Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase support for victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is absolutely committed to tackling domestic abuse and halving violence against women and girls in a decade. We are strengthening protections for victims, improving law enforcement responses, and ensuring perpetrators are held to account.
The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims. This includes ‘core’ funding for victims of all crime types and funding that is ring-fenced for domestic abuse and sexual violence services. For 2025/26, we protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support. Funding after March 2026 will be agreed through the allocations process which follows on the latest Spending Review, and we are unable to pre-empt the outcome of this.
Alongside this, we have committed to a range of measures which will support domestic abuse victims, including piloting the Domestic Abuse Protection Order and expanding the use of Domestic Abuse Specialist Courts, where trained staff support victims and agencies work together to drive better outcomes, as recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review. We are also introducing a new judicial finding of domestic abuse at sentencing, which will help ensure domestic abuse offenders are better identified and monitored throughout the system. This will support stronger protections for victims, whether the perpetrator is in custody or in the community.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for the operation of specialist courts to fast-track rape cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to improving victims’ experience of the justice system. We commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence, in his Independent Review of Criminal Courts. Work on Part 2 of the report, which is looking at how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is underway. We expect it to be finalised this year. We are considering how we can deliver our manifesto commitment alongside this work.
We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases, and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed amendments to the ECHR on the protection of individual rights.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, commitment does not mean complacency, and we need to make sure the Convention evolves to face modern challenges.
We are bringing forward legislation to clarify how Article 8 ECHR (right to a private life) operates domestically in relation to immigration rules to ensure an appropriate balance between the rights of individuals and the national interest. We are also looking at the interpretation of Article 3 ECHR (prohibition against torture and inhuman and degrading treatment) so that varied prison conditions or access to healthcare are not a bar to extradition or deportation.
Our proposals are designed to strike a fair and proportionate balance between individual rights and the national interest. These changes will not weaken protections, but rather ensure that our legal framework remains robust, relevant, and trusted.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings; and if it will legally recognise humanist marriages in the interim.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 2 October, the Government announced its intention to reform weddings law in England and Wales when parliamentary time allows and plans to consult on the details of reform early next year. These reforms will allow for the first time non-religious belief groups (including humanists) to conduct legally binding weddings. Reforms will create a level playing field within weddings law for all groups, and ensure that all groups have the same freedoms in relation to how they get married.
The Government is of the view that using the existing order-making power to legally recognise humanist weddings, even on an interim basis, would mean introducing new inequalities into existing law. This is because humanists would gain more freedoms in relation to how they marry than those available to most religious groups. The Government has decided to enable humanist weddings as part of thorough comprehensive reform that ensures all groups are treated equally and fairly.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to ensure the supremacy of domestic law in all immigration and asylum matters.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
There is no need to do so: the UK’s immigration and asylum system operates within domestic law, over which Parliament is sovereign.
We will legislate to reform our approach to the application of Article 8 ECHR in the immigration system, as set out in the Immigration White Paper. This will ensure the correct balance is struck between individual rights and the wider public interest in controlling migration.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of organisations involved in delivering education services in prisons through the new Prisoner Education Services contracts.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Prison Education Service (PES) is a collection of different and complementary contracts and partnerships aimed at improving prisoner outcomes through education. Three providers currently deliver core education services, with one regional Lot still subject to competition. PES also includes services such as careers advice (5 providers), library services (34 providers) and higher education delivered in partnership with the Open University and Prisoners’ Education Trust.
To broaden provider diversity, the Prison Education Dynamic Purchasing System has grown significantly, from 250 qualified suppliers in 2019 to over 500 in 2025. There are currently 270 active contracts with 88 suppliers. Additional programmes include the Future Skills Programme (5 providers), Literacy Innovation Fund (2 providers) and 12 employers delivering prison academies. The Ministry of Justice continues to explore ways to sustain and grow a diverse market of education and skills providers.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of (1) men, and (2) women who are released from from prison on licence are recalled to prison on the first occasion for breaking licence conditions; and, of these, what proportion are sentenced for an additional period of (a) up to two weeks, (b) two weeks to four weeks, (c) four weeks to eight weeks, (d) eight weeks to twelve weeks, and (e) over twelve weeks.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The requested information is not held in a readily reportable format and so could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) arrests, (2) charges, (3) prosecutions, and (4) convictions, have been made under the Suicide Act 1961 in the past ten years.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice collates data on the number of prosecutions and convictions for specific offences, including those under section 2 (1) of the Suicide Act 1961 which are shown below:
Values | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 |
Proceeded against | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Convicted | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
This data is held on a principal-offence basis and therefore reports information relating to the most serious offence that a defendant was dealt with for. Arrests and police charges data are held by the Home Office.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the European Convention on Human Rights; and if so, what aspects of that Convention they will review.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, commitment does not mean complacency, and we need to make sure the Convention evolves to face modern challenges. We do not need to leave to deliver meaningful reform and modernisation.
We are bringing forward legislation to clarify how Article 8 ECHR (right to a private life) operates domestically in relation to immigration rules to ensure an appropriate balance between the rights of individuals and the national interest. We are also looking at the interpretation of Article 3 ECHR (prohibition against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment) so that varied prison conditions or access to healthcare is not a bar to extradition or deportation.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the education of all prisoners in England.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service are committed to improving prison education across England. We have introduced key roles such as Heads of Education, Skills and Work, and Neurodiversity Support Managers, supported by regional leads and strengthened oversight of education contracts. Investment in digital infrastructure is expanding access to secure, flexible learning. Governors can commission enrichment and vocational courses through the Dynamic Purchasing System, while apprenticeships and the Future Skills Programme further support employment pathways. Ofsted feedback is closely monitored to drive improvements.
New Prison Education Service contracts have recently launched which aim to strengthen the quality of delivery, as well as standardising the assessment of prisoners and improving support for learners with additional needs. The Ministry of Justice is developing a strategy to evaluate prison education, and this will inform our plans for further improvements.