Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for crimes committed against (a) churches and (b) other Christian places of worship in England and Wales since 2010; and what proportion of all religious-premises offences this represents.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) his Department and (b) other Government departments distinguish between offences committed against (i) Christian, (ii) Muslim, (iii) Jewish and (iv) other places of worship in its (A) crime and (B) conviction data collections.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds data on the (a) age, (b) sex, (c) ethnicity and (d) nationality of offenders convicted of criminal offences against Christian places of worship since 2010.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recording and (b) categorisation of crimes against (i) Christian churches and (ii) other religious sites.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many vacancies are currently within HM Prison and Probation Service.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

HM Prison and Probation Service holds required staffing levels which are subject to regular amendment and managed at a local and regional level. As a result of this discretion HMPPS does not present vacancy data due to variability in required staffing levels.

HM Prison and Probation does, however, publish indicative vacancies in the HMPPS Workforce stats: HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of (a) prisoners held and (b) staff employed by HM Prison Service was in each of the last eight years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Detailed statistics on the number of offenders in custody are published quarterly, including for the last eight years, and are available here: Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK. The average annual population can be found in Table 1_A_3 of the Annual Prison Population tables, published each July, and the June 30 snapshot population (typically used to represent the population in a particular calendar year) can be found in table 1_A_1.

The quarterly HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) workforce statistics includes headcount and Full Time Equivalent figures, as well as annual average staff in post figures for HMPPS staff. The latest data in the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics covers the period up to the end of June 2025, and figures back to 2010 are available here: HM Prison and Probation Service workforce statistics - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making people convicted of murder ineligible for transfer to open prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Public protection is the Government’s foremost priority when considering any progression within the custodial estate.

There are no current plans to restrict those convicted of murder from being held in open prison conditions, as long as it safe to do so.

A prisoner serving a mandatory life sentence for murder is eligible to be considered for a move to an open prison only if within three years of completing the minimum term (tariff) set by the Court at the point of sentence. Further, other than in exceptional circumstances, a life sentence prisoner will be approved for transfer to open conditions only in response to a recommendation made by the Parole Board, following a rigorous risk assessment. Even where the Parole Board makes such a recommendation, the Secretary of State is not bound by it and conducts his own risk assessment before approving the recommendation and so authorising transfer. If, following transfer, the prisoner shows signs of increased risk, s/he will be returned to closed conditions.

Following a long period of incarceration in closed conditions, a period in open conditions may provide important evidence for the purposes of the Parole Board’s determination of whether the prisoner may be safely released into the community on life licence. It also helps to acquaint the prisoner with life outside of prison, which might have changed substantially during the period of imprisonment. This Government remains committed to supporting the progression of prisoners serving life or other indeterminate sentences by supporting them to reduce their risk to a level where the Parole Board determines they may be safely released, subject to a robust risk management plan.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing wi-fi in female prisons to facilitate access to (a) education, (b) training and (c) prepare for integration into society.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government recognises the distinct needs of women in custody and the critical role education plays in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. The national education budget has not been reduced.

However, many prisons in the female estate (as well as the male estate) are having to reduce some elements of delivery due to the rising costs of provision.

Education is only one element of rehabilitation, and we continue to invest in skills and employability training for women, for example HMPPS' Future Skills Programme is supporting women in HMP/YOI Low Newton and HMP/YOI New Hall with the skills required to work in customer service roles. We also support women to desist from crime through housing support on release with a minimum of 10% of temporary accommodation beds reserved for women and nine dedicated Strategic Housing Specialists working across the female estate.

The new Prisoner Education Service includes a secure, standardised IT system across all public sector prisons in England, with Wi-Fi now available in education areas enabling improved internet access and data collection. In two women’s prisons, the Launchpad programme is now providing Wi-Fi across the whole site and in-cell laptops. These digital improvements are intended to support learning, wellbeing, and rehabilitation, better preparing women for employment on release.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing educational programmes funding in female prisons on the level of (a) rehabilitation and (b) reoffending.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government recognises the distinct needs of women in custody and the critical role education plays in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. The national education budget has not been reduced.

However, many prisons in the female estate (as well as the male estate) are having to reduce some elements of delivery due to the rising costs of provision.

Education is only one element of rehabilitation, and we continue to invest in skills and employability training for women, for example HMPPS' Future Skills Programme is supporting women in HMP/YOI Low Newton and HMP/YOI New Hall with the skills required to work in customer service roles. We also support women to desist from crime through housing support on release with a minimum of 10% of temporary accommodation beds reserved for women and nine dedicated Strategic Housing Specialists working across the female estate.

The new Prisoner Education Service includes a secure, standardised IT system across all public sector prisons in England, with Wi-Fi now available in education areas enabling improved internet access and data collection. In two women’s prisons, the Launchpad programme is now providing Wi-Fi across the whole site and in-cell laptops. These digital improvements are intended to support learning, wellbeing, and rehabilitation, better preparing women for employment on release.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, what progress his Department has made on implementing recommendation three.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

It is horrific that any person was convicted as a child for loitering and soliciting for prostitution. The Government has announced immediate steps to disregard such convictions.

Also, my officials are working with the Criminal Cases Review Commission to ensure they are properly resourced to review the applications of the wider cohort of victims of child sexual exploitation who believe they were unjustly convicted when their position as a victim was not properly understood.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the median length of service was for prison officers in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The median length of service for all band 3-5 prison officers in post on 30 June 2025 was 5.2 years.

