Ministry of Justice

No systematic concerns have been raised by stakeholders about the operation of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009, and as such, no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Act.

The then Perpetuities and Accumulations Bill was read for a Third Time on 2 November 2009 and passed without amendment. This is a complex and technical area of law. There are several regimes that apply in practice, following the 2009 Act coming into force, which are briefly summarised below.

• The Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009 applies to instruments executed on or after 6 April 2010 and sets a statutory perpetuity period of 125 years.
• The Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1964 applies to instruments executed on or after 16 July 1964 and before 6 April 2010, allowing for a statutory period of up to 80 years if specified in the trust document.
• The Law of Property Act 1925 applies to instruments executed on or after 1 January 1926 and before 16 July 1964, reiterating the common law perpetuity period (lives in being plus 21 years) while also introducing relevant statutory modifications.

In all other cases, only the common law rules apply.

Statistics of this nature could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

The regulation of legal services in England and Wales operates independently of government and is underpinned by the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007. The Act establishes a framework under which certain activities, known as reserved legal activities, may only be carried out by authorised persons regulated by an approved regulator (or persons otherwise exempt from authorisations). Conveyancing is a reserved legal activity when it involves legal tasks such as preparing instruments like transfer deeds, charges, and applications for land registration.

Reserved conveyancing services are regulated by approved regulators under the LSA 2007, for example the Solicitors Regulation Authority where they are provided by solicitors or solicitor-led firms, and by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) where they are provided by licensed conveyancers or CLC-authorised firms. In both cases, authorised providers are subject to professional standards for entry to the profession, ongoing regulatory oversight which includes ensuring adherence to a wide range of published codes of conduct, mandatory Professional Indemnity Insurance, and clear and transparent complaints arrangements. Consumers may pursue redress through internal complaints procedures and then through the Legal Ombudsman if the response from the provider is not satisfactory.

The Government recognises the impact that poor performance by conveyancing providers can have on consumers. The home buying and selling process is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government who recently consulted on proposals to drive improvements. This has involved extensive engagement with the wider industry, including conveyancing regulators, to ensure it takes maximum advantage of the opportunities of technology to improve the functioning of the housing market in the consumer and public interest, and support growth. The Ministry of Justice keeps the overall framework for legal services regulation and associated consumer protections under review to ensure it remains proportionate and effective, but has no current plans to introduce additional measures.

There were 57 absconds in the year ending March 2025. Data on absconds is published annually in the HMPPS Annual Digest: HMPPS Annual Digest 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. This only includes a 30-day reference point for whether prisoners remained at large. Data for April 2025 to March 2026 will be published in July 2026 as part of the next HMPPS Annual Digest.

Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody.

Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions will likely face longer before they are released.

The Department publishes regular statistics on Employment Tribunals claims, which includes claims relating to pay and working conditions (such as unauthorised deductions, minimum wage, working time, and equal pay) which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025.

The published data does not break down claims by claimant characteristics (such as nationality or visa status), or the type of work conducted by claimant.

New digital systems developed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service during the Reform Programme, are already of sufficient size to cater for most documents that need to be uploaded during proceedings. Limits are currently 1GB for documents and 500MB for multimedia. These are in place to protect systems from malicious attack. A 1GB limit allows for a standard text document of around 26,000 pages, and around 7,000 pages if images are included. These standards will be the baseline for future digital development.

A review is being completed on the current limit relating to email submissions which is set at a lower level, and we recognise is particularly restrictive for users.

The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse, including children, are properly supported through court processes in England and Wales.

We are reforming court procedures in private family law proceedings relating to children to make them safer and more child-centred, including through the expansion of the Pathfinder model. This innovative court model uses a less adversarial approach for private law children proceedings and is now operating in 10 court areas including all of Wales. The model sees the courts work closely with local domestic abuse agencies, to ensure that specialist support and access to domestic abuse risk assessments are in place. We are committed to expanding the model so that more people can benefit from this approach.

We are also committed to improving the criminal court response to domestic abuse and are considering additional measures to achieve better outcomes for victims. As recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review, this includes considering whether to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts.

