Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to commission an independent review of training for (a) family court judges, (b) Cafcass officers and (c) expert witnesses on (i) coercive control, (ii) post-separation abuse and (iii) the misuse of legal processes by perpetrators.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government currently has no plans to commission an independent review of training for family court judges, Cafcass officers and expert witnesses.
The judiciary is independent of the Government; under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice has statutory responsibility for the training of the judiciary of England and Wales. This is fulfilled on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice by the Judicial College.
Cafcass is an independent Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for its own training. Cafcass Family Court Advisers complete mandatory domestic abuse training including on using Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework which has guidance and tools for assessing when domestic abuse is a feature of the child’s case, including when coercive control is present. Family Court Advisers are also trained to follow Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy which sets out the actions they must undertake when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse
The annex to Practice Direction 25B outlines the standards an expert witness in children proceedings must adhere to. These include that they are appropriately qualified (where relevant), have sufficient experience of the issue on which they are to give evidence and undertake continuous professional development. It is at the courts’ discretion whether to give permission for the instruction of an expert; this decision is based on all of the information available to the court, including whether the expert has undertaken suitable training and qualifications.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how often the presumption of contact was disapplied in family court proceedings where (a) allegations and (b) findings of domestic abuse were present in the last 12 months; and whether her Department plans to publish data on how Domestic Abuse Protection Orders are being used to safeguard (i) survivors and (ii) children during ongoing family court contact disputes.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data is not held centrally on how often the presumption of parental involvement is disapplied in family court proceedings under either a) or b). The relevant data could only be obtained by an analysis of individual case files at a disproportionate cost.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, known as DAPOs, can be made in ongoing family proceedings to protect victims from domestic abuse or the risk of domestic abuse. DAPOs are being tested in selected areas and will be subject to evaluation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the evaluation of the Pathfinder pilot family courts will be published in full prior to any national policy changes based on its findings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government commissioned formal evaluation of the Pathfinder pilots in North Wales and Dorset in two parts. The first part was a process evaluation and financial analysis which was published in March 2025. The second part examines the experiences of children and families and will be published later this year.
The two evaluation reports are already informing policy and operational changes; and monitoring and evaluation of Pathfinder is ongoing. A feasibility study, to identify options for further impact and economic evaluation of Pathfinder, is underway and will be published later this year.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil cases tried in court had a jury in each of the last ten years, broken down by case type.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No central data is recorded on the numbers of juries convened for civil proceedings in England and Wales, nor the breakdown into types of case. Requests are passed to the jury summoning bureau as the need arises.
The use of juries in civil cases is highly exceptional, and the most common examples where a civil jury may still be used would be for claims relating to false imprisonment or malicious prosecution.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to publish its review of the presumption of parental contact in family courts; and whether that review will include consideration of disapplying the presumption in cases where domestic abuse has been evidenced.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Review into the Presumption of Parental Involvement is now complete. The Review and the Government’s response and next steps will be published shortly.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when court room six at Shropshire Justice Centre will be re-opened.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The works to make courtroom six operational were completed on 7 June 2025, and the first sitting took place on 10 June 2025.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of criminal trials were heard before a jury in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on the numbers and proportion of criminal trials heard before a jury. However, the vast majority of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts without juries – with 90% of all criminal cases being dealt with by magistrates. Of the remaining defendants that do progress to the Crown Court for trial, most plead guilty, meaning their cases do not go before a jury. Therefore, the most accurate proxy available for how many cases are heard by a jury in the Crown Court is the number of defendants who plead not guilty. The table below provides a breakdown of this data over the past five years:
Defendants dealt with in trial cases disposed of in the Crown Court, 2020-2024
Year | Total number of defendants | Plea entered: Guilty | Plea entered: Not guilty | Guilty plea rate |
2020 | 50,353 | 34,341 | 7,404 | 72% |
2021 | 63,884 | 40,613 | 12,069 | 67% |
2022 | 61,193 | 37,340 | 11,964 | 64% |
2023 | 70,917 | 42,039 | 14,838 | 62% |
2024 | 76,653 | 44,288 | 15,638 | 61% |
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trials by jury on levels of public confidence in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Sir Brian Leveson has published the first part of his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, setting out a number of recommendations on the use of jury trials in the Crown Court. Jury trials are a cornerstone of our justice system and will remain in place for the most serious cases. However, we must consider bold action to tackle the rising backlog. There is evidence that significant delays undermine confidence in the system. Over 90% of criminal cases are heard without a jury and deliver swift justice. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in the autumn.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what alternatives to custodial sentences they are considering for women with babies and young families, particularly for offences such as shop theft, and what rehabilitation measures are in place to prevent those women from reoffending.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government has a clear goal of reducing the number of women in prison and supporting more in the community. That is why we created the Women’s Justice Board. The Board’s initial focus is on early intervention and diversion; community solutions; and addressing issues specific to young women, pregnant women, and mothers with dependent children in the Criminal Justice System.
We are taking forward the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations on short and suspended sentences, which will reduce the number of women in custody, including those with babies and young families. We have also accepted in principle the Review’s recommendation to increase the availability of Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle root causes of offending, particularly for repeat offenders.
Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service providers have been appointed in every HMPPS region to deliver bespoke and specialist support to women on probation to address their offending behaviour. Additionally, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support in 2025/26, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from prison and addressing their often-complex needs.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in the context of children under the age of two who are separated from their mothers in prison, if she will publish (a) a list of types of setting in which those children are looked after and (b) the (i) number and (ii) proportion of children looked after by setting type.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Data on the number of babies accommodated in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) in England is published at Table 10.1 of the HMPPS Annual Digest 2023-2024:
The Annual Digest 2024 - 2025 is scheduled for publication at the end of July. Owing to our obligations under the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are unable to provide the latest data as this time, as they are intended for future publication.
Women who are pregnant, or who have children up to and around the age of 18 months, can apply for a place in an MBU. MBUs normally accommodate babies up until the age of 18 months, though in exceptional circumstances a child may remain beyond 18 months.
Data is not held on the number of mothers in prison who are separated from children under the age of two, or on the care arrangements for those children. While applications for MBU placements are recorded, there is no central record of children who are not placed in MBUs or the reasons for separation.
Care decisions are made by local authorities in accordance with their safeguarding responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 and the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
We recognise that parental imprisonment is an adverse childhood experience. We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how we identify these children effectively, and the best way to provide support for affected children and their parent in prison.