Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 24 April (HL6663), what religious and non-religious groups they are aware of that wish to conduct legally recognised marriages in England and Wales and are unable to do so.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lady to the answer I gave on 24 April to question HL6663. The Law Commission concluded in its 2022 report on weddings law that there are a number of inconsistencies and complexities within the current legal framework for weddings. Examples given by the Law Commission include the fact that Jewish and Quaker weddings may take place in any location, whereas weddings conducted by other religious groups (save the Church of England), including Muslims, Hindus and Catholics, must take place in a registered building.

The Law Commission therefore recommended a scheme that could place all weddings on a level playing field.

Given the points raised by the Law Commission, it is right that we take the time to consider the issues. We will set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to increase levels of transparency in litigation funding.

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

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.

Following the PACCAR judgment, concerns have been raised about the need for greater regulation of the litigation funding market, including the potential need for greater transparency in relation to Litigation Funding Agreements.

The Civil Justice Council is considering these matters as part of its review of litigation funding, which will conclude in summer 2025. The Government will take a decision on further steps regarding litigation funding once the report and its recommendations have been received.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to create a women's centre in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government’s plan to support women is clear and ambitious. The Women’s Justice Board was established with the goal of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system. The Board has met twice so far this year and will publish a strategic document setting out its vision and aims later this Spring. The Board’s initial focus is centred around four priority areas: working to intervene earlier and divert women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate; community solutions; improving outcomes for young adult women; and addressing issues specific to pregnant women and mothers of young children across the criminal justice system.

Women’s services, including women’s centres, are run by the voluntary sector and are funded via different routes, including through government funding. We recognise the vital support that these services provide to vulnerable women in or at risk of contact with the justice system, and the importance of sustainable funding. This year, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from custody. Future funding is dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2025, which will be announced on 11 June. Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service (CRS) providers have also been appointed in every HM Prison and Probation Service region to deliver interventions that are responsive to the specific needs and characteristics of women.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how long the trial of the provision of tasers to prison officers will last, in which prison it will take place, and how many prison officers will be armed with tasers during the trial.

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

The operational trial of the use of Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs, commonly known as “tasers”) will commence in summer 2025 and continue until there is sufficient evidence to provide a basis for recommendations to the Lord Chancellor. Officers in the Operational Response and Resilience Unit (ORRU) in HM Prison and Probation Service will be equipped with CEDs when attending certain incidents across the adult male estate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the report by Baroness Jean Corston entitled Vulnerable women in prison, published on 13 March 2007; and whether she is taking steps to increase the number of women's centres.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government’s plan to support women is clear and ambitious. The Women’s Justice Board was established with the goal of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system. The Board has met twice so far this year and will publish a strategic document setting out its vision and aims later this Spring. The Board’s initial focus is centred around four priority areas: working to intervene earlier and divert women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate; community solutions; improving outcomes for young adult women; and addressing issues specific to pregnant women and mothers of young children across the criminal justice system.

Women’s services, including women’s centres, are run by the voluntary sector and are funded via different routes, including through government funding. We recognise the vital support that these services provide to vulnerable women in or at risk of contact with the justice system, and the importance of sustainable funding. This year, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from custody. Future funding is dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2025, which will be announced on 11 June. Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service (CRS) providers have also been appointed in every HM Prison and Probation Service region to deliver interventions that are responsive to the specific needs and characteristics of women.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of women in prison.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government’s plan to support women is clear and ambitious. The Women’s Justice Board was established with the goal of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system. The Board has met twice so far this year and will publish a strategic document setting out its vision and aims later this Spring. The Board’s initial focus is centred around four priority areas: working to intervene earlier and divert women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate; community solutions; improving outcomes for young adult women; and addressing issues specific to pregnant women and mothers of young children across the criminal justice system.

Women’s services, including women’s centres, are run by the voluntary sector and are funded via different routes, including through government funding. We recognise the vital support that these services provide to vulnerable women in or at risk of contact with the justice system, and the importance of sustainable funding. This year, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from custody. Future funding is dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2025, which will be announced on 11 June. Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service (CRS) providers have also been appointed in every HM Prison and Probation Service region to deliver interventions that are responsive to the specific needs and characteristics of women.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the training available to magistrates on stalking protection orders.

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

Stalking Protection Orders are civil orders introduced in 2020 by the Stalking Protection Act 2019. The orders can be applied for by the police in the magistrates’ courts. As in all cases heard in the magistrates’ courts, magistrates will sit with a legal adviser who will advise on the law, practice and procedure to be applied in each case.

