Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) named day questions and (b) ordinary written questions were responded to by his Department within the required timescale in (i) May 2025, (ii) June 2025, (iii) July 2025, (iv) August 2025, (v) September 2025, (vi) October 2025 and (vii) November 2025.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government recognises the importance of the effective and timely handling of written parliamentary questions (PQs).

The following table provides the information requested:

Please note that these figures have been pulled from the Ministry of Justice’s internal data and may not be a fully accurate representation of the Department’s timeliness. No Commons PQs were due for answer in August, so no data has been given.

The House of Commons Procedure Committee monitors departmental PQ performance and publishes a report of the Government’s consolidated PQ data following the end of each session.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of arts and culture programmes on reducing and preventing youth crime.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice recognises the important role that arts and culture can play in engaging children and supporting positive outcomes.

Evidence from the 2025 publication by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ‘The effects of arts and culture programmes on youth crime: A rapid review’ shows that, whilst the current evidence base is limited, arts and culture programmes can help improve young people’s wellbeing, confidence, relationships and engagement with services. These are all factors associated with a reduced risk of future offending.

This year, the Government is providing more than £100 million of investment in Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) across England and Wales, including through the early intervention Turnaround programme. This gives YOTs the flexibility to use and commission arts and culture interventions where they judge this may be most effective in helping a child’s rehabilitation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many additional cases are expected to be heard each year under the new swift courts compared with existing Crown Court processes.

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

Of the 3% of criminal trial cases that proceed to a jury trial in the Crown Court, over half would still proceed to the Crown Court and get a jury trial post-reform. The remainder would be expected to stay in the magistrates’ courts or would be allocated to the new ‘swift courts’.

The new ‘swift courts’ will operate within the existing Crown Court, and this means they will be dealing with the same cases that come into the Crown Court. As mode of trial allocations and trial listing remain a matter for the independent judiciary and are dependent on case mix, the Ministry of Justice is unable to comment on how cases arriving at the Crown Court will be distributed between ‘swift courts’ and jury trials.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making case conferences before trial mandatory for victims and survivors of sexual abuse.

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

Victims and witnesses in sexual offence cases can request in advance of trial to observe proceedings remotely once they have given evidence. Courts will make every effort to accommodate these requests, which may include re-listing the trial in a courtroom with suitable technology. However, remote observation cannot be guaranteed in every case, as it depends on the availability of appropriate facilities and resources.

The listing of Ground Rules Hearings (GRHs) is a matter for the judiciary. GRHs are typically held in cases involving vulnerable witnesses, such as children or individuals with communication difficulties, to ensure they are questioned in a fair and appropriate way during trial. However, judges also have discretion to direct a GRH for intimidated witnesses, including complainants in sexual offence cases, where they consider it appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a whole-system criminal justice strategy for rape and sexual abuse.

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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to a high standard, whole system approach to cases of rape and sexual abuse. This is supported by the expertise of our Independent Advisor on the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence.

We will soon be publishing our cross-government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy. This will set out strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, including across the criminal justice system. This strategy will work in tandem with the recently published Crown Prosecution Service VAWG strategy, which sets out how they will work with partners to ensure a consistent, best practice response to VAWG.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing juries from trials on an individual’s right to a free and fair trial.

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

The removal of the defendants’ right to elect is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. Whilst jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following these reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conducted fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.

The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. One of the first priorities of this Government has been to tackle this crisis, which is why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his independent review. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff within the HM Prison & Probation Service reliant on visas for employment have been employed since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested information requested data in an easily accessible format. Right to Work data is collected during the vetting stage but is not retained within the employment record. As a result, extracting this information would require a manual review of individual vetting files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when statutory guidance will be produced on the duty to collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024; and what plans the Government has to ensure its implementation following the decision to abolish PCCs and the upcoming changes to integrated care boards.

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

We will work closely with the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social care as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Integrated Care Board reforms unfold and this will inform our consideration of implementation of the Duty to Collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. The Ministry of Justice has recently announced that it will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.

We are taking this opportunity to review and strengthen the commissioning and delivery of victims’ services. In light of the announcement to abolish the PCC function in May 2028, we will also explore changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is planning to take to ensure that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained if the use of jury trials is reduced.

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

The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. The significant delays in our courts are corrosive of public confidence in our justice system. In many cases, witnesses and victims are pulling out of the court process, resulting in the collapse of trials and justice not being served. That is why this Government is determined to tackle the crisis and why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation. The central purpose of these reforms is precisely to restore public confidence in the justice system.

Whilst jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. The removal of the defendants’ right to elect is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conducted fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to remove jury trials for offences other than the most serious crimes on defendants’ rights.

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

Whilst the jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. The removal of the defendants’ right to elect or right to insist on a jury trial irrespective of the seriousness of the offence is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conduct fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.

The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. One of the first priorities of this Government has been to tackle this crisis, which is why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his independent review. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to enable victims and survivors of sexual abuse to observe their trial without sitting in the public gallery.

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

Victims and witnesses in sexual offence cases can request in advance of trial to observe proceedings remotely once they have given evidence. Courts will make every effort to accommodate these requests, which may include re-listing the trial in a courtroom with suitable technology. However, remote observation cannot be guaranteed in every case, as it depends on the availability of appropriate facilities and resources.

The listing of Ground Rules Hearings (GRHs) is a matter for the judiciary. GRHs are typically held in cases involving vulnerable witnesses, such as children or individuals with communication difficulties, to ensure they are questioned in a fair and appropriate way during trial. However, judges also have discretion to direct a GRH for intimidated witnesses, including complainants in sexual offence cases, where they consider it appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will extend Operation Soteria into the Crown Court.

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

Operation Soteria transformed how the police and the Crown Prosecution Service work together to investigate rape cases, promoting partnership working and ensuring a focus on the suspect’s behaviour and evidence, not the victim’s lifestyle, their choices or their character. This focus should continue in the court room. That is why we have announced new legislation to stop evidence which has the sole aim of undermining the victim – such as about their past sexual behaviour, previous allegations of assault, or compensation claim – being admitted to the courtroom unless it is absolutely necessary and clearly relevant.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error since 5 July 2024 by prison.

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. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue.

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

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of mistakes, errors and potential miscarriages of justice through the use of the single justice procedure.

