Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that probate application delays have on the number of empty homes.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Courts & Tribunals service (HMCTS) has not collected data to assess the impact that probate application delays have on the number of empty homes.
However, HMCTS has invested in additional staff and made system and process improvements to reduce waiting times and progress is being made to reduce delays. Official statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show, despite continued high levels of receipts, average waiting times are improving and was 7 weeks, from receipt of the documentation needed, for grants issued during July to September 2024. Management Information published by HMCTS, which undergoes fewer quality checks than Ministry of Justice Official Statistics, shows average waiting times currently stand at 4 weeks, from receipt of the documentation needed to grant issue, for cases completing in December 2024. This in turn is likely to have had a positive impact on the time that housing remains empty. Individual cases may take longer due to a variety of reasons such as family disputes or lack of information, leaving homes empty for extended periods.
Average waiting times for probate grants are routinely published on gov.uk via the Family Court Statistics (Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK) and HMCTS Management Information (HMCTS management information - GOV.UK).
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of appeals to the First-tier Tribunal against local authority decisions relating to special education needs are upheld.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In the Academic Year 2023-24 (the latest period for which statistics have been published), 16,726 appeals were disposed, of which 11,157 appeals had outcomes decided. Of the 11,157 decided, 11,007 were decided in favour of the appellant (upheld1). This represents 66% of all outcomes (conceded, decided and withdrawn) and 99% of the total appeals decided in this Academic Year.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (which administers the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)) is working with colleagues from the Department for Education to understand the increase in Education, Health Care Plans (EHCPs); the increasing demand on the Tribunal; and also, how to improve initial decision making by Local Authorities.
Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.
1Appeals are counted as upheld when the majority of the Local Authority’s decision is overturned.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ministry of Justice policies have been assessed against the Family Test; and whether they have published the outcome of any such assessments.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The Government is committed to supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 we introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by Ministers. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of Family Test assessments completed. There is no requirement for departments to publish the results of assessments made under the Family Test.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison officers have been recruited for England and Wales by the Ministry of Justice since October 2016.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
Between 1 November 2016 and 31 March 2018, 6,268 band 3-5 prison officers joined Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.
The latest set of workforce statistics covering the period to 31 March 2018 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2018.