To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for the training of magistrates rests with the Lady Chief Justice and is exercised through the Judicial College. All magistrates and HMCTS legal advisers who support them receive induction and continuation training. This includes structured judicial decision-making and guidance and training as appropriate when new legislation is being implemented. Guidance and training are kept under review and regularly updated as appropriate to reflect legislative or other changes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to stop biological males being housed in E wing at HMP Downview.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As of 1 May 2025, there were 7 transgender women held on E Wing. Other than on E Wing, there were no transgender women held in HMP Downview. The figures are compiled from local operational data and are therefore not directly comparable with official statistics on transgender prisoners covering the whole estate.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the role of intermediaries in the criminal justice system.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice completed a review of intermediary provision in 2023 which was summarised in the 2023 Witness Intermediary Scheme (WIS) Annual Report.

The review recommended actions to enhance the role, accessibility, and quality of intermediary services, including:

• Revising the definition of registered intermediaries and devising a communication plan to build better understanding of the intermediary role.

• Seeking improved data collection and analysis around intermediary usage; and

• Building relationships with stakeholders to ensure consistent quality of intermediary services across criminal, family and civil jurisdictions as well as continuing to increase understanding of vulnerable users’ needs.

We have no plans to conduct a further review at this stage, as we are progressing the above actions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much money is raised annually from the victim surcharge.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The surcharge (often referred to as the victim surcharge) was first introduced in April 2007 and changes were introduced on 1 October 2012, 1 September 2014, 8 April 2016, 28 June 2019, 14 April 2020 and then again on 16 June 2022.

When a court passes a sentence, it must also order that the relevant surcharge is paid. The amount of the surcharge depends on the sentence and whether at the time the offence was committed the offender was an adult or a youth (under 18 years of age), or if the offender is an organisation.

Revenue raised from the surcharge provides a contribution towards Ministry of Justice-funded victim and witness support services.

HMCTS accounts for the amount of victim surcharge imposed and collected in the annual HMCTS Trust Statement. The Trust Statement was introduced in 2010-11 prior to that the data was not collated centrally. The table below illustrates the amounts imposed and collected each year since April 2010. The amounts collected will include receipts for amounts imposed in prior years.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much the annual revenue raised from the victim surcharge is given to organisations that support road crash victims and their families.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Victim Surcharge is not a standalone funding stream and instead provides a contribution to the overall Ministry of Justice Victim and Witness budget, which is used to commission practical, emotional and therapeutic support for victims of all crime at a national and local level. Therefore, we are unable to say how much is given specifically to organisations which support victims of road traffic incidents.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total annual victim surcharge is raised from traffic offences.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that sufficient prison places of appropriate standard are available on the prison estate.

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

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, the Ministry of Justice is committed to delivering an additional 14,000 modern prison places and aims to do so by 2031. These places will be delivered through the construction of four new prisons, including the recently opened HMP Millsike which will deliver c.1,500 places, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate and through temporary accommodation.

We are also investing £220 million in prison and probation service maintenance in 2024-2025 and up to £300 million in 2025-2026. We are committed to undertaking critical maintenance work to allow prisons to hold offenders safely, securely and in decent conditions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a new approach to help tackle hyper prolific offending through (a) the monitoring of offenders, (b) effective intervention programmes and (c) the enforcement of appropriate legal penalties; and whether she has had discussions with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the potential impact of its Reducing Offenders Unit on crime rates.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We take prolific offending seriously and recognise that prolific offenders commit a disproportionate number of offences. Between 2000 and 2021, for example, prolific offenders represented nearly 10% of offenders but accounted for just over 50% of convictions.

That clearly cannot continue. That is why the Lord Chancellor asked David Gauke to specifically consider the issue of prolific offenders as part of the Sentencing Review, to ensure that we have fewer crimes committed by prolific criminals.

Prolific offenders often have a complex set of needs, and to tackle the underlying causes of offending community sentences may also have rehabilitative requirements attached, including drug, alcohol and mental health difficulties. We are:

• Better linking data within and across Departments to better understand and support individuals with complex needs, such as prolific offenders.
• Piloting Intensive Supervision Courts which target the root cause of offending through supervision and intervention delivered by a multi-agency team.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of tackling (a) trauma, (b) addiction and (c) mental health in reducing the rate of re-offending among young people; and whether she has had discussions with (i) UHub in North Down and (ii) other organisations that (A) provide counselling and (B) promote emotional well-being.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice recognises that addressing trauma, substance misuse and mental health challenges among young people is key to reducing re-offending rates – and that early intervention and prevention is an important part of this. In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has provided over £100 million to Youth Offending Teams this year, to support their delivery of needs-based interventions to reduce their risk of reoffending.

As justice is devolved in Northern Ireland, I have not discussed youth justice matters with uHub in North Down. However, in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice works with a range of organisations that provide counselling and promote emotional wellbeing, including through our Turnaround youth justice early intervention programme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of a community order with (1) a drug rehabilitation requirement, (2) a mental health treatment requirement, (3) an alcohol treatment requirement, (4) an unpaid work requirement, and (5) a curfew requirement.

