Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.
Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (LD - Life peer)Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Justice)
Labour
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (Lab - Life peer)Shadow Spokesperson (Justice)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Lord Bellamy (Con - Life peer)Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Mike Freer (Con - Finchley and Golders Green)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Gareth Bacon (Con - Orpington)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
17:24
Written Evidence
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted for breaching covid-19 restrictions since January …
These Regulations amend the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2841), the Coroners (Investigation) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1629) and …
Ministry of Justice Commons Appearances
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Bills currently before Parliament
To amend the Arbitration Act 1996.
A Bill to make provision about the sentencing of offenders convicted of murder or sexual offences; to make provision about the suspension of custodial sentences; to make provision about the release of offenders, including provision about release on licence; and for connected purposes.
Wednesday 6th December 2023
Acts of Parliament created in the 2019 Parliament
A Bill to make provision about victims of criminal conduct and others affected by criminal conduct; about the appointment and functions of advocates for victims of major incidents; about the release of prisoners; about the membership and functions of the Parole Board; to prohibit certain prisoners from forming a marriage or civil partnership; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th May 2024 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the police and other emergency workers; to make provision about collaboration between authorities to prevent and reduce serious violence; to make provision about offensive weapons homicide reviews; to make provision for new offences and for the modification of existing offences; to make provision about the powers of the police and other authorities for the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting crime or investigating other matters; to make provision about the maintenance of public order; to make provision about the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles; to make provision in connection with driving offences; to make provision about cautions; to make provision about bail and remand; to make provision about sentencing, detention, release, management and rehabilitation of offenders; to make provision about secure 16 to 19 Academies; to make provision for and in connection with procedures before courts and tribunals; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Make provision about the provision that may be made by, and the effects of, quashing orders; to make provision restricting judicial review of certain decisions of the Upper Tribunal; to make provision about the use of written and electronic procedures in courts and tribunals; to make other provision about procedure in, and the organisation of, courts and tribunals; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the sentencing of offenders convicted of terrorism offences, of offences with a terrorist connection or of certain other offences; to make other provision in relation to terrorism; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to implement the Hague Conventions of 1996, 2005 and 2007 and to provide for the implementation of other international agreements on private international law.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 14th December 2020 and was enacted into law.
To require the Parole Board to take into account any failure by a prisoner serving a sentence for unlawful killing or for taking or making an indecent image of a child to disclose information about the victim.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th November 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to consolidate certain enactments relating to sentencing.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd October 2020 and was enacted into law.
A bill to make in relation to marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales provision about divorce, dissolution and separation; and for connected purposes
This Bill received Royal Assent on 25th June 2020 and was enacted into law.
A bill to give effect to Law Commission recommendations relating to commencement of enactments relating to sentencing law and to make provision for pre-consolidation amendments of sentencing law
This Bill received Royal Assent on 8th June 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about the release on licence of offenders convicted of terrorist offences or offences with a terrorist connection; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 26th February 2020 and was enacted into law.
Ministry of Justice - Secondary Legislation
Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Petition Closed
closed 1 year, 11 months ago
The proposed Human Rights Act reforms must be withdrawn. The Government must not make any changes to the Human Rights Act, especially ones that dilute people's human rights in any circumstances, make the Government less accountable, or reduce people's ability to make human rights claims.
Petition Closed
closed 0 minutes ago
This petition calls for the Government to allocate Parliamentary time for assisted dying to be fully debated in the House of Commons and to give MPs a vote on the issue. Terminally ill people who are mentally sound and near the end of their lives should not suffer unbearably against their will.
Petition Closed
closed 1 year, 6 months ago
As Parliament considers the Bill of Rights, the Government must reconsider including abortion rights in this Bill. Rights to abortion must be specifically protected in this legislation, especially as the Government has refused to rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Departmental Select Committee
Justice Committee
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
0 Members of the Justice Committee
Justice Committee: 9 Current Inquiries
Justice Committee: Previous Inquiries
50 most recent Written Questions
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
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Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMCTS does not hold separate data on the number of wrongful dismissal claims.
The quarterly average length of proceedings for unfair dismissal claims can be found in the published statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021.
These are only available until April 2021. Publication of Employment Tribunal timeliness information ceased from April 2021 when the jurisdiction moved to an interim database with limited management information. Employment Tribunals are now in the process of transitioning to a new case management system and work is in hand as part of the HMCTS data strategy to reintroduce the publication of timeliness information at the end of this calendar year.
Several measures have been taken to reduce the average waiting time for a first hearing in Employment Tribunals including the recruitment of additional judges. To address growing demand, the government invested £2.85 million in December 2022 to allow up to 1,700 more cases to come before judges by the end of March 2023. We also created a virtual region of fee-paid judges to hear remote cases from any region.
Additionally, the Judicial Review and Courts Act transfers Employment Tribunal rule-making powers to the Tribunal Procedures Committee. This independent, judge-led committee will allow the Tribunal to respond more swiftly and flexibly to the challenges it faces through operational changes and rulemaking. This measure will also allow the judiciary to manage their workloads more flexibly, maximising the capacity of the Employment Tribunal
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HMCTS does not hold separate data on the number of wrongful dismissal claims.
The quarterly average length of proceedings for unfair dismissal claims can be found in the published statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021.
These are only available until April 2021. Publication of Employment Tribunal timeliness information ceased from April 2021 when the jurisdiction moved to an interim database with limited management information. Employment Tribunals are now in the process of transitioning to a new case management system and work is in hand as part of the HMCTS data strategy to reintroduce the publication of timeliness information at the end of this calendar year.
Several measures have been taken to reduce the average waiting time for a first hearing in Employment Tribunals including the recruitment of additional judges. To address growing demand, the government invested £2.85 million in December 2022 to allow up to 1,700 more cases to come before judges by the end of March 2023. We also created a virtual region of fee-paid judges to hear remote cases from any region.
Additionally, the Judicial Review and Courts Act transfers Employment Tribunal rule-making powers to the Tribunal Procedures Committee. This independent, judge-led committee will allow the Tribunal to respond more swiftly and flexibly to the challenges it faces through operational changes and rulemaking. This measure will also allow the judiciary to manage their workloads more flexibly, maximising the capacity of the Employment Tribunal
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We continue to work closely with partners across the criminal justice system to inform them of the availability and capability of electronic monitoring conditions for court bail as an alternative to remand in custody.
In August 2023, we published a new Electronic Monitoring Court Bail Protocol to support effective and efficient practice and to improve the confidence of criminal justice system stakeholders in using electronic monitoring. In March 2024, we distributed posters to be displayed in all magistrates’ and Crown Courts in England and Wales highlighting how electronically monitored conditions and technologies can be used flexibly in response to specific risks. In addition, we are investing £53 million over four years from April 2024 to expand the Bail Information Service to all courts and prisons to support timely decisions on remand including the use of electronic monitoring where appropriate.
Data relating to the progress made on reducing the number of prisoners on remand through the use of electronic tags is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)