Victims of domestic abuse involved in family court proceedings, as well as in civil or criminal court proceedings, may have protections such as special measures, including giving evidence via a video link or from behind a screen. Alongside this, abusers may be prohibited from directly cross-examining their victims, in family and civil proceedings. In these cases, the court may appoint a qualified legal representative instead. In the criminal courts there are longstanding statutory prohibitions against an unrepresented defended cross-examining a complainant or witness. Practice Directions in the criminal and family courts also permit Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) to accompany parties in proceedings, which provides further support to victims.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.

We are unable to separate advertising and marketing spend. Total spend with our media buying agency Omnigov and TMP for the last three financial years is as follows:

The Ministry of Justice advertising spend is published yearly within our Annual Report and Accounts. Attached are the reports that cover the three previous financial years.

2022/23 – Annual Report and Accounts

2023/24 – Annual Report and Accounts

2024/25 – Annual Report and Accounts

The Ministry of Justice uses advertising to support the Department in delivering its key priorities. These priorities include campaigns that ensure victims of crime are aware of, and able to access the support services available to them, as well as our recruitment campaigns that support filling our operationally critical front line roles in the Prison and Probation Service, and Magistrates roles.

As the majority of the issues raised do not fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, the correspondence was transferred out of the Department and accepted by the Home Office.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and commissioning an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

The Deputy Prime Minister has asked Dame Lynne Owens to report back by the end of February 2026, with recommendations on how to reduce the likelihood of releases in error in the future.

Following this, the Deputy Prime Minister will consider the findings and recommendations carefully.

In line with the Deputy Prime Minister’s commitment to transparency, Parliament will be kept informed of the outcomes related to the review.

Together with NHS England, we are committed to continuing to work in partnership to improve services to ensure that people in contact with the criminal justice system have access to timely and effective mental health care that is tailored to their needs. This is reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England which was published in February 2023 and is supported by robust governance and regular ministerial engagement between Departments.

The National Partnership Agreement sets out a shared priority workplan to deliver safe, decent and effective care that improves health outcomes for people in prison and those subject to supervision by the probation service in the community. This ensures a coordinated approach between health and justice partners to improve health outcomes for those in contact with the justice system.

To improve continuity of care and swift access to treatment on release, we have recruited over 67 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators who strengthen healthcare pathways and bolster support, including for those on Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs), by building partnerships between prison, probation and treatment providers. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs, to engage with the right health services in the community. Services work with people up to 12 weeks before release, and 6 months post-release.

Our ongoing partnership with NHSE has achieved an increase in the number of MHTRs, with the number of people sentenced to MHTRs now more than five times higher than it was a decade ago, up from 960 in 2014 to 4,880 in 2024.

We are committed to continuing to work with our health partners to provide effective, coordinated services for those with a mental health need.

The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.

Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been shown to be a factor in their offence or offending behaviour, and in support of other requirements added to a court order or post-custody licence. There will and should be instances where an individual is required to serve a custodial sentence given the offence they have committed and for public protection. The compliance rate of alcohol monitoring imposed by the court as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, which imposes a total ban on drinking alcohol for up to 120 days, showed from the introduction of the technology in October 2020 through to 6 June 2025, the devices did not register a tamper or alcohol alert for 97.3% of the days worn.

The number of individuals subject to alcohol monitoring between October 2020 and June 2024 is available in Table 4.1 of the data tables published in the following link: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2024 - GOV.UK. The most recent provisional figures for alcohol monitoring, covering November 2025, can be found in the following link: Ad-Hoc Alcohol Monitoring Statistics Publication, Dec 2025 - GOV.UK

Please note that caseload statistics published after July 2025 are not directly comparable with earlier data due to changes in the definition and methodology used to classify individuals as “tagged”.

The Department does not directly compare the cost-effectiveness of alcohol monitoring tags and alcohol-related custodial sentences.

Alcohol monitoring is used a tool to assist with the safe management of individuals in the community, where alcohol has been shown to be a factor in their offence or offending behaviour, and in support of other requirements added to a court order or post-custody licence. There will and should be instances where an individual is required to serve a custodial sentence given the offence they have committed and for public protection. The compliance rate of alcohol monitoring imposed by the court as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, which imposes a total ban on drinking alcohol for up to 120 days, showed from the introduction of the technology in October 2020 through to 6 June 2025, the devices did not register a tamper or alcohol alert for 97.3% of the days worn.