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

We do not hold the information in the format requested. To produce and quality assure the information requested would be of disproportionate cost.

The average cost to the Probation Service in 2023-24 of an additional person on the probation licence caseload (including probation pre-release costs) was estimated at c.£4,500 compared with c.£3,150 for an additional person on the probation court order caseload (community orders and suspended sentence orders). This can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65537c7d50475b000dc5b590/Sentencing_Bill_-_IA_-_HDC.pdf.

These costs cover requirements such as unpaid work as well as sentence management time. They do not, however, include treatment costs for drug rehabilitation requirements, mental health requirements, alcohol treatment requirements and do not include curfew costs. Note that the costs presented exclude some costs to the Ministry of Justice, such as costs not directly tied to changes in probation caseload and Ministry of Justice HQ costs. Costs of individuals will vary considerably based on a number of factors including risk levels, requirements and needs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of post-sentence supervision of an individual.

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

We do not hold the requested information on the annual cost of post sentence supervision.

The average cost to the Probation Service in 2023-24 of an additional person on the probation licence caseload (including probation pre-release costs) was estimated at c.£4,500 compared with c.£3,150 for an additional person on the probation court order caseload (community orders and suspended sentence orders). This can be found through the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65537c7d50475b000dc5b590/Sentencing_Bill_-_IA_-_HDC.pdf.

Note that the costs presented exclude some costs to the Ministry of Justice, such as costs not directly tied to changes in probation caseload and Ministry of Justice HQ costs. Costs of individuals will vary considerably based on a number of factors including risk levels, requirements and needs

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing stab vests to prison officers.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

HM Prison & Probation Service has commissioned a review to establish whether it is necessary for our brave and hard-working prison officers to wear Protective Body Armour (PBA) either routinely or when working in high-risk environments within the prison estate in England and Wales. This review will inform any future decision on the use of PBA in the prison estate in England and Wales and will report in early June.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when biological male prisoners at HMP Downview will be transferred to male prisons.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As of 1 May 2025, there were 7 transgender women held on E Wing. Other than on E Wing, there were no transgender women held in HMP Downview. The figures are compiled from local operational data and are therefore not directly comparable with official statistics on transgender prisoners covering the whole estate.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biological male prisoners are held in E Wing in HMP Downview.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As of 1 May 2025, there were 7 transgender women held on E Wing. Other than on E Wing, there were no transgender women held in HMP Downview. The figures are compiled from local operational data and are therefore not directly comparable with official statistics on transgender prisoners covering the whole estate.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biologically male prisoners are held at HMP Downview.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As of 1 May 2025, there were 7 transgender women held on E Wing. Other than on E Wing, there were no transgender women held in HMP Downview. The figures are compiled from local operational data and are therefore not directly comparable with official statistics on transgender prisoners covering the whole estate.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many women sentenced in the Intensive Supervision Court in Birmingham received a community order with (1) a drug rehabilitation requirement, (2) a mental health treatment requirement, (3) an alcohol treatment requirement, (4) an unpaid work requirement, and (5) a curfew requirement, since June 2023.

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

Since the launch of the Birmingham Intensive Supervision Court in June 2023 through to the end of February 2025, a total of 77 women have been sentenced to a community order. The breakdown of the attached requirements are as follows:

(1) a drug rehabilitation requirement – 38 (49%)

(2) a mental health treatment requirement – 62 (81%)

(3) an alcohol treatment requirement – 17 (22%)

(4) an unpaid work requirement – less that 5 (less than 6%)

(5) a curfew requirement – less than 5 (less than 6%)

Note: counts of less than 5 have been suppressed for privacy reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many women have been sentenced in the Intensive Supervision Court in Birmingham since June 2023; and how many received (1) community orders, and (2) suspended sentence orders.

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

Since the launch of the Birmingham Intensive Supervision Court in June 2023 through to February 2025, 96 women have been sentenced under the Birmingham Intensive Supervision Court. 77 women (80%) were sentenced to a Community Order and 19 women (20%) were sentenced to a Suspended Sentence Order.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average number of requirements attached to a community order given to a woman sentenced in the Intensive Supervision Court in Birmingham since June 2023.

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

Since the launch of the Birmingham Intensive Supervision Court in June 2023 through to the end of February 2025, the average number of requirements attached to a community order under the Birmingham Women’s Intensive Supervision Court has been three requirements per order.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to young people serving sentences of less than 12 months who are released on licence to secure affordable youth-friendly accommodation and an opportunity to find a job.

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

Children returning to the community after being sentenced to time in custody are provided with the personal and structural support they need to rebuild their lives, by the youth custody establishment and their Youth Offending Teams (YOT), including support to secure suitable accommodation and education, training or employment.

