Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2026 to question 115637 on Daniel Boakye, what additional management checks are being undertaken in relation to operational staff who may be called upon to undertake escort duty.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We have introduced a period of enhanced management assurance for all external escorts. Under these strengthened measures, a manager of the same grade or a more senior grade is required to check the application of restraints prior to an escort and ensure additional restraint arrangements are utilised where necessary. In addition, all operational staff who may be involved in an escort have been required to complete refreshed competency activity.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department intends to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Christine McDonald.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Director General of Operations for HM Prison and Probation Service responded to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report following the inquest into the death of Christine McDonald on 26 July 2024. The response is available on the Chief Coroner’s website.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ask HM Prison and Probation Service to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Darren Docherty.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
HMPPS is now preparing a response to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Death report.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 (i) requiring administrators and executors of estates to file a copy of the estate accounts with the Probate Registry and (ii) creating a central registry of wills.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Personal representatives (the umbrella term for anyone legally responsible for administering a deceased person’s estate) have a statutory duty to administer the estate lawfully. They must act in beneficiaries’ best interests and keep clear, separate estate accounts as a matter of good practice. Accurate records are essential because the court may require, sworn on oath, a full inventory of the estate and a detailed account of the administration. Any interested party can apply for such an order, enabling scrutiny of how the estate has been managed and informing whether further action against the personal representative is appropriate.
The Government is not aware of any problems with personal representative accountability mechanisms and has no plans to change them.
There is no compulsory will registration system in England and Wales, though testators may voluntarily register a will with certain public or private bodies. The Principal Registry offers a public scheme allowing wills to be deposited and stored for a £23 fee, with a certificate issued
The Law Commission considered compulsory registration as part of their review of the Law of Wills but concluded it would add unnecessary complexity to the will‑making process as well as raise uncertainty over the validity of unregistered wills, including reduced flexibility for testators making wills near death.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that estates are distributed to beneficiaries within a reasonable timeframe after probate has been granted.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There is no maximum time limit in which personal representatives must distribute an estate after probate has been granted.
A personal representative is under a statutory duty to administer the deceased person’s estate according to the law and without undue delay. He or she must safeguard the estate and, with due diligence, collect and realise the assets, pay the deceased person’s debts, and distribute the legacies and the residue of the estate to the beneficiaries entitled in accordance with the will. Personal representatives can be held liable if they mis-administer the estate.
There are legitimate reasons why it may take time to fully distribute an estate. For example, it may require the sale of a property, the settling of tax issues or administering assets outside of the UK. Other reasons that personal representatives may delay the distribution of the estate include waiting out the time limit for family provision claims under the Inheritance Act 1975 and for creditors to bring claims against the estate.
If beneficiaries have concerns about the administration of the estate, they can make an application to the court to compel a personal representative to provide an inventory and account of their administration of an estate. In addition, applications can be made to remove and replace a personal executive where there are grounds to do so.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish a report under section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 on whether, and if so how, the law ought to be changed to enable or require coroners to investigate stillbirths; what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of a published position on (a) accountability, (b) learning and (c) the prevention of future deaths; and if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the timing of the publication of the report.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.
As I have previously set out in correspondence with the Right Honourable Member, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.
Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later).
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, including on vital issues such as learning and accountability. We intend to communicate our position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report in June 2026.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the outcome of the formal investigation into the abscondment of Daniel Boakye.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody is due to be completed by 20 March.
Reports of internal investigations of this nature are not normally published.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what date will the formal investigation into the abscondment of Daniel Boakye be completed.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody is due to be completed by 20 March.
Reports of internal investigations of this nature are not normally published.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ask a) HM Prison and Probation Service and b) HMP Wandsworth, to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Daniel Beckford.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Director General of Operations for HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) responded to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report following the inquest into the death of Daniel Beckford on 8 January 2025. This response addressed the matters of concern raised in the report and a separate response from the prison was not considered necessary. For reasons that are not clear, whilst it is dated 11 June 2024, the report was not received by HMPPS until November 2024, and the response was then provided promptly.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ask a) HM Prison and Probation Service and b) HMP Wandsworth, to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Yuri Hatton.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Director General of Operations for HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) responded to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report following the inquest into the death on 20 January 2025. This response addressed the matters of concern raised in the report and a separate response from the prison was not considered necessary. For reasons that are not clear, whilst it is dated 11 June 2024, the report was not received by HMPPS until November 2024, and the response was then provided promptly.