) was just 13, compared to 56,000 in the social security chamber, according to the Ministry of Justice

Found: education and attendance.179 2.5 Reducing risk of criminal justice system involvement DfE and MoJ

Found: the Overseas Territories Programme Fund -7.455 -7.455 (Section D) Transfer in funding to the Ministry of Justice

Found: † Voted Total to date on which provision on account is based 2026-27 Required on Account Ministry of Justice

Found: account is based Required on Account Table 2: Supply Estimates by Department, 2026-27 (Voted) Ministry of Justice

Found: (PSG) - Transfer from Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for Multi-Agency Public Protection System (MAPPS)

Found: (PSG) - Transfer from Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for Multi-Agency Public Protection System (MAPPS)

Found: The action, led jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office, reflects the Government’s determination

Found: Under current arrangements with the Ministry of Justice, any tribunal costs would also be funded by

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">Finance and Accounts

Found: Department Government Actuary's Department 08/01/2026 Publication Production Finance and Accounts Ministry of Justice

Found: We remain committed to working closely with youth justice services, sector partners and the Ministry of Justice

Found: a-joint- thematic-inspection-of-multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements/ 4.20 Nationally, Ministry of Justice

Found: The report forms the MoJ and HMPPS response to the National Inspection – April 2025 – carried out by

Found: definition has been aligned where required to help us work better with other key stakeholders, including MoJ

Found: effectiveness of the work of probation, and youth offending services across England and Wales to Ministry of Justice

Found: • UKG are working with the Ministry of Justice to find the wider cohort of victims, and with bodies

Found: Redacted S.38(1)(b)], Head of Community Interventions Unit UK Government Lord Ponsonby, Ministry of Justice

Found: Scottish Government Social Research, 2025 139 Ministry of Justice.

Found: The JSII has been agreed by the Ministry of Justice as having nil/minimal impact on the justice system

Found: MOJ data have not yet been provisioned. 1.6 Structure of report In addition to this introductory