Where appropriate, the establishment will use the temporary release scheme to prepare a child for return to the community. The Youth Custody Service is piloting a new policy framework in five sites, for release on temporary licence (ROTL). In the new policy, children who are eligible may now be considered and risk assessed for ROTL after five months or halfway through their sentence, whichever is earlier. This will mean for many children in YOIs they should be able to access ROTL earlier than under the previous provisions. Activities on ROTL could include visiting potential accommodation or education placement as well as providing access to potential employment opportunities.

Where children are unable to return to the family home, the YOT work with children’s social care to find a suitable placement for the child. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient accommodation available to meet the needs of all children they look after. This government is supporting local authorities to meet their statutory duty through a multi-year package of capital investment which includes £90 million for 2025-26 announced in the Autumn Budget. This funding will help local authorities to maintain capacity and expand provision across open and secure children's homes sectors to provide safe and suitable homes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of AI-generated intimate images.

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

The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.

Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales and protect victims. We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. In addition, under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.

In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding has been increased for the year 2025/26. The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services that includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking help reduce waiting times for support services for survivors of sexual abuse.

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

This Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

We recognise the invaluable role support services play in the delivery of this mission. This is why the Ministry of Justice provides funding that ensures victims of sexual abuse can access the support they need.

This includes funding for the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need, as well as grants for specialist support organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. Furthermore, the MOJ-commissioned 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, provides victims and survivors 24/7 access to vital help and information, including whilst waiting for longer term support.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they made of the cost of legal assistance and representation for bereaved survivors in relation to their proposals for a 'Hillsborough Law', and on what data they based any such estimate on.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government’s commitment in its 2024 manifesto to provide legal aid for victims of disasters or state-related deaths will support bereaved families at an incredibly difficult time following the loss of their loved ones. We are currently working on plans to deliver on this commitment and, as such, we are unable to share information on costs. The Government will announce its approach in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025, whether her Department plans to amend its policy on the use of women only spaces in its buildings by transgender women.

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

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.

It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.

The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings. We will follow external advice from relevant advisory bodies.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Table 9, on page 19 of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's Annual Report and Accounts, published on 24 July 2024, what the wording of the question that measured overall satisfaction was; and what the response rate was to that question.

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

When issuing decision letters by post at both first and review decision stage, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority includes a paper survey form that applicants can complete and return. The wording of the question used to measure overall satisfaction was “Overall how did you feel about the service you received throughout the claims process”. In response applicants can select very good, good, average, poor and very poor. In 2023-24, the response rate to this question was 5.6%* (2326 surveys returned).

*The survey is issued at both first and review decision stage meaning the same applicant may be asked to complete this more than once. The survey is not issued again for cases which are appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what safeguarding provisions her Department provides for (a) children and (b) isolated parents while Child Arrangement Orders are approved.

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

The legislation which governs child arrangements cases ensures that the child’s welfare is paramount at each stage of proceedings.

Whilst a Child Arrangements Order is being approved, the Family Court may put an interim Child Arrangements Order in place. These orders are often issued to ensure that whilst a final decision is being reached a child can maintain family relationships, where it is safe to do so. The order can specify the details of contact, such as whether it should be supervised. In cases where there are concerns about safety, the court may direct that contact takes place at a Child Contact Centre.

The Government is committed to supporting vulnerable children and parents. Our Pathfinder pilot, which is currently being rolled out across England and Wales, is designed to improve the court experience for children and vulnerable parents in private family law cases. Central to this the Child Impact Report, which assesses a child’s needs and what the right approach would be for them, particularly focusing on the impact of any domestic abuse or high-risk behaviours.

Practice Direction 27C allows both Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and Children’s Independent Domestic Violence Advisors to accompany individuals during court hearings, ensuring they are supported throughout their case. These trained professionals provide trauma-informed support to victims and child victims of domestic abuse, helping them navigate the legal process, access services, and participate safely in proceedings.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban Sharia courts.

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

The Government has no plans to regulate or restrict religious processes (such as sharia courts) where all parties consent to those processes. This is consistent with Britain’s long history of freedom of worship and religious tolerance.

Sharia Courts are not part of the judicial system in England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41588 on Private Rented Housing: Energy Performance Certificate, whether expenditure on the upgrading of an Energy Performance Certificate to a higher level of energy efficiency is a material consideration that allows for a higher market rent to be issued.

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

A market rent decision in the First-tier Tribunal is a judicial decision and expenditure on the upgrading of an Energy Performance Certificate to a higher level of energy efficiency is a material consideration which may result, in certain circumstances, in a higher market rent being determined by the First-tier Tribunal.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reopen court rooms at Telford Justice Centre.