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

The Single Justice Procedure (SJP) was designed to deal with straightforward, uncontested, non-imprisonable offences in a proportionate and efficient way. Cases are decided by a single magistrate with the support of a legal adviser, in private rather than in open court.

Whilst safeguards are in place, this Government acknowledges that errors have occurred within the SJP. In 2024, it became apparent that certain train operators had been incorrectly using the procedure to prosecute for offences under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889, which are ineligible for prosecution through the SJP. Such instances highlight the importance of robust safeguards to protect fairness.

That is why we launched a consultation on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors, which included a dedicated chapter on the SJP. The consultation explored measures to strengthen prosecutor accountability and ensure consistent standards in addition to how defendant submissions are handled in the SJP. The consultation closed on 8 May, and our proposals will be outlined in the Government’s response which we will publish in due course.

We are continuing to monitor risks and remain committed to enhancing safeguards in the SJP to maintain public confidence and fairness in the justice system. This includes ongoing engagement with stakeholders, reviewing operational practices and exploring further improvements to transparency.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 November (HL11797), what steps they take to ensure that those living in the vicinity of a prison are notified in the event that a foreign national offender is released without being deported immediately.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There is no mechanism to notify the public living in the vicinity of a prison if a Foreign National Offender (FNO) is released.

When a FNO is released into the community, they are subject to supervision and monitoring by the probation service in the same way British citizens released from prison would be. The Home Office will pursue removal of FNOs whether in prison or the community where a deportation order has been made.

The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme provides a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of a specified violent, sexual or terrorism offence and are sentenced to twelve months or more imprisonment. Victims who decide to receive the service are allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will keep the victim updated on key stages throughout the sentence, including when the offender (whether FNO or not) is released.

In the year-ending October 2025, over 5,400 FNOs have been returned which is 12% higher than the 12 months prior.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made, as part of his Department’s responsibilities for access to justice and the protection of victims of domestic abuse, of the risk that delays caused by a non-engaging spouse in divorce and financial remedy proceedings may facilitate ongoing coercive or controlling behaviour.

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

It is a top priority for this Government to tackle violence against women and girls, including economic abuse and coercive control. The Law Commission’s 2024 scoping report on financial remedies on divorce considered the issue of domestic abuse in financial remedy cases. The Government is carefully considering this report as it prepares to consult on issues identified by the Law Commission. We will issue our consultation by Spring next year.

It is a matter of concern that perpetrators of domestic abuse may fail to engage with divorce proceedings. The courts have powers to deal with parties who fail to engage, including to make orders confirming a perpetrator has received a divorce application when they have refused to acknowledge it. In September this year, the process of asking the court to make orders about sending applications became easier, when His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service extended the online application system for litigants-in-person.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria the Crown Prosecution Service uses to determine whether to (a) release an absconder on bail and (b) bail them.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The decision to remand an individual in custody or to grant bail is solely a matter for the independent judiciary acting in accordance with the criteria set out in the Bail Act 1976.

Questions about the Crown Prosecution Service are for the Attorney General.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects the investigation into releases in error led by Dame Lynne Owens to be (a) completed and (b) published.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Dame Lynne Owens will have completed her independent investigation and be reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister on all her findings by the end of February. We will continue to approach the issue of releases in error with an emphasis on transparency.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the investigation into releases in error led by Dame Lynne Owens has reported any interim findings.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Dame Lynne Owens will have completed her independent investigation and be reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister on all her findings by the end of February. We will continue to approach the issue of releases in error with an emphasis on transparency.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were held in custody beyond their lawful release dates in each of the past ten years; and what the total amount of compensation paid was in each year.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were held in custody beyond their lawful release dates in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the total compensation paid was.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sum of compensation paid per day is to prisoners who have been held in custody beyond their lawful release dates.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of prisoners who are held in custody beyond their lawful release dates.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to early release schemes on the accuracy of release date calculations.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address issues including release in error and unlawful detention.

This includes the establishment of an Urgent Warrant Query Unit supported by court experts so prisons can escalate queries to reduce the risk of release in error. We have also stood up a digital rapid response unit to reduce human error with cutting-edge technology. We will provide up to £10 million over the next 6 months to deliver AI and technology-based solutions to support frontline staff, helping to avoid mistakes and calculate sentence accurately.

We are also simplifying release policy; one of the aims of the Sentencing Bill is to standardise how cases are treated.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) accuracy and (b) oversight of prison release date calculations.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address issues including release in error and unlawful detention.

This includes the establishment of an Urgent Warrant Query Unit supported by court experts so prisons can escalate queries to reduce the risk of release in error. We have also stood up a digital rapid response unit to reduce human error with cutting-edge technology. We will provide up to £10 million over the next 6 months to deliver AI and technology-based solutions to support frontline staff, helping to avoid mistakes and calculate sentence accurately.

We are also simplifying release policy; one of the aims of the Sentencing Bill is to standardise how cases are treated.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent trends in the availability and use of illegal drugs within the prison estate.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that the availability and use of drugs in prisons is too high. Tackling this is a priority in order to reduce reoffending, and improve the safety of our prisons. To drive down supply of drugs, we are investing over £40 million in physical security measures this financial year. This builds on the range of specialist equipment prisons already use to intercept contraband, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, and baggage scanners.

We must also address the demand for drugs which drives this illicit market. We work closely with health partners to identify prisoners with a drug problem and support them into treatment. To create the environment and incentives for prisoners to make the right choices, we have funded Incentivised Substance Free Living Units in 85 prisons. Prisoners on these units sign a behaviour compact, agree to be regularly drug tested and can access enhanced opportunities compared to a standard wing. Alongside this, we are working to increase access to mutual aid fellowships in prison, which can provide vital ongoing support for people in recovery.

The information requested regarding the proportion of prisoners testing positive on arrival and during their time in custody can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs on arrival and during their time in custody in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that the availability and use of drugs in prisons is too high. Tackling this is a priority in order to reduce reoffending, and improve the safety of our prisons. To drive down supply of drugs, we are investing over £40 million in physical security measures this financial year. This builds on the range of specialist equipment prisons already use to intercept contraband, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, and baggage scanners.

