Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the registered intermediary allocation (a) rates and (b) waiting times are in each (i) police force area and (ii) Crown Court circuits; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all vulnerable victims have access to intermediaries.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):
Year | Allocation status | Defence Witness | Prosecution Witness | Victim | Total |
2022 | Matched | 3 (100%) | 733 (95.2%) | 7,018 (95.5%) | 7,754 (95.4%) |
Unmatched |
| 16 (2%) | 179 (2.4%) | 195 (2.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 21 (2.7%) | 151 (2.1%) | 172 (2.1%) | |
In Progress |
|
| 4 (0.1%) | 4 (0%) | |
Total | 3 | 770 | 7,352 | 8,125 | |
2023 | Matched | 1 (100.0%) | 678 (94.4%) | 8,077 (94.8%) | 8,756 (94.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 19 (2.6%) | 182 (2.1%) | 201 (2.2%) | |
Cancelled |
| 19 (2.6%) | 183 (2.1%) | 202 (2.2%) | |
In Progress |
| 2 (0.3%) | 79 (0.9%) | 81 (0.9%) | |
Total | 1 | 718 | 8,521 | 9,240 | |
2024 | Matched | 4 (100.0%) | 554 (93.3%) | 8,789 (96.0%) | 9,347 (95.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 10 (1.7%) | 130 (1.4%) | 140 (1.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 20 (3.4%) | 164 (1.8%) | 184 (1.9%) | |
In Progress |
| 10 (1.7%) | 72 (0.8%) | 82 (0.8%) | |
Total | 4 | 594 | 9,155 | 9,753 |
Unmatched cases include those where:
Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.
The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.
The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.
The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.
Police Force Area | Cancelled | Matched | Unmatched | Total |
Avon & Somerset | 1 (0.6%) | 173 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 177 |
Bedfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Cambridgeshire | 2 (1.4%) | 139 (94.6%) | 6.0 (4.1%) | 147 |
Cheshire | 5 (3.3%) | 145 (96.7%) | 0.0 (0%) | 150 |
Cleveland | 6 (5.4%) | 102 (91.9%) | 3.0 (2.7%) | 111 |
Cumbria | 2 (3.4%) | 56 (94.9%) | 1.0 (1.7%) | 59 |
Derbyshire | 2 (0.7%) | 294 (98.0%) | 4.0 (1.3%) | 300 |
Devon & Cornwall | 12 (2.5%) | 450 (95.3%) | 10.0 (2.1%) | 472 |
Dorset | 1 (0.6%) | 171 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 175 |
Durham | 5 (2.3%) | 213 (95.9%) | 4.0 (1.8%) | 222 |
Dyfed-Powys | 1 (1.4%) | 69 (98.6%) | 0.0 (0%) | 70 |
Essex | 5 (2.0%) | 234 (95.9%) | 5.0 (2.0%) | 244 |
Gloucestershire | 3 (2.2%) | 129 (96.3%) | 2.0 (1.5%) | 134 |
Greater Manchester | 6 (2.7%) | 214 (96.4%) | 2.0 (0.9%) | 222 |
Gwent | 2 (1.3%) | 148 (95.5%) | 5.0 (3.2%) | 155 |
Hampshire | 5 (1.5%) | 318 (96.7%) | 6.0 (1.8%) | 329 |
Hertfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Humberside | 3 (1.9%) | 152 (98.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 155 |
Kent | 7 (1.6%) | 421 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.6%) | 435 |
Lancashire | 0.0 (0%) | 251 (99.2%) | 2 (0.8%) | 253 |
Leicestershire | 3 (2.1%) | 137 (95.1%) | 4.0 (2.8%) | 144 |
Lincolnshire | 7 (4.1%) | 147 (86.5%) | 16.0 (9.4%) | 170 |
London | 21 (2.6%) | 769 (95.4%) | 16.0 (2.0%) | 806 |
Merseyside | 3 (1.1%) | 258 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.1%) | 264 |
Norfolk | 9 (6.5%) | 119 (86.2%) | 10.0 (7.2%) | 138 |
North Wales | 4 (2.5%) | 154 (95.7%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 161 |
North Yorkshire | 4 (2.0%) | 193 (98.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 197 |
Northamptonshire | 4 (2.6%) | 149 (96.1%) | 2.0 (1.3%) | 155 |
Northumbria | 10 (3.0%) | 321 (96.1%) | 3.0 (0.9%) | 334 |
Nottinghamshire | 7 (2.9%) | 227 (94.6%) | 6.0 (2.5%) | 240 |
South Wales | 2 (0.6%) | 306 (96.2%) | 10.0 (3.1%) | 318 |
South Yorkshire | 3 (1.0%) | 303 (99.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 306 |
Staffordshire | 6 (1.8%) | 319 (97.0%) | 4.0 (1.2%) | 329 |
