Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many School Attendance Order (a) prosecutions and (b) fines there were under section 443 of the Education Act 1996 in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The volume of defendants prosecuted and fined for offences under 443 of the Education Act 1996 from 2015 - 2024 (January to September) is provided in the attached table 1.
Note that that this is an additional breakdown of statistics published by the Ministry of Justice on volumes of criminal proceedings.
Asked by: Kanishka Narayan (Labour - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve communication and information sharing between (a) South Wales and Gwent and (b) other regional probation services in the management of high-risk offenders.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Offenders assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm are subject to increased levels of oversight and are a priority focus for the Probation Service.
The Probation Service consistently shares information within and across regions to effectively manage risks and support individuals. This involves collaboration between probation, police, and other agencies to ensure comprehensive support and management of offenders to reduce reoffending and enhance public safety.
Wales Probation Service share information about the risks during case transfers through conversations between senior leaders and middle managers. This ensures effective communication and support for managing risks and individuals during transfer. Additionally, there is ongoing information sharing between South Wales, Gwent and other probation delivery units and regions to enhance the management of high-risk offenders and ensure comprehensive support across regions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees), published on 17 July 2023, when she plans to (a) (i) consult on the proposals and (ii) bring forward the legislative proposals outlined in that review and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to increase the fixed fees for High Court and non-High Court Fees.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.
The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.
The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.
The Government will set out its approach in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make her policy that local authorities that employ an internal team of certificated enforcement agents to collect fees under the (a) Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014 and (b) Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 must be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.
The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.
The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.
The Government will set out its approach in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 23 September 2022 to Question 51944 on Enforcement Conduct Board, if she will make it her policy to review the legal status of the Enforcement Conduct Board within two years of its operation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fair and sustainable enforcement processes available to judgment creditors for the enforcement of judgment debts and fines. We also want to ensure that those facing enforcement action, particularly the most vulnerable in society, are treated fairly.
The Government notes the findings of the 2023 review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 and will set out the way forward shortly.
The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.
The Government will set out its approach in due course.
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 conduct a review into the effectiveness of the Sentencing Council.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The proper role of the Sentencing Council, and the process for making guidelines, must be considered further and in greater depth. The Lord Chancellor has committed to reviewing the role and powers of the Council over the coming months.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations she has received from legal professional bodies on the performance of employment tribunals.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Ministers and officials have regular meetings with legal professional bodies to discuss a range of matters about the justice system.
To address the demands the Employment Tribunals are facing, their capacity is being increased. Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days.
As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.
We do recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on Employment Tribunals and are working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding has been allocated to the employment tribunal system in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that funding has been spent on digital case management systems.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
£M | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
Employment Tribunals | 67.8 | 74.9 | 77.7 |
The table above gives the total allocated budget for the Employment Tribunals in the years shown in £m. This includes all staff costs, judicial salaries and fees, and other direct costs from the operation of the tribunals and the specific IT systems relating to Employment Tribunals, though excludes wider overheads such as the costs of buildings and other general IT systems.
It is not possible to identify separately the full running cost of the Employment Tribunals digital case management systems, as all maintenance, development and analysis work is carried out by HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s centrally-managed digital and data teams.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have started preparing a shadow body of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has not started preparing a shadow body of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner. This is a provision of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, on which the Government remains neutral and which is still under consideration by Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what assessment they have made of why the average time to complete coroner inquests in the Isle of Wight is more than double the average time across all of England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.
However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.
We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.