We must also address the demand for drugs which drives this illicit market. We work closely with health partners to identify prisoners with a drug problem and support them into treatment. To create the environment and incentives for prisoners to make the right choices, we have funded Incentivised Substance Free Living Units in 85 prisons. Prisoners on these units sign a behaviour compact, agree to be regularly drug tested and can access enhanced opportunities compared to a standard wing. Alongside this, we are working to increase access to mutual aid fellowships in prison, which can provide vital ongoing support for people in recovery.

The information requested regarding the proportion of prisoners testing positive on arrival and during their time in custody can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the prisoners mistakenly released since April 2025 were convicted of violent, sexual or other serious offences; and what assessment he has made of the danger to the public posed by those still at large.

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. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. 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.

Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.

A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.

Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of staff shortages in offender management units on errors in calculating prisoners release dates.

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. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. 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.

Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.

A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.

Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the scale of erroneous prisoner releases on public confidence and public safety.

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. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. 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.

Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.

A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.

Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of prisoners kept in custody beyond their lawful release dates over the past ten years.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons regarding release date errors at HMP Pentonville.

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.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected and on 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address the issue.

Work is already underway to address the areas identified for improvement by the Inspectorate. This includes establishing a specialist headquarters team to provide guidance to prisons to mitigate the risk of early or late releases, which is actively supporting HMP Pentonville as part of the Urgent Notification response.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to prevent mistaken releases of prisoners; and whether he plans to (a) allocate additional resource for and (b) implement systemic reforms to prisoner-release protocols.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Releases in error are never acceptable, and we are bearing down on those errors that do occur.

Following the release in error of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford, the Deputy Prime Minister took immediate steps to make the processes that take place when a prisoner is released more robust. This includes implementing a clear checklist for governors to determine that every step has been followed the evening before any release takes place.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action. This included additional resource allocated to the Urgent Warrant Query Unit set up to allow prisons to quickly escalate warrant-related queries and a multi-million pound investment in new technology to reduce human error. This is in addition to standing up a digital rapid response unit with up to 15 members of staff dedicated to exploring options to upgrade our digital systems.

We have committed to the simplification of release policy to reduce the scope for errors through the implementation of the Sentencing Bill. We have also appointed Dame Lynne Owens to examine what is causing releases in error, identify systemic factors, assess whether current discharge protocols are robust, and make recommendations to prevent similar mistakes in future.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has (a) renewed and (b) upgraded digital services and software licensing contracts with Microsoft in the last 12 months.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice has not renewed or upgraded digital services and software licensing contracts with Microsoft in the preceding 12 months from 16 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners who were held beyond their lawful release dates but did not submit claims for compensation.

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.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes an independent inquiry which will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not centrally collected. It is not quality assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bellamy on 16 April 2024 (HL Deb col 972), whether they intend to issue a public consultation on revisions to the Victims Code including to specify the need for interpreters and translators to be qualified professionals.

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

We will consult on a new Victims’ Code in due course in order to ensure that we get the information and support for victims right.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the impact assessment for the removal of the right of defendants to elect for a jury trial.

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

An impact assessment will accompany our legislative measures, as is usual practice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made in assisting law enforcement agencies responding to the Legal Aid Agency data breach on 23 April 2025.

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

Since the serious criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s digital portal was identified, we have worked closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the police. As sensitive investigations remain ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment on the nature or detail of this engagement.

We take the security of people’s personal data extremely seriously. An injunction has been put in place to prohibit sharing of this data. Anyone who does so could be sent to prison. We are continuing to work with the NCA to monitor the dark web. As far as we are aware, no data has been shared or put out in the public domain. If it is identified that a specific individual is at risk, action will be taken to try to contact them.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations has he received from (a) barristers, (b) solicitors, and (c) legal aid providers regarding the Legal Aid Agency data breach on 23 April 2025.

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

We acknowledge and appreciate the constructive way that providers have worked with us following the serious criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital systems. They have continued to do vital work in challenging circumstances.

The LAA and Ministers have proactively engaged with representative bodies throughout to address any concerns regarding the criminal attack on LAA systems. Our focus was first to maintain access to justice and then to ensure providers had access to the cash flow that they needed. The LAA sought views and feedback from provider representative bodies to help shape contingency measures and supporting guidance in a way which supports legal aid providers most effectively. Regular updates have been provided to legal aid providers via email and published on the LAA’s dedicated cyber incident webpage and FAQ page.

The Department has worked around the clock to ensure that digital services were restored as swiftly and safely as possible. The LAA Portal has been replaced by a new, secure single sign-in tool for LAA online services (SiLAS). We worked closely with providers to test functionality before bringing providers back onto our systems in a careful, phased approach. We are now in a position where all our civil systems accessible via SiLAS are operational alongside our crime systems, which were restored in September.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to restore Legal Aid Agency digital services since the data breach on 23 April 2025.

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

We acknowledge and appreciate the constructive way that providers have worked with us following the serious criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital systems. They have continued to do vital work in challenging circumstances.

The LAA and Ministers have proactively engaged with representative bodies throughout to address any concerns regarding the criminal attack on LAA systems. Our focus was first to maintain access to justice and then to ensure providers had access to the cash flow that they needed. The LAA sought views and feedback from provider representative bodies to help shape contingency measures and supporting guidance in a way which supports legal aid providers most effectively. Regular updates have been provided to legal aid providers via email and published on the LAA’s dedicated cyber incident webpage and FAQ page.

The Department has worked around the clock to ensure that digital services were restored as swiftly and safely as possible. The LAA Portal has been replaced by a new, secure single sign-in tool for LAA online services (SiLAS). We worked closely with providers to test functionality before bringing providers back onto our systems in a careful, phased approach. We are now in a position where all our civil systems accessible via SiLAS are operational alongside our crime systems, which were restored in September.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve access to legal aid in short notice cases.

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

We recognise that in certain circumstances individuals may need to access legal aid services urgently and the Government provides specific support to facilitate this.

In criminal legal aid, those who are to be interviewed under caution by the police are entitled to advice and assistance from a solicitor, which is arranged through the Defence Solicitor Call Centre on a 24/7 basis. Court duty solicitors are available to provide immediate advice to individuals on a first appearance in the magistrates’ court, except for certain minor offences such as summary motoring offences.

We have committed up to £92 million per year additional investment for criminal legal aid solicitors. As part of that, we are harmonising the fixed fee for all police station schemes at £320 excluding VAT. This is above the current highest fee paid, meaning all police station attendance fee schemes will see an uplift. In addition, we are uplifting magistrates’ court fees by 10%. This significant investment will support duty solicitors who work on short notice cases, and the sustainability of the profession.

