Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential for a role for the voluntary sector in helping support the Probation Service during the period after release.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We recognise the valuable role played by the thousands of voluntary sector organisations that work in partnership with prisons and the Probation Service to provide vital support to people serving their sentences in prison and on returning to the community.
We welcome the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations on how we can better harness the value the Third Sector can add to probation work, building even stronger partnerships to enable better targeting of resources and improve outcomes for offenders.
The Ministry of Justice and H M Prison and Probation Service are continuing to work with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to define the role that they can play in the Probation Service of the future.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the participation of the voluntary sector to assist with the probation service.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We recognise the valuable role played by the thousands of voluntary sector organisations that work in partnership with prisons and the Probation Service to provide vital support to people serving their sentences in prison and on returning to the community.
We welcome the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations on how we can better harness the value the Third Sector can add to probation work, building even stronger partnerships to enable better targeting of resources and improve outcomes for offenders.
The Ministry of Justice and H M Prison and Probation Service are continuing to work with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to define the role that they can play in the Probation Service of the future.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rate is for foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in Great Yarmouth, compared with UK nationals convicted of comparable offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data which would enable us to identify sexual or violent offences committed against women in Great Yarmouth.
Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. We refer all foreign national offenders (FNOs) in receipt of custodial sentences to the Home Office where they are considered for removal under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS). The ERS enables the removal of FNOs at an earlier point in their sentence than would otherwise be possible. It is the most effective mechanism for removing eligible FNOs as quickly as possible, freeing up prison spaces and saving taxpayer money.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of average waiting times for fact-finding hearings in the family courts; and what steps he is taking to reduce those waiting times.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to improving the performance of the Family Courts, and the Family Justice Board has agreed system-wide priorities and targets for reducing delay across England and Wales. While we do not have specific figures for the timeliness of fact-finding hearings, the latest published data shows a reduction in the national average case duration for both public and private law cases.
The Government recently announced the national rollout of the Child Focused Model for private law over the next three years. It currently operates in 10 of 43 Family Court areas and seeks to enhance the experience of children and families. The model has additionally demonstrated a significant impact on timeliness and reductions in the number of average hearings per case. Cases are concluding between 11-30 weeks quicker and outstanding caseloads have been reduced by up to 50%.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children aged (a) under one years old, (b) aged between one and four years old and (c) aged five years and older were (i) adopted and (ii) given a Special guardianship order in each year since 1996.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Data on the age of the children subject to adoption and Special Guardianship Orders is routinely published in Family Court Quarterly statistics and the relevant tables are attached.
Data prior to 2011 is not readily available and to source it would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children aged (a) under one, (b) one, (c) two, (d) three, (e) four, (f) five, (g) six, (h) seven, (i) eight, (j) nine and (k) ten and over years old were (i) adopted and (ii) subject of a Special Guardianship Order in each year since 2021.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Data on age of children subject to adoption and Special Guardianship Orders is routinely published in the quarterly Family Court Statistics and the relevant tables are attached.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the costs arising from his role as Deputy Prime Minister are being met from the department’s budget.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
As outlined on gov.uk, the Deputy Prime Minister acts on behalf of the department and also deputises for the Prime Minister. Engagements completed on the Prime Minister's behalf, including international visits, are generally paid for by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in Glasgow received awards under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each of the last five years; and what the value of those awards was.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below provides the number of compensation awards paid in each of the last five financial years to applicants living in Glasgow.
Number of compensation awards paid to applicants living in Glasgow* **
Financial Year | Number of awards paid | Total value of those awards |
2020-21 | 349 | £3,584,374 |
2021-22 | 306 | £2,535,552 |
2022-23 | 245 | £2,723,991 |
2023-24 | 367 | £3,592,648 |
2024-25 | 323 | £2,703,553 |
* The above table includes all awards where the applicant named Glasgow as the city in their home address in their application.
**The table does not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve standards in relation to bailiffs.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to strengthening the regulation of the private enforcement (bailiff) sector and establishing an independent regulatory framework as soon as parliamentary time allows. Last year, we consulted on how to do so in a way that ensures that regulation is targeted, proportionate, as well as ensuring fair treatment for everyone, including people in vulnerable circumstances. This will build on the excellent work that the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) is already doing on a voluntary basis to improve standards in the sector. This includes the recent publication in March 2026 of Vulnerability and Ability to Pay Standards, strengthening expectations on the identification of vulnerability, affordability assessments and the use of sustainable repayment arrangements.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will include anti-SLAPP legislation in the King's Speech in May 2026.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have a chilling effect on public participation and freedom of expression, posing a threat to our legal system and democracy. The Government is committed to tackling SLAPPs and is considering all options for reform to address this issue.
The legislative programme for the second session will be set out in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026.