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

I recently visited Telford Justice Centre and observed for myself the state of the court estate. Of the eight courtrooms at Telford Justice Centre, seven are currently operational, with one courtroom temporarily out of use due to damage caused by water ingress from the roof which requires complete replacement.

HMCTS is focused on completing the works required to bring this courtroom back into operation as quickly as possible. Temporary patch repair is complete, and redecoration works are now being scheduled.

We are already progressing complete replacement of the roof as a priority project, and HMCTS is working with contractors to develop designs and final project proposals. The extensive and complex nature of the work means that commencement of this project is unlikely before March 2026.

Historical underfunding under the previous Government has resulted in challenges such as this across the court and tribunal estate. That is why this Government has announced a boost in court capital maintenance and project funding from £120 million last year, to £148.5 million for 2025/26.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines have been (a) issued and (b) withdrawn on appeal by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in each of the last three years for which data is available.

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

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), 69 fines were issued during the period 2020/21, followed by 49 between 2021/22 and 73 between 2022/23. The SRA has confirmed that the data for the 2023/24 period is not currently available. Further information is set out by the SRA in its Upholding Professionals Standards (UPS) reports, the three most recent versions of which are available here:

2022/23: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-2022-23/.

2021/22: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-2021-22/#.

2020/21: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-202021/.

The SRA does not publish information regarding appeals.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the merits of increasing the six year period for claims allowed under s.32(1)(c) of the Limitation Act from the consequences of a mistake.

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

The effect of the legislation is that for civil claims which involve the consequences of a mistake, the relevant limitation period only starts when the claimant discovers the mistake or could have discovered it with reasonable due diligence (subject to certain exceptions). As such it enables a normal statutory time limit to be postponed if a court is satisfied the conditions are met in an individual case.

It is important that the law of limitation achieves a balance between the competing interests of claimants and defendants. The Government has no plans to review this section.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 46823, on Electronic Tagging: Standards, what estimate she has made of the number of offenders who were not tagged because the Probation Service held an incorrect address for them in the last two years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

However, of the 10,438 untagged cases audited by probation between 01/01/25 and 31/03/25, eight referred to the tagging provider having visited the wrong address as a result of the provision of the wrong address by the sentencing Court or releasing prison. The incorrect addresses have been corrected on EMS systems.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 49785 on Electronic Tagging: Standards; which of the key performance indicators Serco failed to meet; and how Serco performed against the remaining key performance indicators.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Serco failed to meet the expected requirement for the following key performance indicators: KPIs 1-7, 9-11 and KPI 14. KPI 8 is N/A

For KPIs 12 and 13, Serco performed at 100%.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help improve support for prisoners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. NHS England is responsible for healthcare services in prisons in England, including the clinical diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions, and it does not hold this data centrally.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent people within prisons, including those with ADHD.

Neurodiversity Support Managers have been successfully rolled out across the prison service. These specialist managers provide training and guidance to prison staff, improve processes to identify and support neurodivergent prisoners, and ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented to make prison environments more supportive of neurodiverse needs. Some prisons have also introduced neurodiversity wings or created specific areas which focus on the sensory and mental health requirements for prisoners with complex needs.

The HMPPS Prisoner Education Service will be implementing a new, digitalised Additional Learning Needs tool to be used nationally by Core Education suppliers from October 2025. This tool will identify individual strengths and any additional learning needs, including neurodiversity. It will also suggest practical support strategies and offer guidance relating to potential areas of strength and need.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of prisoners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. NHS England is responsible for healthcare services in prisons in England, including the clinical diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions, and it does not hold this data centrally.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent people within prisons, including those with ADHD.

Neurodiversity Support Managers have been successfully rolled out across the prison service. These specialist managers provide training and guidance to prison staff, improve processes to identify and support neurodivergent prisoners, and ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented to make prison environments more supportive of neurodiverse needs. Some prisons have also introduced neurodiversity wings or created specific areas which focus on the sensory and mental health requirements for prisoners with complex needs.

The HMPPS Prisoner Education Service will be implementing a new, digitalised Additional Learning Needs tool to be used nationally by Core Education suppliers from October 2025. This tool will identify individual strengths and any additional learning needs, including neurodiversity. It will also suggest practical support strategies and offer guidance relating to potential areas of strength and need.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase sentences on hyper-prolific offenders.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government takes prolific offending extremely seriously, which is why we have asked the independent Sentencing Review to consider how sentences could be reformed to address prolific offending, reduce reoffending, cut crime and ultimately make our streets safer.

Sentencing in individual cases is determined by the court based on the seriousness of the offence: the harm caused (or intended) by the offence and the culpability of the offender. In determining the seriousness of an offence, the court must consider aggravating and mitigating factors.