The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS, and therefore the median presented excludes experience in other roles, including in private prisons. Band 3-5 officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to increase sentences for people convicted of sexual offences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Sexual offences such as rape, assault by penetration, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent already attract some of the most serious penalties under the law, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. These maximums reflect the gravity of such offences and are among the highest available. In light of this, the Government has no current plans to increase statutory maximum sentences for sexual offences.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary. The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence. That is why, when deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agents Regulations 2014 have had their certificates (a) cancelled and (b) suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 in each of year between 2020 and 2024.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not routinely publish operational data on how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agent Regulations 2014 have had their certificates cancelled or suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 of the Regulations. The public register of certificated enforcement agents is updated to reflect the cancellation of a certificate, but it does not record the reason for the cancellation.

In 2024, the average processing time for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court was 27.62 days. This figure reflects the time taken from submission of an application to the granting of a certificate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Personal Independence Payment appeals for claimants awarded under the Special Rules for terminal illness are prioritised (a) when a PIP award has been removed despite no improvement in prognosis and the claimant has been waiting over a year for a tribunal hearing and (b) in general.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The listing of appeals is a matter for the Tribunal’s independent judiciary. Appeals are usually listed in chronological order based on the date of receipt.

If an expedited hearing is sought, or where the Tribunal identifies a case which might benefit from an expedited hearing, a judge or tribunal caseworker will make a decision on the issue, taking all the circumstances of the case into account.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not routinely publish operational data on how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agent Regulations 2014 have had their certificates cancelled or suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 of the Regulations. The public register of certificated enforcement agents is updated to reflect the cancellation of a certificate, but it does not record the reason for the cancellation.

In 2024, the average processing time for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court was 27.62 days. This figure reflects the time taken from submission of an application to the granting of a certificate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts hear First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) appeals; and how many are fully funded to operate throughout the year.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FtTIAC) has 83 tribunal hearing rooms across the United Kingdom and has access to shared court rooms in other jurisdictions. Utilisation of this space is dependent on a number of factors including the volume of ‘in person’ versus ‘remote’ hearings scheduled, budgetary allocations, the requirement for judges to sit at satellite venues and available staffing and judicial resource.

The FtTIAC is currently funded to sit to maximum levels based on available judicial capacity.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of court cases that (a) did not progress and (b) were delayed due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses by the profession of those witnesses in Greater Manchester in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of cases which did not progress or were delayed due to non-attendance of professional witnesses split by witness profession.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the (a) Courts and Tribunals Service on ensuring (i) the adequacy of the judicial process for cases involving child sexual abuse and (ii) welfare of child sexual abuse victims and (b) Sentencing Council on ensuring the adequacy of prosecutions for those crimes.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice continues to work across Government to strengthen court processes and sentencing, ensuring they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving child sexual abuse.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) staff support fair hearings led by independent judges. Special measures are available to enable vulnerable witnesses to give their best evidence, including the option to attend remotely and/or give evidence from witness suites located in court buildings or designated remote sites, designed to provide a supportive environment. Judges also take steps to help child victims feel more at ease, such as meeting them before trial or removing traditional court attire like wigs and gowns. Familiarisation visits can be arranged to help vulnerable witnesses become more comfortable with the court setting and process. Recent reforms include powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing and enhanced training to ensure victims are treated with dignity.

We continue to work across Government to ensure victims receive the support they require and need. Victims are supported by Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during proceedings. The Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to provide training and resources, and invests in specialist services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. Additionally, The Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.

Charging decisions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. Where an offender pleads guilty to or is convicted of an offence, the independent judiciary determine the appropriate sentence in individual cases within the maximums set by Parliament, and in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council.

The Sentencing Council has issued a package of guidelines on sexual offences, including child sexual offences. These provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out the different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. The guidelines also include non-exhaustive lists of aggravating and mitigating factors which can result in an upward or downward adjustment in the sentence.

Parliament is responsible for setting the overall sentencing framework and the Government has legislated for strong custodial sentences; through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing measures to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who have been charged with sexual assault attend court in person.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that defendants charged with serious offences, including sexual assault, attend court so that justice is delivered effectively, and victims can see accountability upheld.

We recognise the distress caused when offenders refuse to attend court, and in particular, for sentencing hearings. That is why we are legislating through the Victims and Courts Bill to give judges express statutory powers to order attendance and impose additional penalties for refusal, ensuring victims and their families see justice delivered in person.

Any decision to order attendance is a matter for the judiciary, who act independently and apply the law in each case.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the current eligibility criteria for legal aid in private family law proceedings to allow applicants on low incomes to qualify for support even where there is no evidence of domestic abuse or risk to a child.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government recognises that legal aid – a vital part of the justice system – supports the ability of individuals, who need it most, to have access to publicly funded legal assistance in order to uphold their legal rights.

Legal aid is available for some private family matters such as child arrangement orders, if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused, or if the child who is the subject of the order is a victim of child abuse or at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse or child abuse and passing the means and merits tests.

The Government keeps legal aid policy under continuous review.

For cases which do not qualify for legal aid, individuals may seek free, independent advice from legal support and advice organisations.

