Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Davies-Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

2. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the handling of sexual offences committed by healthcare professionals in the criminal justice system.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

I thank my hon. Friend for asking that very important question. I want to reassure her, the House and anyone else who is listening that the Government take sexual offending extremely seriously, no matter who the perpetrator may be—a physician, a celebrity, or anyone else—and it must be dealt with appropriately by the criminal justice system. In our strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we have committed to preventing these awful crimes, pursuing perpetrators and supporting the victims. We have signed up to this commitment across Government, and that includes the Health Secretary.

[Dr Sullivan]

My constituent Sarah Johnson showed remarkable courage in helping to convict a physiotherapist who sexually assaulted her and other women in his care. Her case raised serious questions about how a practitioner who was subject to regulatory restrictions and was later suspended from practice was able to remain employed by the NHS and in contact with patients. Will the Minister work with the Department of Health and Social Care to strengthen the regulations, so that those who are under investigation for sexual offences cannot continue to have contact with patients, and will she meet the survivors and me to discuss the matter further?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I will gladly meet my hon. Friend and the survivors, and let me put on record my thanks to Sarah for her remarkable courage in coming forward to describe her horrific experience. We will of course continue to engage with colleagues across Government, particularly those in the Department of Health and Social Care, to ensure that anyone who abuses his or her position of trust and influence is held to account, and I look forward to meeting my hon. Friend and Sarah.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

An issue that crops up regularly in Northern Ireland is the searching of the £400 million digital patient record system by healthcare staff, some 30 of whom have been able to gain access to information and data through the system. What discussions has the Minister had, or will she have, with the Northern Ireland Assembly—and, in particular, with the relevant Minister—to ensure that appropriate penalties are in place to deter healthcare staff from accessing confidential patient records without authorisation?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

This issue is of grave concern to the Government, in England and Wales but more broadly across the United Kingdom. Anyone accessing records without the appropriate permission and level of security should be held accountable. As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill is in the other place, and although the new offence of misconduct in public office does not apply to frontline NHS workers, I have had conversations with the Health Secretary about how we can apply nuance in the case of people accessing records without permission. It causes immense distress to victims and bereaved families, and I will be sure to raise the matter with my counterparts across the United Kingdom.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

3. Whether he is taking steps to reform the family court system.

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[Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)]

21. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls through the criminal justice system.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

The Government are taking end-to-end action to transform the justice system’s response to violence against women and girls in a truly cross-Government effort. Our strategy sets out how we will achieve this by preventing these crimes, pursuing perpetrators and supporting victims.

[Rachel Blake]

I thank the Minister for setting out comprehensively the Government’s end-to-end approach. The Minister will know all too well the evidence around how difficult it is for women to bring forward sexual assault and sexual violence cases. Can the Minister explain how the Government will make courts safe for victims and survivors so that they are not subject to unfair treatment in court?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this very important and timely question. I want to be clear that rape myths and stereotypes have no place in our courts and that victims should never ever feel as though they are the ones on trial. Through our Courts and Tribunals Bill, which is in the other place, we are taking action to stop rape myths from being weaponised in court by ensuring that any previous allegations of rape made by a victim or the fact that they have claimed compensation cannot be unfairly used as evidence in favour of the accused. We are also introducing independent legal advisers for all adult victims of rape and are advancing with our plans for specialist rape and sexual abuse courts for victims.

[Kirsteen Sullivan]

Eighteen months ago a woman in my constituency was assaulted at a local train station, but with limited CCTV footage no charges were brought forward. This trauma was compounded by a lack of victim-centred support from British Transport police, with my constituent left feeling belittled and ignored. As we approach this year’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, what discussion is the Minister having with the Department for Transport to ensure that the voices of women and girls are heard and not dismissed?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

My hon. Friend raises a very important point. Victims should be listened to, believed and supported, and the Government are committed to ensuring that every single victim of sexual offending feels heard, supported and able to access the information and specialist support services that they need. As part of our flagship strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we are committed to preventing these awful crimes, as I have said, and this is a commitment that we are signed up to across Government, including with the Department for Transport. I regularly meet with my counterparts in that Department and others to ensure that the Departments are joined up in our approach to tackle these crimes wherever they exist.