Previous convictions are a statutory aggravating factor and Sentencing Guidelines are clear that sentencers must consider the nature and relevance of previous convictions, and the time elapsed, including:

• Any trends in offending behaviour, including escalation in seriousness.
• The offender’s likelihood to engage in a community sentence.
• Any underlying need driving offending, which might be better addressed via a community sentence or might tip an offence over the custodial threshold.

For more serious prolific offending, we are clear that custody has a crucial role to play as a robust backstop, within the maximum penalties set out in statute.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether prisoners of male biological sex will be removed from prison units allocated to prisoners of female biological sex.

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

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and has not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 47976 on Prison: Crimes against the Person, if she will provide a further breakdown by nationality.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The number of individuals involved in incidents of an assault on staff within prisons in England and Wales, by nationality, for 2020 to 2024, can be found in the accompanying table.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of first-tier SEND tribunal cases lodged in the most recent year for which data is available; and in how many of those cases was the decision made in favour of the appellant.

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

Information about registered appeals and outcomes to SEND Tribunals is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many inmate deaths have occurred in HMP Parc in the last two years; and what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of inmates in the prison.

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

Every death in custody is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died at Parc.

There were 25 prisoner deaths at HMP Parc between January 2023 and December 2024. This includes 14 deaths by natural causes, 3 that were apparently self-inflicted and 8 other deaths (a category which includes those that were apparently drug-related and those that are currently unexplained)[1].

We are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible. At HMP Parc, we have taken a number of measures to improve safety, including:

• Increased intelligence gathering.

• Additional lock down searches and staff training.

• Making changes to leadership and senior staffing structures.

• Collaborating with colleagues in the Local Health Board, to provide additional mental health and substance misuse support.

HMP Parc remains focused on improving safety, and this is reflected in the action plan developed in response to the recent report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons which will be published in the coming months.

[1] These figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons, but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what guidance they will issue to ensure that prisoners of female biological sex are not searched by prisoner officers of male biological sex.

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

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and have not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.

The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment and policies, including searching in the prison estate, are under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish the outcome of her Department's review into whether protective body armour should be made available to frontline prison staff.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

HM Prison & Probation Service has commissioned an internal review to establish whether it is necessary for our brave and hard-working prison officers to wear Protective Body Armour either routinely or when working in high-risk environments within the prison estate which will report in early June. We will announce the outcome of the review and next steps to be taken following the review’s conclusion.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to appoint a chair to conduct the independent review of the attack on prison officers at HMP Frankland on 12 April 2025; and when the review will conclude.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On Thursday 15 May, we announced the appointment of Jonathan Hall KC as the reviewer of the HMP Frankland Independent Review. The Lord Chancellor has asked for the review to report back promptly, and to leave no stone unturned so we can prevent such an incident ever happening again.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has received reports of (a) instances where inmates have been physically punished for failing to comply with informal interpretations of Sharia law and (b) other forms of (i) coercive violence and (ii) informal disciplinary practices within prisons.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Extremist gang activity is not tolerated in prisons. Staff act swiftly to clamp down on intimidating or threatening behaviour regardless of cultural or religious sensitivities. Anyone who threatens assaults or attempts to control others faces tough sanctions, including time added on to their sentence. Our message is clear: follow the rules or pay for breaking them.

We do not tolerate any attempts by extremists to coerce others. Where we do identify evidence that this may be happening, we take a zero-tolerance approach. We have robust measures in place to manage offenders and prevent them from radicalising others. This includes specialist staff training, monitoring of communications, and targeted interventions, both in custody and upon release, to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies and reduce reoffending.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has received (a) intelligence and (b) operational reports referencing a group known as the Brotherhood; and whether such reports describe that group as exercising (i) influence and (ii) control over other prisoners.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Extremist gang activity is not tolerated in prisons. Staff act swiftly to clamp down on intimidating or threatening behaviour regardless of cultural or religious sensitivities. Anyone who threatens assaults or attempts to control others faces tough sanctions, including time added on to their sentence. Our message is clear: follow the rules or pay for breaking them.

We do not tolerate any attempts by extremists to coerce others. Where we do identify evidence that this may be happening, we take a zero-tolerance approach. We have robust measures in place to manage offenders and prevent them from radicalising others. This includes specialist staff training, monitoring of communications, and targeted interventions, both in custody and upon release, to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies and reduce reoffending.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has received reports on the operation of informal (a) adjudication mechanisms and (b) dispute resolution systems within prisons based on (i) Sharia and (ii) other (A) religious and (B) ideological codes.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Extremist gang activity is not tolerated in prisons. Staff act swiftly to clamp down on intimidating or threatening behaviour regardless of cultural or religious sensitivities. Anyone who threatens assaults or attempts to control others faces tough sanctions, including time added on to their sentence. Our message is clear: follow the rules or pay for breaking them.

