Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders are being enforced overseas.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK fully supports the operation of international treaties for the reciprocal (cross border) enforcement of maintenance orders (REMO). Children have the right to care and support and parents have a responsibility to provide it, including when the paying parent and the child are living in different countries. The Government encourages suitable countries to become party to REMO treaties, in particular the 2007 Hague Convention on International Child Support and Family Maintenance.
While the enforcement of orders is a matter for the country of enforcement, the UK raises systemic issues on Hague Conventions at the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Officials regularly discuss individual cases and the country-to-country operation of REMO treaties bilaterally.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential mental health benefits of increasing men’s talking groups within prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Provision of these groups is determined locally by Governors, in partnership with NHS providers, which are responsible for statutory mental health services. The Ministry of Justice has not formally evaluated or assessed the effectiveness of such groups to date.
H M Prison & Probation Service takes an evidence-informed approach to interventions, and recognises the contribution that well-structured peer support can play in rehabilitation.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the ruling by the European Committee of Social Rights entitled ECSR Conclusions XXIII-1, published on 23 January 2026; and if he will end the ban on prison officers striking.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Prison officers work in difficult environments every day, with some of the most challenging people in society. The Government recognises that the work of prison officers is of critical importance in keeping the public safe.
Section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) makes it unlawful for anyone to induce a prison officer to take (or continue to take) industrial action or to commit a breach of discipline. This applies to frontline operational prison staff from Band 3 prison officers to Band 11 governors in England and Wales. Industrial action in prisons, even if only partial, would create unsustainable and significant risks to safety and security. This would in turn impact on the courts, police and public safety. As the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights are potentially relevant to ongoing legal proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment at this time.
HMPPS has a comprehensive engagement and consultation framework in place with the Prison Officer’s Association (POA), as well as dispute resolution processes, which ensures they have the full opportunity to raise any issues affecting their members. This has enabled collective agreement on a range of issues. HMPPS also has the ‘Whitley’ meeting structure in place for raising and escalating matters at both national and local levels and a collectively agreed National Disputes Resolution Procedure, introduced in 2011, which provides a direct route for the POA, including an escalation route to independent conciliation and arbitration, to seek resolution on issues which may impact on the existing terms and conditions of prison officers.
We are committed to ensuring the right of everyone who works in a prison to decent conditions and a fair reward for their hard work, and we believe we can do so without the need for legislative change.
We believe the work of the Prison Service Pay Review Body provides a robust, independent compensatory mechanism. Therefore, we have no plans to review the current legislation. We will continue to engage regularly with our recognised trade unions and welcome the constructive contribution they continue to make in ensuring that the views of staff are fully represented.