[Alison Griffiths (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) (Con)]

This Government’s early release scheme has put 80,000 criminals back on our streets. They have gone on to commit crimes again and again. Last year, more serious violent and sexual crimes were committed by ex-offenders than in any previous year on record, and around 40 prisoners a day now leave prison homeless. If the Government will continue to release unrehabilitated criminals on to our streets, why have they allowed 11 probation hostels—the very places meant to supervise them—to close under their watch?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I will take no lectures from the Conservative party, who left us in this position in the first place, with the result that we have had to make these difficult decisions to keep all our citizens safe. The Government remain steadfast in our commitment to halve violence against women and girls, and the safety of victims and the communities we represent remains central to release decisions. Any offender released from prison will be controlled under strict licensing conditions in the community. We are contacting every affected victim where possible and investing £18.9 million in additional support, including a new national helpline, which I had the privilege of visiting in person last week.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

Domestic violence campaigners and charities, including Kaleidoscopic UK, have warned that post-separation abuse is too often missed by the justice system. How many more victims must be failed before the Government take action to ensure that post-separation abuse is properly recognised across policing, prosecution and the courts?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of post-separation abuse. I hope he will have heard the answer from my hon. Friend the Minister responsible for sentencing and family courts about our strategy to tackle this issue. Domestic abuse protection orders are a flagship policy of this Government, which we are rolling out nationally later this month. They are our strongest ever protective order, and I will happily work with him, stakeholders and victims and survivors to see what more we can do to strengthen support for those experiencing post-separation abuse.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Justice Secretary.

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

The Russell Brand verdict surprised nobody, and all those who allowed his behaviour to go unchecked should reflect on their own culpability. The truth is emerging also about Mohamed al-Fayed; David Walliams remained anonymous for years thanks to an injunction; and there are many similar cases. Following the attack by Brand’s barrister on journalists who reported similar allegations concerning different victims before the case began, what will the Government do to prevent these abuses of process, and stop the abusive injunctions and super-injunctions, which stop scrutiny, accountability and the work of the free press?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank the shadow Secretary of State for raising these important issues. All the perpetrators he named are individuals whom the Government have concerns about, and we are working with many of the victims and survivors directly. Just yesterday, I met yet another victim of Fayed who had come forward to me with serious allegations and concerns that the processes have not been appropriately followed.

I reassure the shadow Secretary of State that the Government are determined to do all we can to ensure that anyone who is a perpetrator of these crimes is held to the full force of the law. That includes looking at what we can do regarding injunctions. He will know that applications to the courts for privacy injunctions are considered independently, and it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment; however, we are concerned about their use. My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Courts and Legal Services is looking at what more we can do on strategic lawsuits against public participation injunctions—we have already taken action on non-disclosure agreements for sexual abuse cases, as the hon. Member will know—and to prevent abuse of process throughout the judicial system.

[Nick Timothy]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Sarah Steele was strangled and allegedly sexually assaulted by a US fighter pilot based at RAF Lakenheath. Like in several other cases, some involving child abuse, jurisdiction was wrongly handed to the Americans, with defendants facing a jury of US service personnel. The NATO treaty and the law say that in such cases, our police, prosecutors and courts should be in charge. Victims report charged suspects being free to travel without restriction, dubious acquittals, lighter punishments, and perpetrators potentially avoiding the sex offenders register. I have written to the Justice Secretary about this several times, and so far the replies have been quite general. Will the Government legislate so that any decision to surrender jurisdiction must be approved by an individual Minister?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

The case at RAF Lakenheath, and others that have subsequently come to light, are extremely concerning. As the Minister responsible for international justice and the rule of law, I take the issue extremely seriously. Decisions on jurisdiction are made by the relevant police force in response to the claim by a visiting police force, and should be taken in accordance with the Visiting Forces Act 1952. However, following that case, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council has written to all forces to remind them of their responsibilities under that Act. We must ensure that such cases are heard in the correct jurisdiction. I reassure the shadow Secretary of State that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence are also engaging with the United States on the matter. I will happily work across party lines and across Government Departments to see what more we can do to protect victims.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Jess Brown-Fuller (Chichester) (LD)]

It is rare that we can achieve cross-party consensus in this place, but I think we have consensus that no party here would want to see rich and powerful men abusing our justice system to silence the voices of victims of violence against women and girls. Eleanor de Freitas took her own life in 2014 after being privately prosecuted for allegedly making a false rape accusation. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women found that the UK violated Eleanor’s rights. Will the Minister please consider Eleanor’s law to ensure that prosecutions concerning allegedly false reports of rape and sexual violence can be brought only by public prosecuting authorities?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I will certainly look into the case of Eleanor’s law and do all I can to prevent such a situation from happening again.