We do not tolerate any attempts by extremists to coerce others. Where we do identify evidence that this may be happening, we take a zero-tolerance approach. We have robust measures in place to manage offenders and prevent them from radicalising others. This includes specialist staff training, monitoring of communications, and targeted interventions, both in custody and upon release, to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies and reduce reoffending.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50727 on Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards, what proportion of the respondents to that paper survey selected (a) very good, (b) good, (c) average, (d) poor and (e) very poor in 2023-24.

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

Of the respondents to the paper survey in 2023-34, (a) 53.2% selected very good, (b) 31.0% selected good, (c) 10.0% selected average, (d) 3.3% poor and (e) 2.5% selected very poor.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many a) Separation Centres and b) segregation wings in the prison estate are currently in use; and what is their total available capacity.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

There are three separation centres, all within the Long-Term High Security Estate, with a total capacity of 28 prisoner places. Two are currently operational, and the third is available for use when required.

109 segregation wings or units in the prison estate are currently in use, with a capacity of 1,747 places.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Money Claim Online in delivering civil remedies for small claims legal disputes.

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

Money Claim Online (MCOL) has provided claimants with an electronic means by which to make money claims online since 2002. Including claims made by bulk users, the system handles over 1 million claims per annum.

As part of HMCTS Reform programme, HMCTS has created a new digital service – Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) – which enables users to issue, respond to and manage a claim digitally, including the ability to settle a claim without court intervention and uploading evidence for hearings. OCMC has been available since 2018 and handles around 120,000 claims per year. The OCMC service was recently evaluated with the findings published and available on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/modern-justice-for-all-our-online-civil-money-claims-reformed-service-helps-more-people-settle-disputes-away-from-the-courtroom.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of District Judges in hearing civil litigation cases.

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

I refer the honourable Member to the Department’s evidence to the Justice Select Committee into the work of the County Court, which explained the current capacity for civil cases: Work of the County Court - Committees - UK Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact for her policies of the judgement in R (De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin) on the ability of prison governors to isolate (a) extremist prisoners and (b) prisoners that present a high-risk to officers.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Access to kitchen facilities in Separation Centres and Close Supervision Centres was immediately suspended following the horrific attack at HMP Frankland on 12 April. A rapid review of access to, and use of, self-cook areas across the prison estate, including special units, is due to report with recommendations in June.

R (De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin) concerned an individual placement review decision, rather than general use of Separation Centres. We have continued to refer and place dangerous radicalisers into Separation Centres where they meet the criteria in Rule 46A of the Prison Rules 1999. Our use of Close Supervision Centres, designed to hold the most physically violent and disruptive prisoners, has not been affected.

Specialist counter-terrorism staff undertake regular assessments on the scale and nature of the terrorist threat across HMPPS, including on the radicalisation of inmates by other inmates. Assessments are conducted at establishment level, regional level, and national level to support day-to-day decision making and inform wider strategic priorities.

The Joint Extremism Unit maintains a consolidated list of extremist materials that are banned within the prison estate. This list is shared with relevant teams to ensure these materials are not available to prisoners. Prison Governors also have discretion over additional materials that may not be permitted within their establishments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has recently assessed the (a) scale and (b) nature of the threat from (i) Islamist and (ii) far-right prisoners radicalising other inmates.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Access to kitchen facilities in Separation Centres and Close Supervision Centres was immediately suspended following the horrific attack at HMP Frankland on 12 April. A rapid review of access to, and use of, self-cook areas across the prison estate, including special units, is due to report with recommendations in June.

R (De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin) concerned an individual placement review decision, rather than general use of Separation Centres. We have continued to refer and place dangerous radicalisers into Separation Centres where they meet the criteria in Rule 46A of the Prison Rules 1999. Our use of Close Supervision Centres, designed to hold the most physically violent and disruptive prisoners, has not been affected.

Specialist counter-terrorism staff undertake regular assessments on the scale and nature of the terrorist threat across HMPPS, including on the radicalisation of inmates by other inmates. Assessments are conducted at establishment level, regional level, and national level to support day-to-day decision making and inform wider strategic priorities.

The Joint Extremism Unit maintains a consolidated list of extremist materials that are banned within the prison estate. This list is shared with relevant teams to ensure these materials are not available to prisoners. Prison Governors also have discretion over additional materials that may not be permitted within their establishments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has issued to prison governors a consolidated list of extremist material banned in prisons.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Access to kitchen facilities in Separation Centres and Close Supervision Centres was immediately suspended following the horrific attack at HMP Frankland on 12 April. A rapid review of access to, and use of, self-cook areas across the prison estate, including special units, is due to report with recommendations in June.

