Found: Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice Ministry

Found: Pathfinder Programme update Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: agreed that the UK should pursue prosecutions for international crimes: 46 Letter from Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 9 May (HL6996), what progress they have made on each of the actions identified in that answer regarding the role, accessibility and quality of intermediary services.

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

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

We have made good progress on the recommended actions, revising the definition of the RI role in guidance and working with criminal justice organisations and professional bodies such as the Bar Council to improve understanding of how to work with RIs.

We have also streamlined the Witness Intermediary Scheme’s governance and quality assurance arrangements through the creation of a Governance and Standards Board, responsible for both the strategic direction of the Scheme and overseeing the quality of registered intermediary practise.

Demand is growing for registered intermediaries, who play an important part in enabling thousands of vulnerable victims and witnesses to give their best evidence in criminal proceedings. We remain committed to considering how intermediary services are delivered across the justice sector and exploring options for how these might be delivered in future to help inform a better understanding of current usage and future demand for intermediaries across all justice settings.

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.

Found: Nil Return Lord Katz Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Nil Return Nil Return Lord Katz Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Return Alex Davies-Jones Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Return Nil Return Alex Davies-Jones Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Dinner No £147.00 Alex Davies-Jones Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Return Alex Davies-Jones Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Nil Return Lord Cryer Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Council Tickets to the England V France Rugby international at Twickenham No £1,799.00 Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

Found: Letter dated 28/05/2025 from Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede to Lord Keen of Elie and Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames

Found: Letter dated 14/05/2025 from Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede to Lord James regarding the Whiplash Injury (

Found: Letter dated 14/05/2025 from Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede to Lord Sandhurst regarding the Criminal Cases