Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prison rehabilitative projects have been (a) assessed, (b) approved and (c) refused by the National Frameworks Intervention Panel in each year since 2023.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice does not disclose the scores awarded by the National Frameworks Intervention Panel. These scores are commercially sensitive, both in relation to the Ministry of Justice’s own interests, and to those of third‑party providers, who are entitled to expect that any assessment of their performance will remain confidential.
It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to confirm which prison rehabilitative projects have been assessed, approved or refused. Details are not held in a single national record. Under the National Framework for Interventions, proposals are predominantly assessed at regional level, with only regionally approved proposals submitted for central consideration.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Answer to Question 103509, when he expects Dame Lynne Owens’ independent investigation into the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford on 24th of October 2025 to conclude.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and commissioning an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
The Deputy Prime Minister has recently received the review and is carefully considering Dame Lynne’s findings and recommendations. The Government will respond shortly.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what scores were most recently awarded by the National Frameworks Intervention Panel for (a) the Time4Change programme and (b) the Sycamore Tree programme.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice does not disclose the scores awarded by the National Frameworks Intervention Panel. These scores are commercially sensitive, both in relation to the Ministry of Justice’s own interests, and to those of third‑party providers, who are entitled to expect that any assessment of their performance will remain confidential.
It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to confirm which prison rehabilitative projects have been assessed, approved or refused. Details are not held in a single national record. Under the National Framework for Interventions, proposals are predominantly assessed at regional level, with only regionally approved proposals submitted for central consideration.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of how many unregistered Islamic marriages there have been in the UK in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the number of religious-only Islamic marriages that take place in the UK.
The Government is aware of the differential treatment faced by groups that do not have a legally binding religious ceremony under the current law, and that some people, particularly women, can face serious financial problems as a result, if their relationship breaks down.
That is why we have committed to weddings law reform that will make it more straightforward for religious groups to get legally married in accordance with their beliefs. We will be undertaking a consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales, early this year.
Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to including the legal registration rights of adults to be registered as British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 within the scope of civil legal aid.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) sets out the matters in scope of legal aid and the eligibility criteria, and seeks to ensure that legal aid is available to those most in need.
The rights of adults to be registered as British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 is not within scope of legal aid. Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF). ECF will be granted if, without legal aid, there is a risk that the person’s human rights may be breached. ECF applications are determined by the Legal Aid Agency on a case-by-case basis.
Legal aid is available for separated migrant children for applications for registration as a British citizen or British subject, and for immigration applications for entry clearance, leave to enter, or to remain in the United Kingdom. This provision is available due to the particular vulnerability of this cohort, subject to means and merits testing as applicable.
We regularly engage with other government departments to understand the impact of their policies on immigration legal aid and consider taking action to expand the scope of legal aid where needed.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Sir Brian’s report set out a blueprint for pragmatic structural reform in our criminal courts and made clear that action across the process is essential.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is the first step to putting that blueprint into law. Coupled with record investment in sitting days and criminal legal aid and modernisation of listing practices and use of case coordinators and blitz courts to boost efficiencies, we are taking a neglected service and bringing it, finally, into the 21st century.
Asked by: Oliver Ryan (Labour (Co-op) - Burnley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Sir Brian’s report set out a blueprint for pragmatic structural reform in our criminal courts and made clear that action across the process is essential.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is the first step to putting that blueprint into law. Coupled with record investment in sitting days and criminal legal aid and modernisation of listing practices and use of case coordinators and blitz courts to boost efficiencies, we are taking a neglected service and bringing it, finally, into the 21st century.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Sir Brian’s report set out a blueprint for pragmatic structural reform in our criminal courts and made clear that action across the process is essential.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is the first step to putting that blueprint into law. Coupled with record investment in sitting days and criminal legal aid and modernisation of listing practices and use of case coordinators and blitz courts to boost efficiencies, we are taking a neglected service and bringing it, finally, into the 21st century.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to make court and tribunal transcripts more accessible and affordable.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to strengthening transparency across the justice system and is already taking significant steps across all jurisdictions.
We are also committed to upholding the principle of open justice, including embracing AI and exploring the opportunities it offers to produce court and tribunal transcripts more quickly and cost-effectively, while still meeting the necessary accuracy and safeguarding standards.
In the Crown Court, sentencing remarks are now published online in cases of significant public interest, and judges can also permit broadcasters to film Crown Court sentencing remarks, ensuring greater public visibility of judicial decisions.
From spring 2027, the Government is expanding free access to Crown Court sentencing remarks to all victims who request them. This builds on the existing process where victims of rape and serious sexual offences and bereaved families of victims of homicide, manslaughter and fatal road accidents were entitled to free transcripts of Crown Court sentencing remarks. These can be requested here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-transcript-of-a-judges-sentencing-remarks.
In the family court, the Government has also been working to support the judiciary to increase the number of family court judgments published in anonymised form, while ensuring the privacy and protection of children and families involved in proceedings. On more targeted transparency measures, the government is working with the judiciary to roll out new provisions relating to Transparency Orders across England and Wales, providing a clear framework for reporting where a journalist or legal blogger has attended a family court hearing. Since 29 September 2025, provisions relating to Transparency Orders have applied to all children’s cases.
In civil proceedings, litigants in England and Wales do not need to pay for the written order or judgment relating to their own case. This is sent to all parties involved, setting out the court’s reasoning for the decision, which parties can refer to if they wish to appeal that decision.
In tribunal proceedings, any judicial decision and the reasons will be provided to the parties unless there has been an order restricting that. Many of the major tribunal chambers also allow parties to proceedings to request fuller written reasons for tribunal decisions for no additional cost.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve standards in the enforcement agent industry.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government strongly supports the work that the Enforcement Conduct Board is doing to raise standards in the enforcement agent industry to ensure that people in debt are treated fairly. On 9 June 2025, the Government announced a balanced package of measures that seek to protect those facing enforcement action, whilst ensuring that there is a fair system of enforcement. As part of this package, we have consulted on how to establish an independent regulatory framework, to build on the work that the Enforcement Conduct Board is doing on a voluntary basis to raise standards.
The Government will respond to that consultation in due course and implement reform when parliamentary time allows.