R (De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin) concerned an individual placement review decision, rather than general use of Separation Centres. We have continued to refer and place dangerous radicalisers into Separation Centres where they meet the criteria in Rule 46A of the Prison Rules 1999. Our use of Close Supervision Centres, designed to hold the most physically violent and disruptive prisoners, has not been affected.

Specialist counter-terrorism staff undertake regular assessments on the scale and nature of the terrorist threat across HMPPS, including on the radicalisation of inmates by other inmates. Assessments are conducted at establishment level, regional level, and national level to support day-to-day decision making and inform wider strategic priorities.

The Joint Extremism Unit maintains a consolidated list of extremist materials that are banned within the prison estate. This list is shared with relevant teams to ensure these materials are not available to prisoners. Prison Governors also have discretion over additional materials that may not be permitted within their establishments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she has taken to suspend the use of kitchen facilities in Separation Centres within prisons.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Access to kitchen facilities in Separation Centres and Close Supervision Centres was immediately suspended following the horrific attack at HMP Frankland on 12 April. A rapid review of access to, and use of, self-cook areas across the prison estate, including special units, is due to report with recommendations in June.

R (De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin) concerned an individual placement review decision, rather than general use of Separation Centres. We have continued to refer and place dangerous radicalisers into Separation Centres where they meet the criteria in Rule 46A of the Prison Rules 1999. Our use of Close Supervision Centres, designed to hold the most physically violent and disruptive prisoners, has not been affected.

Specialist counter-terrorism staff undertake regular assessments on the scale and nature of the terrorist threat across HMPPS, including on the radicalisation of inmates by other inmates. Assessments are conducted at establishment level, regional level, and national level to support day-to-day decision making and inform wider strategic priorities.

The Joint Extremism Unit maintains a consolidated list of extremist materials that are banned within the prison estate. This list is shared with relevant teams to ensure these materials are not available to prisoners. Prison Governors also have discretion over additional materials that may not be permitted within their establishments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many barring orders have been made by family courts to prevent a parent from applying for child arrangements orders where (a) rape and (b) domestic abuse have been cited as the reason in each of the last five years for which data is available.

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

Data on the number of barring orders made in the family courts and on the number of applications made to strip people convicted of rape and other serious crime of their parental responsibility are not held.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications have been made to the courts to strip people convicted of (a) rape and (b) other serious crime of their parental responsibility in each of the last five years.

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

Data on the number of barring orders made in the family courts and on the number of applications made to strip people convicted of rape and other serious crime of their parental responsibility are not held.

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Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the powers of traffic commissioners.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Traffic Commissioners perform important and independent regulatory, compliance and tribunal roles for the road freight and public transport sectors. A functional review conducted by the Ministry of Justice, published in May 2023, found the function generally effective and offered proposals for improvement. My Department are considering these alongside other reform options.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to establish an international register of damage caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a founding member and Chair of the Conference of Participants for the Register of Damage for Ukraine, which allows Ukrainians to record losses, injury, or damage suffered as a result of the war. In March, the Board took several steps to increase access to justice: they launched six new claims categories, concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to enable claimants to access legal support free of charge, and signed an agreement that sets a framework for the Register to access evidence gathered by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

The UK is also engaged in international efforts to establish a Claims Commission for Ukraine that would assess the claims submitted under the Register of Damage. On 24-26 March, we joined the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee as a next step towards agreeing the institutional structure and mandate of such a mechanism.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on funding for initiatives tracking stolen Ukrainian children in temporarily occupied territories.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK works closely with our allies, including the US, on this issue. The UK has funded 'Save Ukraine', a non-governmental organisation which helps to return Ukrainian children, and 'Bring Kids Back UA' through The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine. In March, I met representatives from both organisations, alongside Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa and senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, to discuss child deportation. The UK has issued three sanctions packages targeting those attempting to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children. We are also a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to help increase conviction rates for violence against women in rural areas.

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

We have set out an unprecedented mission to halve the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. That means working across Government to tackle threats to women's safety in all areas of their lives and across the country, including in rural areas. We will set out concrete measures to halving VAWG in a new cross-Government VAWG strategy, which we are aiming to publish before summer recess. We are working closely with the Ministry of Justice and other partners as part of improving the criminal justice response to VAWG.

Our new National Policing Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, in which we are investing £13.1 million, will seek to drive national coordination and improvement in forces response to VAWG crimes. This includes delivering our manifesto commitment for strengthened specialist training for officers across all areas of the country to ensure that they offer consistent protection for victims and relentlessly pursue perpetrators.

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Found: SIS), the Security Service (MI5) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)); the Ministry of Justice

Found: Administration of Justice Directorate Policy, Communications and Analysis Group Ministry of Justice

Found: the Judicial Office but operates independently of the rest of the Judicial Office and the Ministry of Justice