The Ministry of Justice is providing funding to support litigants in person, to help them navigate the civil justice system effectively, including preparation for court and support at court. In 2025/26, we are providing over £6 million of funding to 60 organisations to support the delivery of free legal support and information, both in-person and online. This includes some Citizens Advice and Law Centres, Rights of Women and Advice Now.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department in each of the last five years by (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The proportion of Employment Tribunals claims which include Unfair Dismissal as a reason for the claim is 25.1%, and 62.5% of Employment Tribunals lodged against the Department are brought under the Equality Act 2010. 3.9% of cases lodged against the Department cite both Unfair Dismissal and claims under the Equality Act 2010.

Employment Tribunals lodged against the Department for Unfair Dismissal

Employment Tribunals lodged against the Department under the Equality Act 2010

*A breakdown of protected characteristics where Employment Tribunals have been brought has been included. Please note, Employment Tribunal claims often include multiple reasons when lodging a claim e.g. race discrimination and disability discrimination etc. This means that, total Employment Tribunals lodged against the department under the Equality Act 2010 will not reflect the total claims under the different protected characteristics.

Employment Tribunals lodged under both Unfair Dismissal and a claim under the Equality Act 2010 against the Department

*Figures below are included in the previous tables.

The Ministry of Justice headcount is circa 82,000 in total.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83161 on Prisoners’ Release: Reoffenders, when this data will be included in statistical releases

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The next proven reoffending statistics publication where SDS40 releases will fall within the overall cohort is currently scheduled for 30 July 2026. The content of this release, as with all future statistical releases, remains under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability, broken down by grade.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In the Ministry of Justice (including its executive agencies: HMCTS, CICA, LAA, OPG, and HMPPS), along with the wider Civil Service, information about a disability or long-term condition, including mental health conditions, is completed by staff on a voluntary basis, on HR systems. Data on mental health conditions is only available as a subset of those who have voluntarily indicated they considered themselves to have disability or long-term condition. As there is no single category for physical disability, we have provided data on all those who have indicated a disability or long-term condition.

The data provided covers the Ministry of Justice, including its executive agencies: MoJ HQ, HMCTS, CICA, LAA, OPG, and HMPPS.

The table below shows data for the number of staff in post in the department who have self-reported a disability or long-term condition, broken down by grade, as of 31 March 2025.

The total will not exactly match that used in Civil Service Statistics as we have used a different methodology applicable to internal data in order to answer this question.

The table below shows data for the number of staff in post in the department who have self-reported the HR data management systems category mental health conditions, broken down by grade, as of 31 March 2025.

*Data includes those who have selected a single category mental health conditions. We do not capture those who may have multiple conditions or include information provided as free text.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners detained beyond their release date in 2024-25.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions. As the Deputy Prime Minister set out to the House, immediate measures have been introduced to strengthen release checks across prisons – making them the strongest release checks to ever be in place and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice operates a continuous performance management approach based on a rolling cycle of regular performance conversations between line managers and staff members. The Department does not operate a set reporting year for performance reviews and does not use performance ratings or box markings. As such, the Ministry of Justice does not hold the data requested.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value is of Prison Education Service Core Education contracts between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The value of the Prisoner Education Service Core Education contracts between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026 is £51 million. This figure excludes Lot 10 (West Midlands prisons), where existing contracts under the Prison Education Framework have been extended while a re-procurement process is ongoing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff left his Department in each of the last 5 years, broken down by grade.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government Department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Information can be accessed through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following web address: Civil Service Statistics data browser.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps have been taken at HMP Garth to help prevent drones bringing drugs into the prison.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones that deliver contraband into prisons.

Owing to operational sensitives, we are not able to discuss the measures used by HMP Garth to disrupt drones, as that would aid serious and organised criminals. However, HMPPS uses a multi-faceted approach to tackle this threat which includes a variety of physical security countermeasures, intelligence led operations and legislation. As part of this work, we conduct drone vulnerability assessments to understand and mitigate risk and we are investing £40 million in new security measures to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars, including £10 million on anti-drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows.

HMPPS is also working with UK and global partners to understand the tactics used abroad and identify opportunities to strengthen our response to illicit drone activity.

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 extending the period of time within which a victims' family can appeal a sentence.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Through the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, a victims’ family (and members of the public) can request that the Attorney General refers a sentence to the Court of Appeal for review. Parliament intended the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme to be an exceptional power, and any expansion of the scheme must be carefully considered. While we understand calls for expansion, it is important for both victims and offenders that there is finality in sentencing.

The Law Commission is undertaking a review of the law governing criminal appeals. They launched a public consultation which invited views on a range of reforms to criminal appeals, including the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. They are now reviewing those responses and expect to publish their findings and recommendations in 2026.

The Government will carefully and holistically consider the Law Commission review’s final recommendations.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's webpage entitled Prisons data, Additional data, how many of the 262 prisoners released in error in 2024-5 were returned to custody.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.

Annual totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the (a) number of convictions for crimes committed against (i) churches and (ii) other Christian places of worship in Northern Ireland since 2010 and (b) proportion of religious premises offences that represents.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Data centrally held by the Ministry of Justice covers convictions in England and Wales and does not contain any information regarding Northern Ireland. Offences committed against places of worship in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue for the Executive in Northern Ireland.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff (a) did not retain employment in the Department following completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last 5 years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.

The table below shows data for the number of staff who left the Department for the leaving reason "Discharged Probation", in the 12 months to 31 March 2021 - 31 March 2025.

Notes to table 1:

1. Information on the number of staff who have left the department is published in the Civil Service Statistics but not broken down by the leaving reason "Discharged Probation". Therefore, we have used leavers data from the MOJ’s central HR system, SOP, to answer this PQ.

