Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) what is the intended timeline for publication of the Older Prisoners Strategy and (b) what engagement his department intends to undertake with end of life care providers relating to the health care of older prisoners to inform the development of this strategy.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice is taking forward the development of an Older Prisoners Strategy, in line with the recommendation of the recent Independent Sentencing Review. As part of this work the Department is engaging closely with NHS England, health and social care partners, third sector organisations, academics and scrutiny bodies. This includes engagement with providers, organisations and practitioners involved in end of life and palliative care, alongside consideration of frameworks such as the Dying Well in Custody Charter. This engagement is helping to inform how services can better meet the needs of older prisoners, including those approaching the end of their lives.
A decision on publication of the strategy will be taken in due course.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will increase the rates paid to family mediators who offer legally aided mediation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid and mediation plays in supporting individuals to resolve their family disputes. We know that the civil and family legal aid market, including family mediation, is facing challenges and we are taking steps to address these.
We are undertaking a programme to transform the delivery of legal aid and the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) systems over this Parliament. The programme seeks to deliver flexible, secure services designed around the end-to-end legal aid user journey and to reduce administrative burdens for legal aid providers.
Last year, the Government spent £854 million on family legal aid, and we continue to keep family legal aid policy under review.
Alongside legal aid, we are also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs.
The LAA does not hold information about the number of individual mediators able to provide family legal aid mediation services as it contracts with providers at an organisational level. The LAA publishes data on the number of contracted providers delivering legal aid services as part of its official statistics - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2025. Statistics for the most recent published period show there are 87 providers with a family mediation contract. Although contracts may be linked to a single office, mediation providers operate multiple outreach arrangements through which services are delivered. Unlike other civil categories of law there are no defined geographic procurement areas, so providers can operate across England and Wales. Some providers include large numbers of outreach locations on their schedules, in some cases running into the hundreds. Details of the outreach locations for each mediation provider can be found in the published Directory of Legal Aid Providers - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.
Procurement for legal aid contracts, including family mediation contracts, is operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This means providers can apply for a contract or expand their services at any time, rather than waiting for a fixed tender period. This flexible approach is designed to maintain and grow the supply of legal aid services by encouraging further supply into the market, alongside quicker process times for bids and simplified documentation, reducing barriers to entry.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help tackle the shortage of legal aid providers in the area of family mediation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid and mediation plays in supporting individuals to resolve their family disputes. We know that the civil and family legal aid market, including family mediation, is facing challenges and we are taking steps to address these.
We are undertaking a programme to transform the delivery of legal aid and the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) systems over this Parliament. The programme seeks to deliver flexible, secure services designed around the end-to-end legal aid user journey and to reduce administrative burdens for legal aid providers.
Last year, the Government spent £854 million on family legal aid, and we continue to keep family legal aid policy under review.
Alongside legal aid, we are also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs.
The LAA does not hold information about the number of individual mediators able to provide family legal aid mediation services as it contracts with providers at an organisational level. The LAA publishes data on the number of contracted providers delivering legal aid services as part of its official statistics - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2025. Statistics for the most recent published period show there are 87 providers with a family mediation contract. Although contracts may be linked to a single office, mediation providers operate multiple outreach arrangements through which services are delivered. Unlike other civil categories of law there are no defined geographic procurement areas, so providers can operate across England and Wales. Some providers include large numbers of outreach locations on their schedules, in some cases running into the hundreds. Details of the outreach locations for each mediation provider can be found in the published Directory of Legal Aid Providers - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.
Procurement for legal aid contracts, including family mediation contracts, is operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This means providers can apply for a contract or expand their services at any time, rather than waiting for a fixed tender period. This flexible approach is designed to maintain and grow the supply of legal aid services by encouraging further supply into the market, alongside quicker process times for bids and simplified documentation, reducing barriers to entry.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with the Family Mediation Council to promote the value of family mediation to separating and divorcing couples.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Family Mediation Council (FMC) to ensure that the information provided to all eligible couples when they enter the Family Court system regarding the benefits of non-court dispute resolution, including family mediation, is complete and up to date.
The Ministry of Justice and the FMC also work together to facilitate and support the use of family mediation more generally, for example by ensuring that guidance remains useful and effective.
Information on non-court dispute resolution including mediation, is included as part of the recently updated Gov.UK pages and online tools designed to help separating parents: Making child arrangements if you divorce or separate: Other ways to agree without going to court - GOV.UK.
The Ministry of Justice has co-operated with the FMC to ensure the effective running of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which requires participating mediators to be accredited by the FMC. This scheme gives all those who qualify, including separating and divorcing couples, a £500 single-use voucher to spend on family mediation, provided that their dispute or application involves a child.
Since the scheme was established in 2021, 58,670 vouchers have been approved (as of 18 June 2026).
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he will take to improve access to legally aided family mediation for couples who are separating or divorcing.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid and mediation plays in supporting individuals to resolve their family disputes. We know that the civil and family legal aid market, including family mediation, is facing challenges and we are taking steps to address these.
