Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action to lay memorials flat where this can be done safely.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
While the Department is responsible for burial law and policy, the Government does not have day-to-day operational responsibility for burial grounds, which lies instead with providers.
The Government’s guidance documents Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials and Guide for Burial Ground Managers set out best practice for memorial safety inspections, including guidance that laying memorials flat should only occur where necessary and following a risk assessment. The documents also advise burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action, where this does not compromise safety.
Burial authorities are expected to follow this guidance when carrying out inspections. Any concerns or complaints about how inspections have been conducted can be raised directly with the relevant burial authority.
Asked by: Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 16 July (HL9057), whether they now have a timeframe for bringing section 138 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 into effect.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to implementing the provisions in section 138, as soon as practicable.
These provisions will be commenced by regulations at an appropriate time, having regard to any impact on the wider criminal justice system.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support burial authorities in carrying out memorial safety inspections that protect public safety while ensuring compliance with the Ministry of Justice guidance Managing the Safety of Burial Ground Memorials (2009).
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
While the Department is responsible for burial law and policy, the Government does not have day-to-day operational responsibility for burial grounds, which lies instead with providers.
The Government’s guidance documents Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials and Guide for Burial Ground Managers set out best practice for memorial safety inspections, including guidance that laying memorials flat should only occur where necessary and following a risk assessment. The documents also advise burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action, where this does not compromise safety.
Burial authorities are expected to follow this guidance when carrying out inspections. Any concerns or complaints about how inspections have been conducted can be raised directly with the relevant burial authority.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of burial authorities’ adherence to the guidance that laying memorials flat should be used only where necessary following a risk assessment.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
While the Department is responsible for burial law and policy, the Government does not have day-to-day operational responsibility for burial grounds, which lies instead with providers.
The Government’s guidance documents Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials and Guide for Burial Ground Managers set out best practice for memorial safety inspections, including guidance that laying memorials flat should only occur where necessary and following a risk assessment. The documents also advise burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action, where this does not compromise safety.
Burial authorities are expected to follow this guidance when carrying out inspections. Any concerns or complaints about how inspections have been conducted can be raised directly with the relevant burial authority.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is possible for the Welsh Ministers to make His Majesty’s Probation and Prison Service liable to be required to comply with Welsh language standards, pursuant to the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, without the Secretary of State’s consent.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is for Welsh Ministers to specify, in regulations under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, the bodies which the Welsh Language Commissioner may require to comply with Welsh language standards. Where Welsh Ministers seek to provide for standards to apply specifically to a Minister of the Crown, they must obtain the consent of the relevant Secretary of State.
HM Prison & Probation Service has a Welsh Language Scheme (2024-27) which outlines its Welsh language obligations. The scheme, which applies in England as well as Wales, has been approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner, who regulates compliance with Welsh language requirements under the Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available for victims of prisoners mistakenly released from prison.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme is 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 if the offender is released from prison in error and when the offender is returned to custody.
Whilst the Victim Contact Scheme is not a support service, Victim Liaison Officers are responsible for directing and referring victims to sources of additional support where this is appropriate, including national and location victim support services. Under the Victims’ Code, all victims are entitled to be given information about and be referred to victim support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime.
Through the Victims and Courts Bill, we will be updating the legislative framework that establishes the Victim Contact Scheme to bring victims currently served by different post-conviction communication schemes into the Victim Contact Scheme and provide a new route for other victims to request information via a dedicated helpline.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department currently has an English proficiency requirement for prison officers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The prison officer recruitment process assesses English language proficiency at multiple stages, without requiring a separate English test or formal qualifications such as GCSEs at the point of application. The process for recruiting prison officers across all Public Sector Prisons is the same for all applicants, both UK and non-UK nationals, with candidates appointed based on merit, in line with the fair and open Civil Service recruitment principles.
Once candidates have passed the application and online test stages, they are assessed via His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service’s centralised Online Assessment Centre (OAC), which is conducted by trained human assessors who evaluate candidates in real time. Candidates undertake a written assessment, role-play exercises and a structured interview, all designed to assess whether they possess the written and spoken communication skills required for the prison officer role.
The centralised OAC process upholds consistent standards across all applicants and cannot be bypassed through automated or multiple-choice responses alone. This approach ensures that any difficulties in understanding instructions or in expressing responses clearly are identified and reflected in the assessment outcome. The assessment process also includes fitness and medical checks, which are applied to the same standard for all candidates, regardless of nationality.
We continuously evaluate our assessment process for all stages of prison officer recruitment to ensure best practice and integrate improvements appropriately as new tools and methodologies become available. Future changes to the assessment process will continue to assess a candidate’s English proficiency against the communication skills required for the prison officer role and will remain aligned with professional attainment levels used across comparable professions.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason HMP Dartmoor remains closed in the context of the shortage of prison spaces.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Following the temporary closure of HMP Dartmoor in August 2024, after detection of elevated levels of radon gas, we have been working with specialist radon experts to investigate and assess options to allow us to reopen the prison safely.
The decision on reopening will be made based on the viability of the site, the effectiveness of works to reduce levels of radon, and value for money. We need to be satisfied that reopening the prison is justified in the light of a range of considerations, including compliance with legislative requirements, operational viability, and the cost of mitigation measures.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Statement in the House on 11 November 2025, how many personnel from his Department will form the digital rapid response unit.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We plan to allocate up to 15 members of staff to the digital rapid response unit. We will keep this resource allocation under review.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This Department is committed to supporting employees experiencing domestic abuse.
We provide comprehensive advice to these employees and their managers including how to identify abuse, actions which colleagues and managers can take, and links to organisations providing advice and support. Our guidance also covers the actions of perpetrators and how disciplinary action would be implemented.
In August 2025, the Ministry of Justice People and Capability Group launched refreshed pan-Ministry of Justice domestic abuse guidance and support for employees and their managers. This guidance recognises the employer’s duty of care to their employees, making clear what support is available with a clear commitment from the organisation and senior leaders to take the issue seriously.