[Jonathan Davies (Mid Derbyshire) (Lab)]

13. What steps his Department is taking to help people who have experienced abuse to access support services.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

My hon. Friend is right to recognise what more we can do to support victims of violence against women and girls. We are investing £550 million in support services over the next three years. Victims seeking support can find local service information through our victim and witness information website. Under the victims code, all victims are entitled to a referral to victim support services to aid their recovery.

[Jonathan Davies]

Victims of coercion, abuse and assault have been very much in the news recently, but there are many such victims whose stories will never reach the headlines, including a constituent who came to see me. Her case went to court and the defendant was found not guilty, as is the case in many such prosecutions. She would like to get the transcript from that prosecution to help her process what happened and to access support services, but she has been quoted many thousands of pounds to access that transcript. Will the Government look to make these transcripts cheaper—or, even better, free—so that people in such circumstances can get the help they need?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important point. It is vital that victims and survivors get closure from their cases. Victims of rape and other sexual offences, and bereaved families of homicide, can access their free sentencing remarks transcripts. Our ambition is that, from spring 2027, we will extend this free provision to all victims in Crown court cases, and we are exploring how AI can provide transcripts more quickly and cost-effectively while representing a true and accurate reflection of the case.

[Dr Danny Chambers (Winchester) (LD)]

My constituent, Mackenzie, who is a pupil at Peter Symonds sixth-form college in Winchester and is here in the Gallery today, has been campaigning really hard on the issue of catcalling and the intimidation and abuse of women in public spaces. Would the Minister mind laying out what support we are giving, and what we are doing to address the intimidation of women in public spaces?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank the hon. Gentleman’s constituent and welcome her to this place. I applaud her campaigning on this really important issue. The Government are determined to tackle misogyny wherever it exists, and the hon. Gentleman will be aware that, in the Budget, the Chancellor announced £15 million of support for the Minister for Women and Equalities’ misogyny taskforce to tackle these issues head-on. Earlier today, I had the privilege of attending the first cross-departmental ministerial taskforce on this issue, looking at how best we can tackle misogyny wherever it occurs, because we know that misogyny is the issue that radicalises and causes extremism in the issue of violence against women and girls.

[Mr Paul Foster (South Ribble) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

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[Vikki Slade (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (LD)]

Last week the Justice Committee heard harrowing testimony about the tragic deaths of 14-year-old Ruth Szymankiewicz, 15-year-old Gabriel Santer and 23-year-old Matthew Caseby from their parents. These are all utterly tragic cases, but only one of them led to a prevention of future deaths case, and even then there is no enforcement of them. Will the Minister commit to reviewing the situation so that when the words “lessons learned” are said, families actually believe them?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

I welcome this question and the important point raised by the hon. Lady. I welcome the work that the Justice Committee is doing in this space to look at the prevention of future deaths reports to see what more we can do to ensure they are enforceable, responded to and acted upon. The Government are determined to ensure accountability at all levels on prevention of future deaths reports, and I look forward to laying out my position to the Committee soon.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

T9. Probation officers like those who work at Harlow probation office do crucial work rehabilitating those who are released from prison and ensuring that our communities are safe. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we recruit more probation officers and to ensure that they have the skills needed to do that vital work?

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[Alex Davies-Jones]

I want to place on the record my thanks to all the victims of Russell Brand for speaking out so bravely, some of them at huge personal cost as well—that is important for this House to recognise. The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of super-injunctions, injunctions and SLAPPs, as we have previously heard, being used by powerful perpetrators to hide their abuse in plain sight. I am keen to work with him and anyone else in this House to ensure that these are not abused or taken for granted. He will know, however, that some of these injunctions are independently assessed; it is not for the Government to comment on them. However, I am clear that any action we can take to prevent violence against women and girls should be taken.