The number of individuals subject to alcohol monitoring between October 2020 and June 2024 is available in Table 4.1 of the data tables published in the following link: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2024 - GOV.UK. The most recent provisional figures for alcohol monitoring, covering November 2025, can be found in the following link: Ad-Hoc Alcohol Monitoring Statistics Publication, Dec 2025 - GOV.UK

Please note that caseload statistics published after July 2025 are not directly comparable with earlier data due to changes in the definition and methodology used to classify individuals as “tagged”.

By the nature of their roles, staff working in the prison system can experience challenging situations and it is essential that they are supported to carry out their important roles to support prisoners, including those who refuse food. Given these challenges, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services.

We deliver Trauma Risk Management training (TRiM) - a peer-led support scheme for frontline staff who have experienced a traumatic event - in all establishments, and our TRiM practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty.

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 telephone helpline for counselling and provides a range of wellbeing and health promotion workshops. EAP also delivers reflective sessions which are a proactive mental ill health preventative intervention. The sessions focus on the impact of traumatic events at work, helping employees to develop coping strategies and preventing an adverse impact on their professional and private life.

Financial records allow us to provide the direct contractual costs of alcohol monitoring which include the cost of the tag purchases and system monitoring but do not distinguish between case type for Electronic Monitoring in terms of tag installation or physical monitoring and therefore the table below excludes these costs for the three years. Costs also exclude probation and other criminal justice system partners’ resource supporting EM in the community.

As a result of our record investment in electronic monitoring, we are tagging more offenders than ever before. The technology is playing a significant role in the Government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which the National Audit Office estimate costs the UK economy £21 billion a year. Evidence is increasingly proving the effectiveness of tags, with offenders banned from drinking alcohol staying sober for 97% of the days they were tagged.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

We are committed to ensuring that robust pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, so that accommodation and health needs are identified early and the right support is put in place. Dedicated Pre-Release Teams in prisons work closely with individuals to identify immediate needs, coordinate referrals to relevant services, and support continuity between custody and the community.

To support continuity of care and swift access to treatment on release, we have recruited over 67 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators who strengthen drug and alcohol recovery pathways by building partnerships between prison, probation and treatment providers and we are enabling virtual pre-release appointments with community treatment providers via secure laptops. The Probation Notification Actioning Project, now in place across all prisons, standardises how probation staff are informed of ongoing drug and alcohol treatment needs. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs, to engage with the right health services in the community. Services work with people up to 12 weeks before release, and 6 months post-release.

In the National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government has committed to reduce the proportion of people released from prison homeless by 50% by the end of this parliament. 50 prison-based Strategic Housing Specialists across England and Wales work with probation teams and Local Authorities to enable a multi-agency approach to securing housing before release. We are also investing in integrating digital community accommodation services to make it easier to identify and match individuals to the right housing-related support at the right time.

The rehabilitation pathway an individual takes, including for individuals convicted of immigration-related offences, is determined by their assessed risk and needs, ensuring interventions are targeted and proportionate.

The Ministry of Justice’s Reducing Reoffending Evidence Synthesis (2025) provides a comprehensive overview of what works to reduce reoffending. The report highlights key factors influencing the likelihood of reoffending, and we are investing in a range of interventions to address these needs and support rehabilitation. This includes accommodation, employment and substance misuse treatment services, including key employment roles in 93 prisons (such as Prison Employment Leads) and Incentivised Substance-Free Living units (ISFLs) in 85 prisons. Depending on the specific risks and needs of the offender, a range of accredited programmes, designed to address offending behaviour, are also available.

The proportion of adults released with an ongoing substance misuse need who engage in treatment within 3 weeks of release increased from 38% in April 2021 to 53% in November 2025. Similarly, employment rates six months after release from prison for those sentenced to 12 months or more have increased from 15% in 20/21 to 38% in 24/25.

The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics on proven reoffending of offenders which can be found here: Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK. These include reoffending rates presented in various breakdowns, such as by index offence.