2. Data for MoJ staff (excluding HMPPS) includes only on-strength payroll leavers, whereas data for HMPPS includes all leavers.

Information for the second part of this question, relating to the number of staff that had their probationary period extended in each of the last 5 years, is not published and is not held in the central HR system. Therefore, this information cannot be provided.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of jury service expenses on jury members’ finances.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Jury service is an important civic duty, and the Government is committed to ensuring jurors feel supported throughout their service. Jurors can claim subsistence and travel expenses, as well as a loss of earnings allowance from the court. The jury summoning process provides for applications for deferral or excusal from service based upon financial hardship. All support for jurors is kept under review to ensure it remains appropriate and accessible.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October to Question 84015 on Legal Aid Scheme: Ely and East Cambridgeshire, when the Legal Aid Agency last assessed the adequacy of legal aid provision in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency; and if they will undertake a new assessment in that constituency.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) continually assesses supply across all procurement areas. The LAA’s network of regional contract managers located throughout England and Wales provide intelligence-led information based on contact with legal aid service providers. In addition, the LAA regularly reviews available supply to make sure there is adequate provision for legal aid, in all categories of law, and takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise.

For civil contracts the LAA commissions and monitors the supply of legal aid services across larger geographic areas called procurement areas, rather than by local authority or parliamentary constituency. These areas vary depending on the type of civil law.

Ely and East Cambridgeshire fall within several procurement areas, which cover all civil categories of law for which legal aid is available. All of these procurement areas exceed the minimum required number of legal aid providers. In addition to local providers, national services are also available to your constituents. These include early legal advice through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, and telephone-based support for housing, debt, education, and discrimination issues via Civil Legal Advice.

Criminal legal aid contracts are commissioned nationally. The LAA monitors and take measures within its control to ensure there is sufficient coverage for local duty solicitor schemes, in this case the Cambridge and Ely scheme. These schemes are based on demand, so the number of solicitors may vary between areas.

As set out in the response to PQ 84015, the LAA is satisfied there is currently adequate provision of legal aid services in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.

Details about legal aid providers are published in the LAA’s official statistics (Tables 9.1–9.9). These figures help the LAA monitor the availability of services across different legal categories and regions in England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist support for victims of (a) sexual and (b) domestic violence.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the decade, and ensuring support is available for all victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse is an absolute priority. The new cross-Government strategy, setting out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition, will be published later this year.

I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year. This includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) grant for specialist sexual violence services and the ringfenced domestic and sexual abuse support funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support services to meet the need of victims in their area, including those affected by sexual violence or domestic abuse. PCCs and RASASF grant recipients carry out local needs assessments to identify the unique needs of victims in their area and design and deliver services accordingly.

The Ministry of Justice funded 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line offers victims, aged 16 and over, access to free and confidential emotional support whenever they need it. Where appropriate, the service will also signpost victims to longer-term support services, such as therapeutic support.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of court backlogs on victims’ (a) wellbeing and (b) engagement with the justice process.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog which has created unacceptable delays meaning victims are waiting too long for justice. This is why this Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose bold and ambitious reforms to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims. We know how important support services are in keeping victims engaged and supported through the Criminal Justice process, particularly with regards to delays in their case. The Ministry of Justice provides funding for victim and witness support services, in addition to core funding for Police and Crime Commissioners to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

This Government is committed to ensuring victims have the information they need. The Victims’ Code is statutory guidance that sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive from the criminal justice system. Under the Code, victims have the right to information when reporting the crime, during investigation and prosecution, during the trial, and at the outcome of the trial.

We will be consulting on a new Code in due course to make sure we get the foundations for victims right. We are also taking steps through the Victims and Courts Bill to provide all victims with a clear route to request information about their offender, where they receive a custodial sentence.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims are kept informed throughout the criminal justice process.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog which has created unacceptable delays meaning victims are waiting too long for justice. This is why this Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose bold and ambitious reforms to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims. We know how important support services are in keeping victims engaged and supported through the Criminal Justice process, particularly with regards to delays in their case. The Ministry of Justice provides funding for victim and witness support services, in addition to core funding for Police and Crime Commissioners to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

This Government is committed to ensuring victims have the information they need. The Victims’ Code is statutory guidance that sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive from the criminal justice system. Under the Code, victims have the right to information when reporting the crime, during investigation and prosecution, during the trial, and at the outcome of the trial.

We will be consulting on a new Code in due course to make sure we get the foundations for victims right. We are also taking steps through the Victims and Courts Bill to provide all victims with a clear route to request information about their offender, where they receive a custodial sentence.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) number and (b) proportion of final death certificates remained unissued by the Teesside Coroner's Office for (i) 3 months (ii) 6 months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months and (v) 24 months after the deaths of individuals referred to the coroners office in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

At the conclusion of an inquest or if it is suspended pending the conclusion of proceedings associated with the death the coroner certifies the cause of death for the purposes of registration. The registration of the death itself is carried out by the Registrar.

The Ministry of Justice publishes annual Coroners Statistics which can be found at Coroners statistics 2024 - GOV.UK

The information requested on the number and proportion of unissued final death certificates for the Teesside and Hartlepool coroner area and nationally is not collected but comparable data is available in, or can be extrapolated from, these statistical publications.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are outstanding for more than (a) 12 months, (b) 18 months and (c) two years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.