[Connor Naismith (Crewe and Nantwich) (Lab)]

T10. Many victims of domestic abuse are unfortunately still falling through the cracks of our justice system as a result of capital means-testing of legal aid. Will the Justice Secretary look to move forward with the recommendation of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to remove capital means-testing for all victims of domestic abuse going through family court proceedings?

[Sir John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)]

There is a close association between domestic violence and animal cruelty. My constituent Annette Bramley’s daughter Holly was murdered by a wicked husband. The Government are working on this, but may I ask them to meet me, Annette and others to look at what further steps can be taken to establish that link and do something about it?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising this. Along with my good friend the Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones), I have been looking at what more we can do here. He is right that there is a correlation between animal abuse and domestic abuse, and abuse of individuals in general, and I would happily meet him to see what more we can do to tackle this.

[Henry Tufnell (Mid and South Pembrokeshire) (Lab)]

Probation services play a vital role in protecting the public, reducing reoffending and supporting rehabilitation. As the UK and Welsh Governments review probation governance in Wales, can the Lord Chancellor update the House on how he is working with the Welsh Government to better integrate probation with devolved services, to strengthen public safety in communities such as mine in Pembrokeshire?

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[Ayoub Khan (Birmingham Perry Barr) (Ind)]

Birmingham and Solihull coroner’s service is still not meeting the expectations of its residents. Will the Minister meet me to see how we could improve the service, which is impacting so many communities?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I am aware of issues with coronial services across England and Wales. I regularly meet the chief coroner to discuss this and what more we can do to reduce the backlog. Our coroners perform vital services in their communities, and I want to reassure the hon. Member that the Government are committed to reducing this backlog and giving coroners the support and guidance they need to carry out their vital work.

[Andrew Ranger (Wrexham) (Lab)]

My constituent Tom Hughes, the owner of Red Dragon’s Vault in Wrexham, has repeatedly had his shop targeted by antisocial behaviour, with objects thrown at the window and customers being subjected to abuse. Rather than responding with anger, he is responding with hope, working with local youth organisations to support young people and provide them with more activities and opportunities. Does the Minister agree that while we must be tough on those committing antisocial behaviour, we must also be tough on its causes, such as the lack of youth opportunity?

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[Ben Lake (Ceredigion Preseli) (PC)]

Will the Minister meet me to discuss the possible addition of assault in cases of grievous bodily harm to schedule 5 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003? That seems to be the only pathway to justice for a constituent of mine who, despite being the victim of a brutal attack, saw the case against their alleged assailant withdrawn just days before trial because of the erroneous decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to offer any evidence in support of prosecution.

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I am so sorry to hear of the situation that the hon. Gentleman’s constituent finds themselves in. I would be delighted to meet him to discuss this issue and to see what more we can do to support victims in that situation.

[Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)]

I recently visited Central Jamia mosque in Southall Green, where I heard about delays in the coroners courts system. In particular, the lack of post-mortem scanning machines locally means that people need to drive to Oxford, causing further delays. What work is the Minister doing with the Muslim community and other faiths to allow them to bury family members according to their religion?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this very important issue. I know that this matter concerns Members across the House and outside this place. I have met representatives from the Muslim and Jewish communities to see what more we can do to help them to bury their loved ones in a timely manner while working with coroners to expedite inquests, and I am happy to work across parties and across faiths to see what more we can do to make that a reality.

[Dr Danny Chambers (Winchester) (LD)]

The sentencing of Russell Brand yesterday for his terrible violence against women has had people reflecting on a book he wrote several years ago, in which he said that he repeatedly lured his dog upstairs and kicked it down the stairs again. That is just the latest high-profile example of violence against animals being an indicator of someone who will go on to commit violence against women and children. I know that the Minister cares very much about this issue, so will she meet me and relevant stakeholders and researchers to discuss it?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I happily extend to the hon. Gentleman the invitation I gave previously to the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes), and the commitment I made to look at what more we can do regarding the correlation between animal abuse and physical abuse.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

Over 60% of people in prison have speech, language or communication needs. Effective rehabilitation must be holistic. To prevent reoffending and provide support, it is paramount that we address not only the offending behaviour, but the underlying communication, health, education and social needs. What steps is my hon. Friend the Minister taking to ensure that access to speech and language therapists and other allied health professionals is available in prison?