We are undertaking a programme to transform the delivery of legal aid and the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) systems over this Parliament. The programme seeks to deliver flexible, secure services designed around the end-to-end legal aid user journey and to reduce administrative burdens for legal aid providers.
Last year, the Government spent £854 million on family legal aid, and we continue to keep family legal aid policy under review.
Alongside legal aid, we are also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs.
The LAA does not hold information about the number of individual mediators able to provide family legal aid mediation services as it contracts with providers at an organisational level. The LAA publishes data on the number of contracted providers delivering legal aid services as part of its official statistics - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2025. Statistics for the most recent published period show there are 87 providers with a family mediation contract. Although contracts may be linked to a single office, mediation providers operate multiple outreach arrangements through which services are delivered. Unlike other civil categories of law there are no defined geographic procurement areas, so providers can operate across England and Wales. Some providers include large numbers of outreach locations on their schedules, in some cases running into the hundreds. Details of the outreach locations for each mediation provider can be found in the published Directory of Legal Aid Providers - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.
Procurement for legal aid contracts, including family mediation contracts, is operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This means providers can apply for a contract or expand their services at any time, rather than waiting for a fixed tender period. This flexible approach is designed to maintain and grow the supply of legal aid services by encouraging further supply into the market, alongside quicker process times for bids and simplified documentation, reducing barriers to entry.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family mediators are currently recorded by the Legal Aid agency as registered to provide legally-aided family mediation.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid and mediation plays in supporting individuals to resolve their family disputes. We know that the civil and family legal aid market, including family mediation, is facing challenges and we are taking steps to address these.
We are undertaking a programme to transform the delivery of legal aid and the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) systems over this Parliament. The programme seeks to deliver flexible, secure services designed around the end-to-end legal aid user journey and to reduce administrative burdens for legal aid providers.
Last year, the Government spent £854 million on family legal aid, and we continue to keep family legal aid policy under review.
Alongside legal aid, we are also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs.
The LAA does not hold information about the number of individual mediators able to provide family legal aid mediation services as it contracts with providers at an organisational level. The LAA publishes data on the number of contracted providers delivering legal aid services as part of its official statistics - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2025. Statistics for the most recent published period show there are 87 providers with a family mediation contract. Although contracts may be linked to a single office, mediation providers operate multiple outreach arrangements through which services are delivered. Unlike other civil categories of law there are no defined geographic procurement areas, so providers can operate across England and Wales. Some providers include large numbers of outreach locations on their schedules, in some cases running into the hundreds. Details of the outreach locations for each mediation provider can be found in the published Directory of Legal Aid Providers - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers.
Procurement for legal aid contracts, including family mediation contracts, is operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This means providers can apply for a contract or expand their services at any time, rather than waiting for a fixed tender period. This flexible approach is designed to maintain and grow the supply of legal aid services by encouraging further supply into the market, alongside quicker process times for bids and simplified documentation, reducing barriers to entry.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that members of the public seeking to use family mediation are aware of the importance of selecting a mediator with Family Mediation Council accreditation.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all those engaging in mediation can obtain the services of a suitably qualified mediator and has recently confirmed continued funding for the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme.
This scheme gives all those who qualify, including separating and divorcing couples, a £500 single use voucher to spend on family mediation, provided that their dispute or application involves a child. The mediation can only be carried out by Family Mediators who are accredited by the Family Mediation Council.
Since the scheme was established in 2021, 58,670 vouchers have been approved (as of 18 June 2026).
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the Access to Nature Green Paper includes provisions for increased public access to unregulated inland waterways.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors and the benefits of blue spaces for people’s health and wellbeing.
As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Defra will explore the feasibility of increasing access onto unregulated inland waterways and will consult on this in the Access to Nature Green Paper to be published during this Parliamentary term. Defra is committed to working with stakeholders as this work develops.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential economic contribution of recreational paddlesport to local economies; and what steps she is taking to protect access to waterways used by paddlers in the Clean Water Bill.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including taking part in paddlesport.
We know our waterways are vital for keeping the country active, which is why we are committed to protecting them so they remain clean, safe, and accessible for everyone.
The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system. Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regulation, improve water quality and tackle pollution at source, as set out in the Water White Paper. Targeted engagement is already taking place with stakeholders across the water sector to support policy development.
The Government also recently designated 13 new bathing waters, including six river sites. Designated bathing waters are regularly monitored during the bathing season, and water quality results are published on the Swimfo website. This helps to protect public health, allowing individuals to make more informed decisions about when and where to enter the water.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many prisons in England have undertaken voluntary self-assessment against the Dying Well in Custody Charter since 2024, and (b) what plans are in place to ensure that the Charter is implemented consistently by all prisons and prison healthcare providers, as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer, and how implementation will be monitored.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
HM Prison & Probation Service, in partnership with the NHS, has revised the Dying Well in Custody Charter Self-Assessment Toolkit. This voluntary toolkit includes good practice examples and is designed to support local partnership activity.
Information on how many prisons have undertaken voluntary self-assessment using the toolkit is not held centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice is developing an Older Prisoners Strategy which will include advice on arrangements for supporting elderly prisoners including end of life care.