The majority of applications are decided within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In most cases, CICA needs to get information from third parties such as the police and medical authorities.

Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide. This could be where information is not available due to ongoing court proceedings, where CICA needs time to assess the long-term impact of complex injuries (e.g. brain injuries), or where there is an application for loss of earnings (which requires at least 28 weeks of loss).

In the financial year 2024-25, the average time to make a decision was 370 days*.

The following table** shows the number of applications awaiting a first decision for more than 12, 18 and 24 months as at 31 March 2025.

* This figure is based on cases that were decided in 2024-25. The applications may have been received in earlier years.

**The table does not include applications deferred under paragraph 98 of the 2012 Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) number and (b) proportion of final death certificates remained unissued by Coroner's Offices in England and Wales after (i) 3 months (ii) 6 months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months and (v) 24 months after the deaths of individuals referred to the coroners office in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

At the conclusion of an inquest or if it is suspended pending the conclusion of proceedings associated with the death the coroner certifies the cause of death for the purposes of registration. The registration of the death itself is carried out by the Registrar.

The Ministry of Justice publishes annual Coroners Statistics which can be found at Coroners statistics 2024 - GOV.UK

The information requested on the number and proportion of unissued final death certificates for the Teesside and Hartlepool coroner area and nationally is not collected but comparable data is available in, or can be extrapolated from, these statistical publications.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken was for (a) Teesside Coroner's Officer and (b) Coroner's Offices in England and Wales to issue a final death certificate from the date of when deaths are referred to them in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

At the conclusion of an inquest or if it is suspended pending the conclusion of proceedings associated with the death the coroner certifies the cause of death for the purposes of registration. The registration of the death itself is carried out by the Registrar.

The Ministry of Justice publishes annual Coroners Statistics which can be found at Coroners statistics 2024 - GOV.UK

The information requested on the number and proportion of unissued final death certificates for the Teesside and Hartlepool coroner area and nationally is not collected but comparable data is available in, or can be extrapolated from, these statistical publications.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Department is taking to support victims of rape and sexual violence through the court system in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that victims of rape and sexual violence are supported throughout their engagement with the criminal justice system, regardless of where they live. Across the country, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least two dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes, and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victims’ Programme. The Ministry of Justice funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses.

This year, we have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice Violence Against Women and Girls victims spending, maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support services in every Police and Crime Commissioner area. This also includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which provides funding to over 60 specialist support organisations, including in the North East.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage an increased uptake of coronial post-mortems by pathologists.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice recognises that the system for commissioning pathologists to undertake post-mortems for coroners needs to function effectively to help coroners determine causes of death and meet the needs of bereaved families. Ministry of Justice officials are working closely with other government departments and wider stakeholders in the pathology sector, to understand the issues for the coronial pathology workforce and those of the wider system.

The Ministry of Justice has recently undertaken a data-gathering exercise intended to better-understand the profile of this workforce. We will continue to work across Whitehall and with external stakeholders to ensure that there is a secure number of pathologists ready to undertake this vital work for coroners and ensure the needs of bereaved families are met.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to (a) process and (b) determine claims for compensation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.

The majority of applications are decided within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In most cases, CICA needs to get information from third parties such as the police and medical authorities.

Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide. This could be where information is not available due to ongoing court proceedings, where CICA needs time to assess the long-term impact of complex injuries (e.g. brain injuries), or where there is an application for loss of earnings (which requires at least 28 weeks of loss).

In the financial year 2024-25, the average time to make a decision was 370 days*.

The following table** shows the number of applications awaiting a first decision for more than 12, 18 and 24 months as at 31 March 2025.

* This figure is based on cases that were decided in 2024-25. The applications may have been received in earlier years.

**The table does not include applications deferred under paragraph 98 of the 2012 Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding for victims’ support services.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice provides funding for victim and witness support services, including community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services, in addition to core funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

For the 2025/2026 financial year, funding for services supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence has been protected at 2024/2025 levels. While there has been a modest reduction to the core funding provided to PCCs, the Department has consolidated previous ringfenced grants into a single funding stream, enabling greater flexibility for local areas to address specific needs. In 2023/2024 over 1.5 million victims were supported through the services commissioned by PCCs.

The Department continues to work closely with local partners to ensure funding is targeted effectively and is focused on delivering its commitments to repairing and strengthening the justice system, so that victims can receive swift access to justice. 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.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Levitt on 2 October (HL10681), whether they will publish the notes of the meetings with the promoters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and the actions taken as a result of those meetings in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government does not intend to place the notes of meetings with the Sponsors of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill into the Library of the House.

As my honourable friend the Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services discussed with the House of Lords Select Committee considering the Bill on 29 October, the Government has worked with the Sponsors to ensure the Bill is workable, in order to fulfil the Government’s duty of care to the statute book, whilst remaining neutral on the matter of assisted dying.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of promoting openness and transparency in Government. However, it is also in the public interest that the Government can engage confidentially with the Sponsors, so that the advice provided in relation to the operability and soundness of the Bill can be free and frank – both in relation to this Bill and any future private member’s Bill where the Government engages closely with the Sponsor.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mediation services on resolving disputes for residents in Dudley; and what steps he is taking to ensure equality of access to those services.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government encourages the use of dispute resolution such as mediation, to allow parties to resolve their disputes earlier and more consensually, which saves them time, money and stress, and reduces the waiting time for a judicial hearing for cases that do not settle.