We do not currently have plans to introduce routine publication of reoffending data for immigration-related cases. We keep the contents of our Official Statistics under continuous review, to ensure their compliance with the three pillars of the Code of Practice for Statistics: trustworthiness, quality and value.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is funding a ‘pathfinder’ pilot project in the West Midlands to better understand why interventions are achieving better outcomes for White children than for Black and Mixed heritage children. It was established in 2024 and its total cost is estimated at £750,000 over four years. The YJB has not yet provided the Ministry of Justice with evidence about the project’s early impact – the project is due to run until spring 2027 and be evaluated subsequently.

The factors contributing to custodial remand outcomes are complex and multi-layered. Outcomes for children of different ethnic backgrounds show disparities. The YJB’s 2021 report ‘Ethnic Disproportionality Remand and Sentencing in the Youth Justice System’ outlines these in more detail. The report found that even after controlling for demographic and offence-related factors, children of Mixed ethnicity and Black children remained more likely to receive a custodial remand than White children. The Ministry of Justice recognises that remand outcomes reflect a combination of factors across the system, including assessments provided to the court and judicial discretion.

All local authorities are required by the YJB’s Data Recording Requirements to submit data that includes consistent and accurate recording of ethnicity data, with quality regularly monitored. The YJB Data Recording Requirements require all YOTs to submit mandatory case level and summary level data to the YJB. This includes the requirements that:

• All YOTs need to accurately record the ethnicity of all children they are supervising and supporting. Ethnicity is self-identified by the child.
• YOTs must use the Government harmonised classifications for ethnicity so as to ensure consistency and comparability.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is funding a ‘pathfinder’ pilot project in the West Midlands to better understand why interventions are achieving better outcomes for White children than for Black and Mixed heritage children. It was established in 2024 and its total cost is estimated at £750,000 over four years. The YJB has not yet provided the Ministry of Justice with evidence about the project’s early impact – the project is due to run until spring 2027 and be evaluated subsequently.

The factors contributing to custodial remand outcomes are complex and multi-layered. Outcomes for children of different ethnic backgrounds show disparities. The YJB’s 2021 report ‘Ethnic Disproportionality Remand and Sentencing in the Youth Justice System’ outlines these in more detail. The report found that even after controlling for demographic and offence-related factors, children of Mixed ethnicity and Black children remained more likely to receive a custodial remand than White children. The Ministry of Justice recognises that remand outcomes reflect a combination of factors across the system, including assessments provided to the court and judicial discretion.

All local authorities are required by the YJB’s Data Recording Requirements to submit data that includes consistent and accurate recording of ethnicity data, with quality regularly monitored. The YJB Data Recording Requirements require all YOTs to submit mandatory case level and summary level data to the YJB. This includes the requirements that:

• All YOTs need to accurately record the ethnicity of all children they are supervising and supporting. Ethnicity is self-identified by the child.
• YOTs must use the Government harmonised classifications for ethnicity so as to ensure consistency and comparability.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is funding a ‘pathfinder’ pilot project in the West Midlands to better understand why interventions are achieving better outcomes for White children than for Black and Mixed heritage children. It was established in 2024 and its total cost is estimated at £750,000 over four years. The YJB has not yet provided the Ministry of Justice with evidence about the project’s early impact – the project is due to run until spring 2027 and be evaluated subsequently.

The factors contributing to custodial remand outcomes are complex and multi-layered. Outcomes for children of different ethnic backgrounds show disparities. The YJB’s 2021 report ‘Ethnic Disproportionality Remand and Sentencing in the Youth Justice System’ outlines these in more detail. The report found that even after controlling for demographic and offence-related factors, children of Mixed ethnicity and Black children remained more likely to receive a custodial remand than White children. The Ministry of Justice recognises that remand outcomes reflect a combination of factors across the system, including assessments provided to the court and judicial discretion.

All local authorities are required by the YJB’s Data Recording Requirements to submit data that includes consistent and accurate recording of ethnicity data, with quality regularly monitored. The YJB Data Recording Requirements require all YOTs to submit mandatory case level and summary level data to the YJB. This includes the requirements that:

• All YOTs need to accurately record the ethnicity of all children they are supervising and supporting. Ethnicity is self-identified by the child.
• YOTs must use the Government harmonised classifications for ethnicity so as to ensure consistency and comparability.