In civil legal aid, providers can apply to the Legal Aid Agency for Emergency Legal Representation to cover emergency legal advice if individuals need urgent representation in court.

In public family proceedings, legal aid is available means-free for parents and those with parental responsibility in most public family law special Children Act 1989 cases, including for interim care orders and emergency protection orders. A light-touch merits test is applied, so that only the need for representation is considered.

An eligibility waiver is available for victims of domestic abuse applying for urgent protection. This means they can receive legal aid even if they would not otherwise pass the means test, though they may then have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs.

For people facing the loss of their home, in-court advice and representation is available on the day of the possession hearing via the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service.

Individuals held in Immigration Removal Centres and immigration detainees held in prisons are provided with a 30-minute triage appointment through the Detained Duy Advice Scheme. This initial appointment supports detained individuals to make contact with a legal provider that may provide further advice (subject to merits and eligibility).

We are uplifting legal aid fees for immigration and housing work, injecting an additional £20 million per year, which will support swift access to legal aid in these areas, including for short notice cases.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for fly-tipping were brought in Great Yarmouth in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of whether current penalties are a sufficient deterrent.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights communities and the environment and dealing with it imposes significant costs on both taxpayers and businesses. Anyone caught fly-tipping may be prosecuted and faces potentially serious punishment.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions relating to fly tipping in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

Relevant offences can be filtered by using the offence filter and selecting 91.1 Offences related to fly-tipping - Triable either way.

Data is not published separately for Great Yarmouth, however, there have been no prosecutions for this offence at Great Yarmouth magistrates court in year ending June 2025.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and custodial sentences.

The maximum penalty for fly-tipping is 5 years custody. 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, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

The Government keeps the sentencing framework under ongoing review to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults by prisoners on (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff were recorded at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Please see the attached table showing the number of incidents of assault on (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years, and accompanying notes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Written Question 11190, what steps his department plans to take to reduce the remand population over the next calendar year.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We continue to work closely with partners from across the criminal justice system to manage the growth in the prison remand population. The Sentencing Bill, currently being considered before parliament, introduces a package of amendments to the Bail Act 1976, which, alongside the presumption to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less, will help to address the unsustainable growth in the prison remand population.

This package of amendments includes changing the “no real prospect” test in the Bail Act 1976 so that fewer exceptions to bail will apply where the court considers that a sentence of immediate custody is unlikely. We are also adding to the factors that the courts must consider when deciding whether to refuse or grant bail to include consideration of whether the defendant is pregnant, a primary caregiver, or a victim of domestic abuse.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11190, what progress he has made on tackling remand numbers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We continue to work closely with partners from across the criminal justice system to manage the growth in the prison remand population. The Sentencing Bill, currently being considered before parliament, introduces a package of amendments to the Bail Act 1976, which, alongside the presumption to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less, will help to address the unsustainable growth in the prison remand population.

This package of amendments includes changing the “no real prospect” test in the Bail Act 1976 so that fewer exceptions to bail will apply where the court considers that a sentence of immediate custody is unlikely. We are also adding to the factors that the courts must consider when deciding whether to refuse or grant bail to include consideration of whether the defendant is pregnant, a primary caregiver, or a victim of domestic abuse.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women with acute mental health needs are held in appropriate settings in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

To ensure people with severe mental health needs access the right treatment in the right setting, the landmark Mental Health Bill, which is due to receive Royal Assent imminently, will introduce a new statutory time limit of 28 days for transfers from prison and other places of detention to hospital.

This time limit, together with operational improvements, aims to reduce unnecessary delays and deliver swifter access to treatment. The Bill will also stop courts temporarily detaining people with severe mental illness in prison as a ‘place of safety’ whilst awaiting a hospital bed for treatment or assessment under the Mental Health Act and will end the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act where the court’s sole concern is the defendant’s mental health. We recognise that delays in accessing hospital treatment can affect mental health stability and increase distress for individuals requiring acute care. Regional oversight arrangements and escalation processes are designed to minimise such delays and protect the safety and wellbeing of affected individuals. During any period of delay, prison mental health teams provide enhanced monitoring, therapeutic interventions and regular reassessment.

For individuals who do not meet the threshold for detention under the Mental Health Act, mental health care continues to be delivered within the prison environment in line with national clinical standards. This includes psychological therapies, medication management, risk assessment, crisis planning and ongoing reviews to ensure needs are met and that escalation is reconsidered where clinically indicated.

In addition to this, HMP Bronzefield, Downview and Send (in Surrey) have Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway services and Send has a Democratic Therapeutic Community. Women from across the estate can access these services if they meet the criteria for the pathway and offender managers can also refer women in.

The delivery of healthcare in prison is the responsibility of the NHS in England and Wales. Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System and Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have delegated responsibility for the commissioning and management of pathways.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in securing appropriate placements for women in custody in Surrey.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

To ensure people with severe mental health needs access the right treatment in the right setting, the landmark Mental Health Bill, which is due to receive Royal Assent imminently, will introduce a new statutory time limit of 28 days for transfers from prison and other places of detention to hospital.

This time limit, together with operational improvements, aims to reduce unnecessary delays and deliver swifter access to treatment. The Bill will also stop courts temporarily detaining people with severe mental illness in prison as a ‘place of safety’ whilst awaiting a hospital bed for treatment or assessment under the Mental Health Act and will end the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act where the court’s sole concern is the defendant’s mental health. We recognise that delays in accessing hospital treatment can affect mental health stability and increase distress for individuals requiring acute care. Regional oversight arrangements and escalation processes are designed to minimise such delays and protect the safety and wellbeing of affected individuals. During any period of delay, prison mental health teams provide enhanced monitoring, therapeutic interventions and regular reassessment.

For individuals who do not meet the threshold for detention under the Mental Health Act, mental health care continues to be delivered within the prison environment in line with national clinical standards. This includes psychological therapies, medication management, risk assessment, crisis planning and ongoing reviews to ensure needs are met and that escalation is reconsidered where clinically indicated.

In addition to this, HMP Bronzefield, Downview and Send (in Surrey) have Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway services and Send has a Democratic Therapeutic Community. Women from across the estate can access these services if they meet the criteria for the pathway and offender managers can also refer women in.