Since 2024, all parties to money claims under £10,000 in the county courts in England and Wales are required to attend a free, one-hour mediation appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service as an integrated step in the litigation journey. Parties can request any necessary adjustments, including translation or interpretation services, to ensure full participation in mediation appointments, and HMCTS assesses these needs individually to maintain accessibility.

The Government is also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales including those living in Dudley. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs and has already supported over 49,000 families. The Government has committed to continue funding the scheme until at least March 2026. Analysis of the first 7,200 cases completed under the scheme shows that 69% of participants reached a whole or partial agreement and did not need to go to court to resolve their issues.

In addition, civil legal aid is available, subject to a means assessment, for the mediation of family disputes (for example over contact or financial arrangements) that the mediator has assessed as suitable for mediation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice uses social media influencers to help deliver its communications and operational priorities. This includes activity to support recruitment campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and magistrates, ensuring that frontline services are effectively staffed to maintain public safety and deliver swift access to justice.

Some sensitivities exist around aspects of this expenditure, as disclosure could prejudice commercial interests. All influencer activity is subject to strict Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure we balance effectiveness with value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions in chapter 2 of part 2 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will (a) apply to councillors and (b) be in addition to section 28 of the Localism Act 2011.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Code of Ethics requirement will apply to those working for public authorities, and therefore will not apply to elected officials, including councillors. Elected officials have a different relationship with institutions and are accountable to the public, not employers.

There are different arrangements for governing behaviour of elected officials. The Government recently consulted on a range of proposals to strengthen the current local government standards regime.

The response to the consultation will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) committed to prison and (b) given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In 2024, there were 0 people committed to prison, and 19 given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax.

Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. However, under the committal to prison process, a court order can provide for someone to be committed to prison for not paying a debt.

Committal to prison can only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must have issued a “liability order” and the local authority must have (at least) tried and failed to take control of the debtor’s goods and sell them to recover the debt. Councils have additional powers of enforcement under a liability order, including deduction from earnings, deduction from benefit, charging orders on the property, and bankruptcy. If a council applies for committal to prison, the court must inquire into the debtor’s means, and the council must satisfy the court that there is no other effective method of collection and that failure to pay is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison. Where that is the case courts have the power to remit the debt.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of housing foreign national offenders in UK prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We do not disaggregate prison running costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on the category of prison. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on GOV.UK alongside the Prison performance data 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. Data on the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in custody is published in Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK (prison population table 1_Q_9).

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. Where appropriate, the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025, over 5,000 were FNOs. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 4,532 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on (a) prisoner rehabilitation outcomes and (b) reoffending rates in establishments where they have been deployed.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.

The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.

The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative retention rates of (a) prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme and (b) those recruited through standard routes; and what steps he is taking to ensure similar retention rates for future cohorts.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.

The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.

The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison officer recruitment capacity of the conclusion of the Unlocked Graduates contract in 2026.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice's workforce planning process ensures that we use all appropriate recruitment routes to ensure that we have in place the level of Prison Officers we need to support delivery.

The information regarding retention rates is scheduled for future publication, with the release date to be confirmed.

The effect of prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates programme on rehabilitation outcomes and reoffending rates is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review regulations on time limits for executors of wills to apply for probate.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

There are no plans to review the law on time limits for executors to apply for probate. The existing legal framework offers flexibility, accepting the probate process is a complex one undertaken at an emotional time for many personal representatives.

There is currently no maximum time limit within which a personal representative must obtain a grant of probate, but there are penalties laid down for administering an estate without a grant of representation, and there are time limits for paying tax for which an estate is liable prior to applying for a grant.

There are also mechanisms for beneficiaries and other interested parties to hold personal representatives to account for failure to act in applying for probate, and if necessary to seek their removal.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to respond to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner's report, Everyday business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism, published on 14 October.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the impact family court proceedings can have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse, which is why we are prioritising the protection of abuse survivors going through the family court. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes safeguarding and supports victims of domestic abuse through early multi-agency collaboration and expert domestic abuse support.

The family court also has a range of powers to protect victims. These include prohibiting the cross-examination of domestic abuse survivors by their abusers and automatically deeming survivors eligible for special measures, such as giving evidence via video link or from behind a screen. Additionally, Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) can attend court to provide support throughout proceedings.

The Government welcomes the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report. We are carefully considering the recommendations and will publish a full response in due course.

On 22 October we announced that, as part of the wider package of family court reforms, we will repeal the presumption of parental involvement. Alongside this announcement, we have published the Review of the Presumption of Parental Involvement and the accompanying reports from the three commissioned research projects.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider undertaking a review in relation to concerns of senior lawyers that family courts are "not safe" for victims of domestic violence.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the impact family court proceedings can have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse, which is why we are prioritising the protection of abuse survivors going through the family court. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes safeguarding and supports victims of domestic abuse through early multi-agency collaboration and expert domestic abuse support.

The family court also has a range of powers to protect victims. These include prohibiting the cross-examination of domestic abuse survivors by their abusers and automatically deeming survivors eligible for special measures, such as giving evidence via video link or from behind a screen. Additionally, Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) can attend court to provide support throughout proceedings.

The Government welcomes the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report. We are carefully considering the recommendations and will publish a full response in due course.