Suffolk | 3 (2.4%) | 118 (95.9%) | 2.0 (1.6%) | 123 |
Surrey | 2 (1.2%) | 155 (96.9%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 160 |
Sussex | 8 (3.1%) | 246 (96.1%) | 2.0 (0.8%) | 256 |
Thames Valley | 5 (2.1%) | 234 (96.7%) | 3.0 (1.2%) | 242 |
Warwickshire | 3 (3.9%) | 73 (96.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 76 |
West Mercia | 7 (2.3%) | 285 (95.6%) | 6.0 (2.0%) | 298 |
West Midlands | 13 (2.1%) | 602 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.1%) | 622 |
West Yorkshire | 3 (0.8%) | 377 (98.7%) | 2.0 (0.5%) | 382 |
Wiltshire | 1 (1.2%) | 83 (96.5%) | 2.0 (2.3%) | 86 |
Total | 198 (2%) | 9,386 (96.2%) | 169 (1.7%) | 9,753 |
Asked by: Gurinder Singh Josan (Labour - Smethwick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the link between individuals holding a criminal record and (a) unemployment and (b) PIP claimants.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice does not hold specific information on the link between having a criminal record and (a) unemployment or (b) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants.
We know that employment can reduce the likelihood of reoffending by up to nine percentage points in the year following release. This is why the Government has committed to supporting ex-offenders into work, including through launching regional Employment Councils, which bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support offenders in the community.
We recognise that having a criminal record can impact on someone’s employment opportunities, but it should not be an automatic barrier to employment. The criminal records disclosure framework is designed to balance rehabilitation with maintaining safeguarding and public protection principles. Our guidance for employers makes clear that recruitment decisions should be based on a balanced assessment of relevance, context, and risk.
DWP also does not hold data on the criminal record of claimants to PIP as this, together with their employment status, does not form part of the eligibility criteria for the benefit. We continue to work across Government to improve data-sharing and build a clearer picture of people’s employment support needs.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he has issued on engagement between his Department and the legal representatives of prisoners undertaking prolonged hunger strikes.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Under the Prison Rules and Prison Service Instruction 49/2011 Prisoner Communication Services, prisoners are entitled to confidential access to their legal advisers, including by telephone, in person legal visits, and written correspondence, all of which must take place without being monitored except in exceptional, legally defined circumstances. Prisons must facilitate reasonable opportunities for legal contact, such as providing access to visit rooms, scheduling telephone calls, and ensuring that mail to and from legal representatives is handled promptly and without routine opening or interference.
On 24 December, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote in response to a letter from legal representatives of those who were refusing food. He offered to facilitate a meeting between senior representatives of the healthcare provider and the prisoners’ solicitors. This offer was accepted on 8 January, and the meeting took place on 9 January.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time spent on remand in custody was in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to respond to the Law Commission’s consultation on New Funerary Methods.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is anticipated that the Law Commission will publish a final report and draft Bill in relation to the New Funerary Methods project in Spring 2026.