The delivery of healthcare in prison is the responsibility of the NHS in England and Wales. Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System and Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have delegated responsibility for the commissioning and management of pathways.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the levels of the use of drones in importing contraband into prisons; and what was number of drone incidents recorded in each year since 2015.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Drone incidents around prisons in England and Wales pose a major threat to prison security. We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones. This includes working across government and international partners on this global issue.

We publish the number of drone incidents in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest, please see table 6_1 in the Finds tables. The latest issue covers the 12-month period to March 2025, with a time series of drone incidents starting from the 12-months to March 2021. We published Official Statistics on drone incidents for the first time in July 2025, with data back to April 2020. Drone statistics back to 2015 cannot be provided, having not been equivalently recorded or assured.

Any increase in reported drone incidents should not be interpreted as an increase in incursions; it may reflect more focused reporting. Drone incidents should not be interpreted as definitive evidence of the delivery of contraband into prisons, as they include all incidents where a drone is sighted. Data specific to deliveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she has taken to reduce the commission of crime in English prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation service (HMPPS) has a layered approach to tackling criminality that emanates from within prisons. It deploys countermeasures such as X-ray body and baggage scanners, archway metal detectors and Enhanced Search Gates in place to stop smuggling of illicit items, such as mobile phones that are key enablers of crime in prisons.

Criminality in prisons is often orchestrated by Serious Organised Crime (SOC) nominals. HMPPS has a dedicated national SOC team that works collaboratively with law enforcement agencies and partners to identify and disrupt organised criminal activity in prison.

We bear down on crime in prison through adjudications, and prisoners who misbehave can face extra time in custody. The most serious crimes, including those where a mobile phone is being used to coordinate criminal activity, are referred to the police in line with the Crime in Prisons Referral Arrangement (CiPRA). We work closely with law enforcement partners through the Crime in Prisons Taskforce which was established to work closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure serious crimes are addressed through the criminal justice system, rather than solely through internal disciplinary measures.

In parallel, we are tackling the root causes of reoffending by addressing offenders’ underlying needs and supporting their rehabilitation journey. This includes providing a range of rehabilitative interventions, including education, employment and substance misuse support.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce reoffending rates among prolific offenders in Great Yarmouth town centre.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In November 2024, the Home Office introduced Respect Orders to give police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from town centres. As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts will be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders, such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a Respect Order.

For those who persistently break the law, we are building 14,000 new prison places to make sure they are removed from the streets. Whilst in prison they will be expected to take part in education or learn new skills to make them more useful contributors to society after release.

The Probation Service's first priority is to protect the public. Anyone released from prison is subject to strict licence conditions, including exclusion zones where appropriate. If found to have breached these conditions they can be returned to prison.

The Probation Service puts in place services aimed at reducing re-offending by supporting the needs of people on probation in Great Yarmouth. These include providing support in obtaining and maintaining suitable accommodation, help with drug and alcohol dependency issues, assistance with personal wellbeing needs and a holistic service addressing all needs for women.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration his department has given to making remand prisoners eligible for a) educational programmes and b) offender behaviour programmes.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that individuals held on custody, including those on remand, have access to appropriate rehabilitative and educational support while in prison.

Remand prisoners are eligible to access core education provision within prisons. This may include literacy, numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages, basic digital skills, as well as library services. On arrival, all prisoners undergo initial screening for learning needs and receive an individual Learning and Work Plan to support progression. Governors must ensure that education is available to all prisoners who can benefit, in line with Prison Rule 32, and prisoners on remand are given the choice to participate in these opportunities. While remand prisoners cannot access advanced learning funded through student loans or the Prisoner Education Trust, they are encouraged to participate in the core educational offer within their prison setting.

Accredited offending behaviour programmes are generally reserved for sentenced individuals, as remand periods and uncertain outcomes make it impractical to deliver these interventions before sentencing. We are focused on expanding appropriate rehabilitative provision for people on remand; probation pre-release teams support all people in prison, including on remand, with pre-release planning. The scope of the Commissioned Rehabilitative Services has been extended to include remand prisoners, offering practical support such as accommodation and for women, additional services addressing finance, family and social inclusion.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his department will provide the average number of visitation days, per prisoner, for a) all prisoners and b) disabled prisoners.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

However, a report about Social Contact in Prison published 11 December provides information about visit frequencies. The report notes that in the 12 months prior to June 2024, almost two thirds of prisoners (63%) had at least one face-to-face visit. 31% of prisoners received remote contact only and 5% of prisoners appeared to have had no contact.

The report can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-contact-in-prison-april-2019-to-june-2024.

We know that visits are crucial to sustaining relationships with close relatives, partners and friends, and help prisoners maintain links with the community. HMPPS aims to encourage and assist the maintenance of relationships between prisoners and their families to support their social rehabilitation. The Help With Prison Visits scheme (HWPV) supports visitors on low incomes by providing a contribution towards visits costs for close relatives, partners or sole visitors.

All visits areas must be accessible for all, including disabled prisoners and visitors.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his department will work with the Department for Education to legislate to allow prisoners to obtain a student loan more than 6 years from their earliest release date.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice is committed to enabling prisoners to access higher education while in custody and, alongside HMPPS, works with partners such as the Prisoners Education Trust and the Open University to widen access to higher education for prisoners.

The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education will continue to consider access to student finance for prisoners.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what action his department is taking to ensure prison estate maintenance providers are accountable for their performance.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The value and performance of the Department’s private-sector service providers is reviewed through routine contract and performance management and, in addition, ministers meet regularly with each provider’s Chief Executive Officers to hold them personally to account for their performance.

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 a) being a peer mentor, or b) having a peer mentor, on reoffending rates.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Reducing reoffending is a top priority for this Government. Our approach is led by evidence on what works to support offenders in turning away from crime, focusing on addressing the underlying needs linked to offending behaviour, including housing, employment and education, substance misuse treatment, family ties and improving personal skills and behaviours.

Peer mentoring already plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation within prison and probation services. It is used in various ways, including providing lived experience insights into probation requirements and direct one-to-one mentoring. Some peer-led services are also delivered by external organisations, further supporting rehabilitation efforts. Overall, there is national variation in delivery of peer-led services.

While there is external evidence that peer mentoring can be beneficial, there is currently no centrally collated data on how many people in custody have served as a peer mentor or had access to one over the last 10 years.