The data necessary to answer these questions is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.

The data necessary to answer these questions is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.

The data necessary to answer these questions is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 23 December to PQ 100766

The Department has committed £550 million to victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.

The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales, including the Avon and Somerset PCC, receive annual grant funding from the Department’s victim and witness budget. Funds are used to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes ‘core’ funding, allocated at the PCC’s discretion, based on their assessment of local need, and ring-fenced funding for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.

The Department also provides grant funding directly to over 60 specialist organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF). Activities support victims to cope with their experiences and move forward with their lives, regardless of whether they report the crime to the police. Three organisations in Avon and Somerset receive RASASF funds, offering tailored support to victims of rape and sexual abuse, including Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVA), counselling, therapy, and groupwork.

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, also commissioned by the Department, provides victims access to vital help and information whenever they need it.

On 1 December 2025, all PCCs and RASASF recipients received confirmation that their grants will be extended for two years until March 2028, with a 2% year-on-year uplift in recognition of the increasing cost of service delivery.

During the criminal justice process, special measures, such as screening the witness from the defendant or giving evidence via live link, are available to victims of rape and sexual offences, who may otherwise feel unable to give evidence.

We are introducing legislation to make access to special measures easier, so eligible victims and witnesses can give their best evidence to the court.

Data on the number of trials declared ineffective due to the non-production of defendants can be found here: Trial effectiveness at the Criminal Courts tool.

In the most recent reported quarter (July to September 2025) – non-production of defendants accounted for less than 2% of ineffective trials.

Securing data on the impact that late production or non-production of defendants has had on sitting time would come at a disproportionate cost, due to the time required to process this information.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a variety of offences including offences involving the use of illegal number plates on vehicles, in the Outcomes by Offences tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

The number of convictions related to the illegal use of vehicle number plates can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Overall Volumes’ tab and filtering the “HO offence code” drop down for:

• 81403 - Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documents (MOT)

• 81090 - Other motor vehicle licence, trade licence, registration mark, trade plate and registration book offences (except forgery and deception offences) (MOT).

The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008 is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual Departments or arms-length bodies.

Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK Government Departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities.

HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Last year we sat 107,771 Crown court sitting days, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver all allocated days this year. While I acknowledge existing challenges in relation to the maintenance of the court estate, this Government is increasing investment to address this - £148.5 million was allocated to court and tribunal maintenance and project funding this financial year, £28.5 million more than the previous government funded last financial year.

Estate capacity is not the limiting factor when it comes to making full use of the available sitting days. Whether we can make full use of the physical space available depends on “system capacity” i.e. the sufficiency of judges, magistrates, legal advisors, advocates and wider system partners available to support them.

In the Crown Court for this financial year, we have allocated 111,250 sitting days -  the highest number of sitting days on record and over 5,000 more than the previous government funded for the last financial year. That is on top of an additional investment of up to £92 million per year for criminal legal aid solicitor fees and up to £34 million per year for criminal legal aid advocates. We have also secured record investment of up to £450 million per year for the courts system over the Spending Review period, alongside investing almost £150 million to modernise the court estate.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on allocation for 2025-26, aiming to give an unprecedented three-year certainty to the system. The Deputy Prime Minister has been clear that sitting days in the Crown and magistrates’ courts must continue to rise, and his ambition is to continue breaking records by the end of this Parliament.

The Crown Court operates from 84 buildings across England and Wales, with a core estate of over 500 courtrooms. Most are jury-enabled and suitable for trials, with the remainder supporting other judicial work, such as interlocutory hearings. The wider HMCTS estate—including magistrates’, civil, family, and tribunal rooms —can also be used for Crown Court business when required. As a result, the precise number of rooms available for Crown Court use at any given time is variable.

Temporary unavailability may arise due to maintenance, but also due to overspill from other trials, alternative judicial activities (such as, box work, civil, family and tribunals hearings, or coroner’s court work), or other legitimate uses (including meetings and video-link sessions). However, these factors do not prevent the Crown Courts from sitting at their funded allocation.

HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Last year we sat 107,771 Crown court sitting days, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver all allocated days this year. While I acknowledge existing challenges in relation to the maintenance of the court estate, this Government is increasing investment to address this - £148.5 million was allocated to court and tribunal maintenance and project funding this financial year, £28.5 million more than the previous government funded last financial year.