We await the Commission’s findings and recommendations with interest and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the median waiting time was between a request for a registered intermediary and allocation in each of the last three years; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of these waiting times on the (a) wellbeing of victims and (b) the progress of their cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):
Year | Allocation status | Defence Witness | Prosecution Witness | Victim | Total |
2022 | Matched | 3 (100%) | 733 (95.2%) | 7,018 (95.5%) | 7,754 (95.4%) |
Unmatched |
| 16 (2%) | 179 (2.4%) | 195 (2.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 21 (2.7%) | 151 (2.1%) | 172 (2.1%) | |
In Progress |
|
| 4 (0.1%) | 4 (0%) | |
Total | 3 | 770 | 7,352 | 8,125 | |
2023 | Matched | 1 (100.0%) | 678 (94.4%) | 8,077 (94.8%) | 8,756 (94.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 19 (2.6%) | 182 (2.1%) | 201 (2.2%) | |
Cancelled |
| 19 (2.6%) | 183 (2.1%) | 202 (2.2%) | |
In Progress |
| 2 (0.3%) | 79 (0.9%) | 81 (0.9%) | |
Total | 1 | 718 | 8,521 | 9,240 | |
2024 | Matched | 4 (100.0%) | 554 (93.3%) | 8,789 (96.0%) | 9,347 (95.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 10 (1.7%) | 130 (1.4%) | 140 (1.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 20 (3.4%) | 164 (1.8%) | 184 (1.9%) | |
In Progress |
| 10 (1.7%) | 72 (0.8%) | 82 (0.8%) | |
Total | 4 | 594 | 9,155 | 9,753 |
Unmatched cases include those where:
Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.
The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.
The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.
The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.
Police Force Area | Cancelled | Matched | Unmatched | Total |
Avon & Somerset | 1 (0.6%) | 173 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 177 |
Bedfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Cambridgeshire | 2 (1.4%) | 139 (94.6%) | 6.0 (4.1%) | 147 |
Cheshire | 5 (3.3%) | 145 (96.7%) | 0.0 (0%) | 150 |
Cleveland | 6 (5.4%) | 102 (91.9%) | 3.0 (2.7%) | 111 |
Cumbria | 2 (3.4%) | 56 (94.9%) | 1.0 (1.7%) | 59 |
Derbyshire | 2 (0.7%) | 294 (98.0%) | 4.0 (1.3%) | 300 |
Devon & Cornwall | 12 (2.5%) | 450 (95.3%) | 10.0 (2.1%) | 472 |
Dorset | 1 (0.6%) | 171 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 175 |
Durham | 5 (2.3%) | 213 (95.9%) | 4.0 (1.8%) | 222 |
Dyfed-Powys | 1 (1.4%) | 69 (98.6%) | 0.0 (0%) | 70 |
Essex | 5 (2.0%) | 234 (95.9%) | 5.0 (2.0%) | 244 |
Gloucestershire | 3 (2.2%) | 129 (96.3%) | 2.0 (1.5%) | 134 |
Greater Manchester | 6 (2.7%) | 214 (96.4%) | 2.0 (0.9%) | 222 |
Gwent | 2 (1.3%) | 148 (95.5%) | 5.0 (3.2%) | 155 |
Hampshire | 5 (1.5%) | 318 (96.7%) | 6.0 (1.8%) | 329 |
Hertfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Humberside | 3 (1.9%) | 152 (98.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 155 |
Kent | 7 (1.6%) | 421 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.6%) | 435 |
Lancashire | 0.0 (0%) | 251 (99.2%) | 2 (0.8%) | 253 |
Leicestershire | 3 (2.1%) | 137 (95.1%) | 4.0 (2.8%) | 144 |
Lincolnshire | 7 (4.1%) | 147 (86.5%) | 16.0 (9.4%) | 170 |
London | 21 (2.6%) | 769 (95.4%) | 16.0 (2.0%) | 806 |
Merseyside | 3 (1.1%) | 258 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.1%) | 264 |
Norfolk | 9 (6.5%) | 119 (86.2%) | 10.0 (7.2%) | 138 |
North Wales | 4 (2.5%) | 154 (95.7%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 161 |
North Yorkshire | 4 (2.0%) | 193 (98.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 197 |
Northamptonshire | 4 (2.6%) | 149 (96.1%) | 2.0 (1.3%) | 155 |
Northumbria | 10 (3.0%) | 321 (96.1%) | 3.0 (0.9%) | 334 |
Nottinghamshire | 7 (2.9%) | 227 (94.6%) | 6.0 (2.5%) | 240 |
South Wales | 2 (0.6%) | 306 (96.2%) | 10.0 (3.1%) | 318 |
South Yorkshire | 3 (1.0%) | 303 (99.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 306 |