A recent study by HMPPS (Ministry of Justice, 2024, Education, Skills, and Work, Peer Mentoring in Men’s Prisons, Ministry of Justice Analytical Series) found that peer mentoring can positively influence inmates' engagement with educational programmes and enhance their skills, as well as improving staff/prisoner relationships.

Every prison has been encouraged to deliver peer mentoring as part of the prison regime. This will help embed peer support across the custodial estate, promoting rehabilitative engagement and enhancing prisoners’ access to mentoring opportunities and supporting.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have a) served as a peer mentor and b) had access to a peer mentor, in each of the last 10 calendar years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Reducing reoffending is a top priority for this Government. Our approach is led by evidence on what works to support offenders in turning away from crime, focusing on addressing the underlying needs linked to offending behaviour, including housing, employment and education, substance misuse treatment, family ties and improving personal skills and behaviours.

Peer mentoring already plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation within prison and probation services. It is used in various ways, including providing lived experience insights into probation requirements and direct one-to-one mentoring. Some peer-led services are also delivered by external organisations, further supporting rehabilitation efforts. Overall, there is national variation in delivery of peer-led services.

While there is external evidence that peer mentoring can be beneficial, there is currently no centrally collated data on how many people in custody have served as a peer mentor or had access to one over the last 10 years.

A recent study by HMPPS (Ministry of Justice, 2024, Education, Skills, and Work, Peer Mentoring in Men’s Prisons, Ministry of Justice Analytical Series) found that peer mentoring can positively influence inmates' engagement with educational programmes and enhance their skills, as well as improving staff/prisoner relationships.

Every prison has been encouraged to deliver peer mentoring as part of the prison regime. This will help embed peer support across the custodial estate, promoting rehabilitative engagement and enhancing prisoners’ access to mentoring opportunities and supporting.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his department will publish the average time-in-role for prison governors in each of the last 10 calendar years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The latest published HMPPS workforce statistics covers the period up to 30 September 2025 so the latest calendar year available is for 2024. Figures showing the average length of time spent in post for public sector prison governors in England and Wales as at 31 December 2015 to 2024 and 30 September 2025 are given in the table below.

The figures relate to the governing governors’ time in the role they were in on the given date only and exclude previous governor service. In addition, figures do not include deputy governors temporarily covering a governing governor role.

Table 1 - Average (mean) length of service (in years) of governors in the public sector prison role they were in on the given date, as at 31 December 2015 to 2024, and as at 30 September 2025.

Notes:

1. Figures show average length of service of the prison governor role on the given date.

2. Figures relate to governing governors only (band 10-11) and do not include deputy governors temporarily covering the role.

3. The number of governors and prisons change over time, as vacancies arise and as prisons transfer between the public and private sector.

4. Each governor is only included once per given date, though it is possible to temporarily be governor of more than one prison at a time.

5. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time and is dependent on staff completing the details correctly. The database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, or are incorrect then these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate and may not match local data.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his department is taking to increase the autonomy of prison governors.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government recognises the value of autonomy for governors and the innovation this can drive, whilst also balancing this with the level of central control to achieve consistency between prisons.

In 2023, HMPPS launched a framework for governor empowerment – the Free, Flex, Fixed (FFF) framework of operational policy. This clarifies the extent of governor freedoms and flexibilities to ensure that they are used to their full potential. It also provides an opportunity for governors to challenge areas of fixed policy and is a clear framework for increasing flexibility if agreed centrally.

Some examples of the flexibility set out in the FFF framework are: governors are free to recruit locally for roles other than prison officer and operational support grades; they have flexibility to vary regime beyond the mandated elements; they have freedom to decide how staff time is allocated; and they flexibilities within their local budgets, such as the number of staff at different grades, provided it is within their overall pay budget.

We will continue to review governor autonomy, looking at what we can do to support governors whilst maintaining value for money and national consistency. Regular HMPPS leadership meetings adopt a continuous improvement approach to finding new flexibilities and freedoms for governors. We will continue to update governors so that they are aware of how to access all their freedoms.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of e-coli were reported in each individual prison in each of the last 10 calendar years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Statistics on prisoners’ health are the responsibility of the NHS. I am informed that the figures that are collected do not indicate whether an illness or hospitalisation relates to unhygienic conditions or show the causes of illnesses linked to E-coli.

Arrangements are in place to ensure hygiene standards are maintained across the prison estate. These include regular monitoring and cleaning delivered through a combination of prisoner working parties and contracted cleaning services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his department will provide the total number of prisoner days, aggregated across all prisoners, in which an individual prisoner with a disability received a) no time in open air and b) no time out of cell.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested for adult prisoners is not held by the Ministry of Justice, as collecting data on time in and out of cell would require detailed monitoring of cell activity in each prison establishment.

PSI 75/2011 (Residential Services), which includes general guidance on time-out-of-cell, can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-services-psi-752011.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his department will provide the total number of prisoner days, aggregated across all prisoners, in which an individual prisoner received a) no time in open air and b) no time out of cell.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested for adult prisoners is not held by the Ministry of Justice, as collecting data on time in and out of cell would require detailed monitoring of cell activity in each prison establishment.

PSI 75/2011 (Residential Services), which includes general guidance on time-out-of-cell, can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/residential-services-psi-752011.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many a) reported illnesses or b) hospitalisations of prisoners in each of the last 10 calendar years have been partially or wholly attributed to unhygienic prison conditions.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Statistics on prisoners’ health are the responsibility of the NHS. I am informed that the figures that are collected do not indicate whether an illness or hospitalisation relates to unhygienic conditions or show the causes of illnesses linked to E-coli.

Arrangements are in place to ensure hygiene standards are maintained across the prison estate. These include regular monitoring and cleaning delivered through a combination of prisoner working parties and contracted cleaning services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what sanctions are provided for in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill in response to serious wrongdoing by police officers.

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

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill creates four new criminal offences:

1. Failing to comply with the duty of candour and assistance;

2. Misleading the public;

3. Seriously improper acts; and

4. Breach of duty to prevent death or serious injury.

Police officers may be prosecuted for any or all of these.