On 22 October we announced that, as part of the wider package of family court reforms, we will repeal the presumption of parental involvement. Alongside this announcement, we have published the Review of the Presumption of Parental Involvement and the accompanying reports from the three commissioned research projects.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, what progress his Department has made on implementing recommendation 1.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government accepted recommendation 1 of the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. We are committed to changing the law and we are aware of the need for urgency. This is a complex area of law and we are carefully considering how we change it to best meet the commitment. We will update Parliament soon about our proposed approach, including when we intend to legislate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the operation to (a) locate and (b) re-apprehend Hadush Kebatu following his release from custody.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.

Locating and re-apprehending a suspect relate to policing and are a matter for the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of adherence to the Welsh Language Act 1993 in prisons in Wales.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The new HMPPS Welsh Language Scheme (24-27), approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner, and published this month, sets out how the English and Welsh languages will be treated equally when delivering services to the public in line with requirements under the Welsh Language Act 1993. The Scheme commits to publishing an Annual Monitoring Report on progress, the first of which will be published in October 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that foreign-born prison officers undergo appropriate (a) vetting and (b) background checks before appointment.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Eligibility for employment in the Civil Service, including with regard to nationality, is set out in the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs). All applicants applying to work in the Ministry of Justice or its agencies must meet the CSNRs and must have a valid right to work in the United Kingdom and have successfully completed pre-employment checks.

All candidates, regardless of nationality, are subject to a series of background checks, which assess them against a range of legislative requirements and security-related factors that are pertinent to anyone working within H M Prison Service. These include confirmation of identity, right to work in the UK, a criminal records check, declaration of any offender connections, employment reference enquiries and a financial vulnerability assessment.

All directly employed prison staff, including prison officers, must have a minimum security clearance of Enhanced Level 2. A range of additional digital vetting and social media checks are also conducted in relation to prison officer recruits.

For all prison officers working in prisons in the Long-Term and High Security Estate, an additional National Security Vetting Check at Counter Terrorist Check level is required, as a minimum.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been subject to (a) disciplinary action and (b) dismissal for misconduct in the last year by the nationality of those officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers employed by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service are of (a) UK and (b) non-UK nationality by country of nationality.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) were outstanding on 30 September (a) 2025, (b) 2024 and (c) 2023.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The number of open cases in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is published in table FIA4 of the Tribunals Statistics quarterly tables and more recently monthly data in table 3 of the HMCTS management information.

Figures covering up to September 2025 are scheduled for publication on 11 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been (a) investigated, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed for engaging in inappropriate or sexual relationships with prisoners in the last 12 months.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Data relating to investigations and conduct and discipline cases within HM Prison & Probation Service cannot be provided for the last 12 months because it forms a subset of the data planned for future release as part of the next annual HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report. The data for the period ending 31 March 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason is the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) at Taylor House Tribunal Hearing Centre on Rosebery Avenue, London, is restricted from using more than 20 of its 27 courts on average during the year; and what would be the additional cost of allowing all of its 27 courts to be used.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FtTIAC) is currently sitting to maximum levels possible based on available judicial capacity.

The FtTIAC has 27 hearing rooms available to list into at the Taylor House Tribunal Hearing Centre. Utilisation of this space is dependent on a number of factors including the volume of ‘in person’ versus ‘remote’ hearings scheduled, budgetary allocations, the requirement for judges to sit at satellite venues and available staffing and judicial resource.

Work is ongoing to increase capacity through recruitment of Judges and support staff. Judicial recruitment exercises which commenced in 2024 for the First-tier Tribunal, including the IAC, are ongoing with appointments due later this year and we are working to grow capacity further across future years. As additional Judges begin to sit we expect to see higher levels of listing across the FtTIAC estate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make his policy that witnesses giving evidence at hearings of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) should do so under oath.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As an issue of tribunal procedure, giving evidence under oath would be a matter for judicial consideration. Rule 14(3) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) already provides that the tribunal may require evidence to be given under oath.

Additionally, a witness statement, the equivalent of the oral evidence which the witness would, if called, give in evidence must always include a statement by the intended witness in their own language that they believe the facts in it are true.

Found: and Legal Services to the Chair, Justice and Home Affairs Committee regarding amendments to Ministry of Justice

Found: Monitoring (EM): policy letter dated 5 November 2025 from the Chair to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: I emphasise that my criticisms here are not of the civil servants at the DHSC / MOJ, who are in an entirely

Found: TIA0035 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Ministry of Justice Written Evidence

Found: Q145 Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: If I can just go back for a moment, we were told by the Ministry of Justice

Found: maintenance agreement,  Signposting to mediation services through organisations such as Citizens Advice and MOJ

Found: phone, post, and assisted digital  Recognition of informal shared care  Liaison with the Ministry of Justice

Found: information about CMS Collect and Pay arrangements and the support available for domestic 20 Ministry of Justice

Found: The consultation will be jointly run by Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Justice

Found: I think that some of that data exists, but it is not used and published in the same way as MOJ does.

Found: Sarah Sackman KC MP , Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, agreed that “we need to find a way of

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 67377, which (a) Departments and (b) civil servants are represented at the (i) the Cross-Whitehall Working Group and (ii) the Cross-Whitehall Deputy Director Shadow Board.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The quarterly Cross-Whitehall Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is jointly chaired by the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), with the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive also represented. The Cross-Whitehall Deputy Director Shadow Board includes senior officials from the same UK Government departments and devolved administrations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on (a) enforcement and (b) prosecution rates by police force following reports from members of the public of road traffic offences captured on (i) dashcams and (ii) other video evidence.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the requested information.