Staffordshire | 6 (1.8%) | 319 (97.0%) | 4.0 (1.2%) | 329 |
Suffolk | 3 (2.4%) | 118 (95.9%) | 2.0 (1.6%) | 123 |
Surrey | 2 (1.2%) | 155 (96.9%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 160 |
Sussex | 8 (3.1%) | 246 (96.1%) | 2.0 (0.8%) | 256 |
Thames Valley | 5 (2.1%) | 234 (96.7%) | 3.0 (1.2%) | 242 |
Warwickshire | 3 (3.9%) | 73 (96.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 76 |
West Mercia | 7 (2.3%) | 285 (95.6%) | 6.0 (2.0%) | 298 |
West Midlands | 13 (2.1%) | 602 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.1%) | 622 |
West Yorkshire | 3 (0.8%) | 377 (98.7%) | 2.0 (0.5%) | 382 |
Wiltshire | 1 (1.2%) | 83 (96.5%) | 2.0 (2.3%) | 86 |
Total | 198 (2%) | 9,386 (96.2%) | 169 (1.7%) | 9,753 |
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of vulnerable (a) victims and (b) witnesses assessed as requiring a registered intermediary under the Witness Intermediary Scheme were allocated one in each of the last three years; and how many requests were (i) refused and (ii) delayed due to availability constraints.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):
Year | Allocation status | Defence Witness | Prosecution Witness | Victim | Total |
2022 | Matched | 3 (100%) | 733 (95.2%) | 7,018 (95.5%) | 7,754 (95.4%) |
Unmatched |
| 16 (2%) | 179 (2.4%) | 195 (2.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 21 (2.7%) | 151 (2.1%) | 172 (2.1%) | |
In Progress |
|
| 4 (0.1%) | 4 (0%) | |
Total | 3 | 770 | 7,352 | 8,125 | |
2023 | Matched | 1 (100.0%) | 678 (94.4%) | 8,077 (94.8%) | 8,756 (94.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 19 (2.6%) | 182 (2.1%) | 201 (2.2%) | |
Cancelled |
| 19 (2.6%) | 183 (2.1%) | 202 (2.2%) | |
In Progress |
| 2 (0.3%) | 79 (0.9%) | 81 (0.9%) | |
Total | 1 | 718 | 8,521 | 9,240 | |
2024 | Matched | 4 (100.0%) | 554 (93.3%) | 8,789 (96.0%) | 9,347 (95.8%) |
Unmatched |
| 10 (1.7%) | 130 (1.4%) | 140 (1.4%) | |
Cancelled |
| 20 (3.4%) | 164 (1.8%) | 184 (1.9%) | |
In Progress |
| 10 (1.7%) | 72 (0.8%) | 82 (0.8%) | |
Total | 4 | 594 | 9,155 | 9,753 |
Unmatched cases include those where:
Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.
The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.
The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.
The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.
Police Force Area | Cancelled | Matched | Unmatched | Total |
Avon & Somerset | 1 (0.6%) | 173 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 177 |
Bedfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Cambridgeshire | 2 (1.4%) | 139 (94.6%) | 6.0 (4.1%) | 147 |
Cheshire | 5 (3.3%) | 145 (96.7%) | 0.0 (0%) | 150 |
Cleveland | 6 (5.4%) | 102 (91.9%) | 3.0 (2.7%) | 111 |
Cumbria | 2 (3.4%) | 56 (94.9%) | 1.0 (1.7%) | 59 |
Derbyshire | 2 (0.7%) | 294 (98.0%) | 4.0 (1.3%) | 300 |
Devon & Cornwall | 12 (2.5%) | 450 (95.3%) | 10.0 (2.1%) | 472 |
Dorset | 1 (0.6%) | 171 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.7%) | 175 |
Durham | 5 (2.3%) | 213 (95.9%) | 4.0 (1.8%) | 222 |
Dyfed-Powys | 1 (1.4%) | 69 (98.6%) | 0.0 (0%) | 70 |
Essex | 5 (2.0%) | 234 (95.9%) | 5.0 (2.0%) | 244 |
Gloucestershire | 3 (2.2%) | 129 (96.3%) | 2.0 (1.5%) | 134 |
Greater Manchester | 6 (2.7%) | 214 (96.4%) | 2.0 (0.9%) | 222 |
Gwent | 2 (1.3%) | 148 (95.5%) | 5.0 (3.2%) | 155 |
Hampshire | 5 (1.5%) | 318 (96.7%) | 6.0 (1.8%) | 329 |
Hertfordshire | 1 (1.5%) | 66 (97.1%) | 1.0 (1.5%) | 68 |
Humberside | 3 (1.9%) | 152 (98.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 155 |
Kent | 7 (1.6%) | 421 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.6%) | 435 |
Lancashire | 0.0 (0%) | 251 (99.2%) | 2 (0.8%) | 253 |
Leicestershire | 3 (2.1%) | 137 (95.1%) | 4.0 (2.8%) | 144 |
Lincolnshire | 7 (4.1%) | 147 (86.5%) | 16.0 (9.4%) | 170 |
London | 21 (2.6%) | 769 (95.4%) | 16.0 (2.0%) | 806 |