The offences of failing to comply with the duty of candour and assistance and misleading the public have a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The seriously improper acts offence has a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. The breach of duty to prevent death or serious injury offence has a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his department is taking to reduce turnover rates of prison governors.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Enable Programme is a workforce transformation programme that aims to change how HMPPS trains, develops, leads, and supports its prison staff to ensure that they feel safe, supported, valued, and confident in their skills and ability to make a difference.

A key focus for the programme is to strengthen prison leadership and operational capability and build a quality pipeline of leaders for the future. To support this work Governor Succession Planning is managed via a National Talent Committee, that monitors tenure, identifies talent and considers succession in line with civil service rules. This senior multi-disciplinary team meet quarterly and are informed by internal management information, the leadership requirements of individual sites and the strengths of individual governors.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his department is taking to improve or increase provision of training for newly appointed prison governors.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Enable Programme is a workforce transformation programme that aims to change how HMPPS trains, develops, leads, and supports its prison staff to ensure that they feel safe, supported, valued, and confident in their skills and ability to make a difference.

A key focus for the programme is to strengthen prison leadership and operational capability and build a quality pipeline of leaders for the future. This includes a new national Governor Induction programme which provides a dedicated package of learning for new Governors, offering professional, personal, and practical support to ensure they have the best start to their governing career.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial allowance for jury service in covering the cost of wages, food and travel.

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

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals are currently remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare under the Bail Act 1976; how many individuals have been remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare in the past year; and what source they use for that data.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There is no centrally collated statistical data available on the number of individuals currently remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare under the Bail Act 1976, or how many individuals have been remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare in the past year. To obtain this information would exceed permitted costs.

The court’s decision to remand an individual in custody for their own protection or welfare is used as a last resort and out of concern for the defendant, where circumstances are such that a defendant would come to harm if released into the community and there is no other suitable option available to the courts.

The Mental Health Bill was introduced to Parliament in November 2024 and has now completed Third Reading in the House of Commons. It includes a reform to end the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act where the court’s sole concern is the defendant’s mental health. To support implementation of the reform, we are working with partners to collect data on cases where concerns around mental health are the only reason this power is used.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison-based staff are (1) trained, and (2) equipped, to use tasers.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

On 21 September, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that 500 prison-based staff would be trained and equipped to use Taser devices, as part of a wider effort to enhance safety across the prison estate, and currently we have 20 trained national specialist officers.

Delivering this capability is a significant undertaking: work to train and equip these officers is in progress.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the supply of illegal drugs into prisons, including through improved searching, staff screening and security technology.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Prisons in England and Wales have a range of specialist staff and equipment to tackle the smuggling of contraband into prisons, including drugs. This includes X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and other specialist equipment. In addition, local security strategies allow for routine and random rub-down searches of prison officers and other staff upon entry to, or within, prisons.

This year we are investing over £40 million in physical security measures across 34 prisons, including £10 million on anti-drone measures, such as window replacements, external window grilles and specialist netting across 15 priority prisons.

All HMPPS prison staff are subject to rigorous pre-employment security vetting checks. These checks enable the organisation to assess whether candidates pose a risk to the safety and security of HMPPS information, assets, staff, and offenders, and whether they demonstrate the standards and core values expected of everyone working within HMPPS.

While the vast majority of prison staff act with integrity, HMPPS recognises the risk of corruption and is committed to tackling it at all levels. HMPPS’s Counter Corruption Unit works proactively with prisons and police to deter and disrupt staff wrongdoing.

Prison security must be dynamic and be able to respond to shifting risks as they manifest. We regularly review our security countermeasures capabilities and will not hesitate to adjust our approach as needed and use all the tools at our disposal.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug related incidents were recorded in prisons in each of the past five years, including instances of possession, supply and related violence.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We publish the number of drugs finds in prisons in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. Please see table 6.1 in the Finds tables and the Finds in Prison – Find Incidents data tool. The latest issue covers the 12-month period to March 2025, with a time series of drug finds starting from the 12-months to March 2007.

The HMPPS Annual Digest reports the number of drug find incidents rather than the overall number of drug related incidents. Any increase in finds should not be interpreted as an increase in drug related activity. Higher figures may reflect more items being found, rather than more items being present in prisons. Data relating to drug related incidents more generally could only be provided at disproportionate cost and data specific to instances of possession, supply and related violence cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on the handling of domestic abuse cases in the family courts of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s October 2025 report entitled Everyday Business; and whether he plans to expand the roll-out of the Pathfinder court model in the South West.

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

The Government welcomes the publication of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report “Everyday Business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism”. We are carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will publish a full response shortly.

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

Launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022, the Pathfinder model has since expanded to nine court areas, the most recent areas being the Black Country and Shropshire, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and Herefordshire and Worcestershire in November 2025. In January it will be rolled out to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the largest court area in the South West. This will mean around a quarter of relevant cases across England and Wales follow the model.

Further expansion of the model is being considered as part of the departmental allocations process which follows the latest Spending Review, and we are unable to pre-empt the outcome of this.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are not required to bear additional financial or procedural burdens in order to progress divorce proceedings when the other party fails to engage.

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

It is a matter of concern that perpetrators of domestic abuse may fail to engage with divorce proceedings. The courts have powers to deal with parties who fail to engage, including to make orders confirming a perpetrator has received a divorce application when they have refused to acknowledge it. In September this year, the process of asking the court to make orders about sending applications became easier, when His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service extended the online application system for litigants-in-person.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to improve the timeliness of probate claims.

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

HM Courts & Tribunals Service have invested in more staff, alongside system and process improvements to reduce and maintain lower processing times during the last year.

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness in our regular quarterly family court statistics bulletin: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve timescales for cases in the Court of Protection.

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

HMCTS is working to increase overall system capacity to reduce processing times. Measures taken include a targeted action plan to allocate additional administrative resources in response to higher demand, as well as training and upskilling new staff. Additional judicial sitting days have been added to support performance improvement. HMCTS is also working on improvements to the new case management system, to help reduce overall end-to-end processing times.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what dates he has officially visited HMP Chelmsford since his appointment; and whether he has met with the Governor to discuss the recent mistaken release.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Deputy Prime Minister met with the Governor of HMP Chelmsford on 24 October, the same day as the release in error of Hadush Kebatu. The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending is planning to visit HMP Chelmsford in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the cost of leasehold tribunal applications.

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

Most leasehold applications currently attract an application fee of £114. Fees for leasehold applications to the First-tier Tribunal of the Property Chamber are set at levels which recover only part of the cost of the service.