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on police enforcement of road traffic offences as a part of the annual ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release. These statistics include information on the number of offences by outcome, including Fixed Penalty Notice, driver retraining and referral to court action.

The latest publication, covering 2023, can be found on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023

As part of these statistics, the Home Office publishes breakdowns on the number of camera-detected offences. However, these figures relate to offences captured by official traffic enforcement cameras and do not include footage submitted by members of the public via dashcams or other private video recording devices.

Information on the prosecution outcome of offences referred to court action by the police is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to review the use of (a) confidentiality clauses and (b) NDAs in consumer redress agreements involving alleged (i) harm or (ii) injury to animals.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

DBT does not currently have any plans to review consumer redress agreements involving alleged harm or injury to animals.

The MoJ recently introduced an amendment to the Victims and Courts Bill which ensures that confidentiality clauses or NDAs used in any context cannot be legally enforced to the extent that they purport to prevent victims and direct witnesses of crime (including those who reasonably believe they fall into these categories), from making allegations of, or disclosing information relating to, relevant criminal conduct. This could include any animal cruelty which constitutes criminal behaviour.

Earlier this year, DBT also announced reform in the Employment Rights Bill to address the misuse of NDAs in cases of relevant harassment and discrimination. The government will be consulting on this reform in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the early release of prisoners on Job Centre operations.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

To date, Jobcentres have been supporting customers through the early release schemes. We will continue to monitor, liaising closely with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice.

The Department deploys specialist resources to support individuals both in custody and upon release into employment. This includes around 200 Prison Work Coaches based in prisons, as well as additional specialist Work Coaches located in Jobcentres.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve decision-making by her Department in the context of the number of successful appeals under the Human Rights Act 1998 upheld by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.

Data on initial decisions and outcomes on asylum claims, is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum claim and initial decisions detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025.

Data for as at 30 September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.

Data on asylum appeals is published in table Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2023.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

Appeals data from April 2023 onwards is currently unavailable for publication due to ongoing work as immigration data transitions to a new caseworking system. Work is ongoing to make this information available, and it will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

Please note that figures for immigration and asylum appeals at First-Tier Tribunal and subsequent stages are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of their Tribunal Statistics release. The latest data relates to January to March 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many decisions of the Home Office with a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) have been made in each of the last 12 months; and how many of these have been or are now the subject of such an appeal.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.

Data on initial decisions and outcomes on asylum claims, is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum claim and initial decisions detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025.

Data for as at 30 September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.

Data on asylum appeals is published in table Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2023.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

Appeals data from April 2023 onwards is currently unavailable for publication due to ongoing work as immigration data transitions to a new caseworking system. Work is ongoing to make this information available, and it will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

Please note that figures for immigration and asylum appeals at First-Tier Tribunal and subsequent stages are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of their Tribunal Statistics release. The latest data relates to January to March 2025.

Found: The Ministry of Justice is implementing sentencing reforms to reduce pressure on prison system capacity

Found: Synergy Programme (working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Home Office (HO) and Ministry of Justice

Found: (MoJ) has established the Girls in Youth Justice Advisory Board (GYJAB) The Panel’s Terms of

Found: The Ministry of Justice has consulted on how to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to ensure

Found: E5010 E09000001 City of London LB LB yes Contribution to Central Criminal Court Plant project Ministry of Justice

Found: In 2019, the Ministry of Justice established a settlement scheme for victims and survivors of physical

Found: The Board is bringing together the most senior officials within the Ministry of Justice and first met

Found: Prison leavers Context In 2024, 57,277 people left prison in England and Wales.48 48 Ministry of Justice

Found: “We strongly support the appointment of a strategic lead at the Ministry of Justice to focus on improving

Found: Peterborough NHS Trust, North West London and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, Flora and Fauna, Ministry of Justice

Found: effectiveness of the work of probation, and youth offending services across England and Wales to Ministry of Justice

Found: effectiveness of the work of probation, and youth offending services across England and Wales to Ministry of Justice

Found: This action plan is the HMPPS and MoJ response to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons inspection of Pentonville

Found: effectiveness of the work of probation, and youth offending services across England and Wales to Ministry of Justice

Found: Accompanying files • None Contact Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice

Found: Development Office; Department for Transport; Department for Energy Security & Net Zero; and the Ministry of Justice

Found: Ministry of Justice evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body 2026 to 2027

Found: Ministry of Justice evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body 2026 to 2027

Found: Ministry of Justice evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body 2026 to 2027

Found: Ministry of Justice evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body 2026 to 2027

Found: Ministry of Justice evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body 2026 to 2027

Found: (MoJ) has established the Girls in Youth Justice Advisory Board (GYJAB) The Panel’s Terms of

Found: European Convention on Human Rights: Fourth supplementary memorandum by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: European Convention on Human Rights: Fourth supplementary memorandum by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: European Convention on Human Rights: Fourth supplementary memorandum by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: European Convention on Human Rights: Fourth supplementary memorandum by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: European Convention on Human Rights: Fourth supplementary memorandum by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice

Found: support from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Ministry of Justice

Found: be responsible for its implementation - the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice

Found: be responsible for its implementation - the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice

Found: Officials have had early, consistent and positive engagement with officials in the Ministry of Justice

Found: We have completed and shared with the Ministry of Justice a Justice System Impact Identification Form