Estate capacity is not the limiting factor when it comes to making full use of the available sitting days. Whether we can make full use of the physical space available depends on “system capacity” i.e. the sufficiency of judges, magistrates, legal advisors, advocates and wider system partners available to support them.

In the Crown Court for this financial year, we have allocated 111,250 sitting days -  the highest number of sitting days on record and over 5,000 more than the previous government funded for the last financial year. That is on top of an additional investment of up to £92 million per year for criminal legal aid solicitor fees and up to £34 million per year for criminal legal aid advocates. We have also secured record investment of up to £450 million per year for the courts system over the Spending Review period, alongside investing almost £150 million to modernise the court estate.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on allocation for 2025-26, aiming to give an unprecedented three-year certainty to the system. The Deputy Prime Minister has been clear that sitting days in the Crown and magistrates’ courts must continue to rise, and his ambition is to continue breaking records by the end of this Parliament.

The Crown Court operates from 84 buildings across England and Wales, with a core estate of over 500 courtrooms. Most are jury-enabled and suitable for trials, with the remainder supporting other judicial work, such as interlocutory hearings. The wider HMCTS estate—including magistrates’, civil, family, and tribunal rooms —can also be used for Crown Court business when required. As a result, the precise number of rooms available for Crown Court use at any given time is variable.

Temporary unavailability may arise due to maintenance, but also due to overspill from other trials, alternative judicial activities (such as, box work, civil, family and tribunals hearings, or coroner’s court work), or other legitimate uses (including meetings and video-link sessions). However, these factors do not prevent the Crown Courts from sitting at their funded allocation.

Ministers will introduce detailed proposals to Parliament as soon as parliamentary time allows.

The magistrates’ court is an effective and efficient jurisdiction – In the 12 months to September 2025 it disposed of 1,448,163 cases with an average timeliness (offence to case completion) for the most recent quarter of 191 days. The Government will ensure there are sufficient numbers of magistrates and will seek to ensure that there are sufficient magistrates’ court sitting days to meet additional demand placed on the system.

An impact assessment for the criminal court reforms will be published alongside legislation in the usual way. In 2024, triable either way offences in the magistrates’ courts completed more than four times faster than in the Crown Court.

The Government has already made significant additional investment in the criminal justice system – in record sitting days, court buildings and technology, and in legal professionals. We have secured record investment (up to £450 million per year for the courts system over the Spending Review period), and we are investing almost £150 million to modernise the court estate, including magistrates’ courts. Discussions about the allocation for 2025-26 between the Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue and we will provide more detail in due course. Nevertheless, the Deputy Prime Minister has been clear that sitting days in the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts must continue to rise.

We are also accelerating our programme to recruit more new and diverse magistrates over the coming years and we continue to recruit high levels of legal advisers to ensure courts remain resilient.

Following reforms to the criminal courts, judicial review of criminal court decisions will be available in the same circumstances as it is currently.

We might expect to see an increase in the number of applications, given we expect to see more cases retained in the magistrates’ courts; however, the permission stage of a judicial review will mean that only those with proper grounds for a judicial review will progress.

The Government has already invested heavily in the criminal justice system – in record sitting days, court buildings and technology, and in legal professionals. We have secured record investment (up to £450 million per year for the courts system over the Spending Review period), and we are investing almost £150 million to modernise the court estate, including magistrates’ courts across the South East. Discussions about the allocation for 2025-26 between the Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue and we will provide more detail in due course. Nevertheless, the Deputy Prime Minister has been clear that sitting days in the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts must continue to rise.

We are also accelerating our programme to recruit more new and diverse magistrates over the coming years and we continue to recruit high levels of legal advisers to ensure courts remain resilient.

The requested information is not centrally held. Where proceedings are before a court or tribunal in England or Wales, legal aid is available to individuals who qualify for services irrespective of their immigration status or method of entry into England and Wales. Method of entry to England or Wales is not relevant to eligibility for legal aid under the current rules.

Generally, applications for legal aid will be subject to an assessment of the merits of the case and the financial circumstances of the applicant.