The Government is committed to protecting leaseholders from disproportionate litigation costs. On 26 September 2025, the Government concluded a consultation with proposals to establish exemptions for landlords from seeking tribunal approval to recover litigation costs, permitting temporary suspension of this requirement for specified landlords, and defining the categories of cases in which leaseholders may apply to recover their own litigation costs. The Government is currently analysing responses and will publish the outcome in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what dates he has officially visited HMP Wandsworth since his appointment; and whether he has met with the Governor to discuss the recent mistaken release.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending is planning to visit HMP Wandsworth in the coming weeks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the second part of Lord Leveson's Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to be published.

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

Part two of the Independent Review into Criminal Courts is considering how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, specifically looking at the efficiency and timeliness of processes. We expect to receive Sir Brian's report on court efficiency early next year.

We will consider his recommendations in full and will respond in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been spent on legal aid for asylum seekers in the past 12 months.

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

Expenditure data for asylum seekers across all legal aid schemes is not held centrally. An individual’s asylum status is not relevant to eligibility for legal aid services and is not specifically tracked or recorded.

The Legal Aid Agency does publish expenditure incurred under all categories of legal aid, including immigration and asylum, as part of its official statistics.

Legal aid is available for asylum cases under paragraph 30 of Schedule 1, Part 1 Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO). This is subject to both a legal merits test and a financial eligibility test.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to reform the legal aid system to reduce costs.

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

The Ministry of Justice is exploring a range of activity to drive increased departmental efficiency and productivity over the Spending Review period, including across the legal aid system. One key opportunity will be through our programme to build a suite of new digital systems that will transform the delivery of legal aid over this parliament. Our aim is not only to ensure we have secure and reliable systems following the recent cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) but to boost productivity and reduce the costly administrative burdens faced by those providing legal aid services. We are working urgently to understand how we can accelerate this programme and deliver efficiencies both for legal aid firms and the LAA.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 18 November 2024 (HL2243), whether they have carried out a risk assessment relating to e-bikes on His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service premises; and if so, what were the dates of the surveys for that risk assessment, and whether they will place a copy of those surveys in the Library of the House.

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

Risk-assessment surveys have been conducted at sites where there has been a request to store an e-bike. To date, ten sites have been surveyed, with Brighton Family Court deemed suitable to store e-bikes.

The list of sites surveyed are as follows:

• Manchester Crown Square – December 2024
• Newport Magistrates Court - February 2025
• Bristol Civil Justice Centre – March 2025 (1^st Assessment), May 2025 (2^nd Assessment)
• Ipswich Magistrates - March 2025
• Cardiff Crown - March 2025
• St Albans Crown / St Albans Magistrates - March 2025
• Cardiff Magistrates – April 2025
• Brighton Family Court – June 2025
• Highbury Magistrates – July 2025
• Basildon Magistrates - November 2025

The surveys contain sensitive site-related security information which we do not routinely publish and, as a result, copies will not be placed in the Library of the House.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the employee (a) vacancy and (b) turnover rates were at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years by (i) prison staff and (ii) prison officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The latest published workforce statistics for HM Prison & Probation Service cover the period up to 30 September 2025 and contain figures for the last five years for working days lost, average staff and average working days lost for each public sector prison and for different grades, but not by prison and grade combined. The published figures are for the 12 months to 31 March each year and latest figures are for the 12 months to 30 September 2025. These figures for HMP Hewell, split by band 3-5 prison officers and other prison staff, are given in the table below.

Working days lost to sickness absence, for HMP Hewell, by band 3-5 prison officers and other staff – for 12 months to 31 March 2021 to 2025 and for 12 months to 30 September 2025.

(Full Time Equivalent)

Notes

1. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (including specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
2. Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future

A comparison between target staffing levels and staff in post can be found in the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691da96221ef5aaa6543ef83/annex-prison-and-probation-officer-recruitment-Sep-2025_final.ods.

Internal management information has long been used for workforce planning to monitor vacancies and other resource monitoring purposes. However, target staffing and parallel staff in post data has only been produced for the purpose of official statistics for the last few years. As a result, the full historic time series is not available in a consistent format for the grade breakdowns requested.

Turnover rates¹ at HMP Hewell for (i) band 3-5 officers² and (ii) all other prison staff, in the 12 months to 31 March 2021-2025 and in the 12 months to 30 September 2025

Notes:

1. Turnover rates include all reasons for leaving and include both permanent and temporary staff.
2. Band 3-5 officers include: Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers

3. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time and is dependent on staff completing the details correctly. The database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, or are incorrect then these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate and may not match local data.

Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the relevance of mental health conditions to the sentencing of people convicted of child sexual abuse.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Sentencing decisions are a matter for our independent courts, following any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council. Sentencing guidelines are designed to increase consistency and transparency in sentencing.

The Council has issued a package of guidelines on sexual offences, as well as an overarching guideline to assist courts when sentencing offenders with any mental disorder, neurological impairment or developmental disorder. These are available on its website at: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/crown-court/.

As the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned during Justice Oral Questions on 16 December, I will bring your particular concerns to the attention of the Chair of the Council.

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Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the inquiry into the Child Maintenance Service will include a review of the REMO/MEBC.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

The scope of the review does not include Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) or Maintenance Enforcement Business Centre (MEBC) processes. Responsibility for REMO falls within the Ministry of Justice, as it concerns the enforcement of maintenance orders across international jurisdictions that are subject to separate legislative frameworks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle domestic abuse in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve VAWG in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy which we aim to publish as soon as possible.

In advance of the strategy, we have already introduced measures designed to strengthen the police response to VAWG, protect victims and hold perpetrators to account. These include: funding to rollout Drive Project to tackle high-risk and high-harm domestic abuse perpetrators across England and Wales; embedding the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms in five police forces; measures to tackle spiking; measures focusing on preventing and tackling ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA), and launching the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts which go further than any existing orders.

The Home Office has provided the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Surrey with an annual funding allocation of £998,248 for 2025/26 for interventions around perpetrators of domestic abuse. PCCs in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types.

Furthermore, this government has increased funding to local authorities, which includes Surrey Heath constituency, to £160 million for 2025-26, an uplift of £30 million from the previous year, to provide further support in safe accommodation for domestic abuse survivors, including tailored support for protected groups.

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