Merseyside | 3 (1.1%) | 258 (97.7%) | 3.0 (1.1%) | 264 |
Norfolk | 9 (6.5%) | 119 (86.2%) | 10.0 (7.2%) | 138 |
North Wales | 4 (2.5%) | 154 (95.7%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 161 |
North Yorkshire | 4 (2.0%) | 193 (98.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 197 |
Northamptonshire | 4 (2.6%) | 149 (96.1%) | 2.0 (1.3%) | 155 |
Northumbria | 10 (3.0%) | 321 (96.1%) | 3.0 (0.9%) | 334 |
Nottinghamshire | 7 (2.9%) | 227 (94.6%) | 6.0 (2.5%) | 240 |
South Wales | 2 (0.6%) | 306 (96.2%) | 10.0 (3.1%) | 318 |
South Yorkshire | 3 (1.0%) | 303 (99.0%) | 0.0 (0%) | 306 |
Staffordshire | 6 (1.8%) | 319 (97.0%) | 4.0 (1.2%) | 329 |
Suffolk | 3 (2.4%) | 118 (95.9%) | 2.0 (1.6%) | 123 |
Surrey | 2 (1.2%) | 155 (96.9%) | 3.0 (1.9%) | 160 |
Sussex | 8 (3.1%) | 246 (96.1%) | 2.0 (0.8%) | 256 |
Thames Valley | 5 (2.1%) | 234 (96.7%) | 3.0 (1.2%) | 242 |
Warwickshire | 3 (3.9%) | 73 (96.1%) | 0.0 (0%) | 76 |
West Mercia | 7 (2.3%) | 285 (95.6%) | 6.0 (2.0%) | 298 |
West Midlands | 13 (2.1%) | 602 (96.8%) | 7.0 (1.1%) | 622 |
West Yorkshire | 3 (0.8%) | 377 (98.7%) | 2.0 (0.5%) | 382 |
Wiltshire | 1 (1.2%) | 83 (96.5%) | 2.0 (2.3%) | 86 |
Total | 198 (2%) | 9,386 (96.2%) | 169 (1.7%) | 9,753 |
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prison and (b) probation workers have made complaints through the new independent reporting channel in HMPPS.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
On 10 November 2025, as part of the work to implement the reforms recommended in the Rademaker Review, His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) instituted an interim grievance process through which members of staff can raise complaints about bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation outside of their management line. This complements the existing grievance policy. For the period up to 26 February 2026, 5 complaints were received from staff working in Headquarters, 79 from probation staff and 188 from prison staff.
On 26 January 2026, a new Independent Review, Resolution and Investigations Service (IRRIS) was launched in HMPPS, subsuming the work of the former Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU). IRRIS will provide a fully independent route for bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation complaints within HMPPS, operating entirely outside line management structures. It will build upon TUBU’s strong work over the last five years, continuing to provide all the existing TUBU services while significantly enhancing its role.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the risks that private prosecutions in the United Kingdom may be used by well‑resourced organisations to (a) target and (b) intimidate individuals associated with pro‑Palestinian advocacy.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Any individual or organisation in England and Wales has the right to bring a private prosecution where a criminal offence has been committed.
The Government expects all organisations that bring private prosecutions to do so where there is sufficient evidence that the defendant has committed an offence, and where the prosecution is in the public interest.
The Ministry of Justice held a consultation on the regulation of private prosecutors – to ensure consistency, accountability, and transparency in private prosecutions – last year and the Government will set out its next steps shortly.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the longest wait has been for a tribunal date to be set to appeal decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Waiting times are calculated from receipt of the appeal to the final disposal decision. The final outcome of any appeal is not necessarily achieved at its first listed hearing so we are unable to extract data about waiting times for tribunal hearing dates.