Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of amending the filtering criteria for DBS checks to automatically exclude sentences of 12 months or under on levels of employment of people with criminal records.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The criminal records regime seeks to strike a balance between providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions and enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.
We are carefully reviewing the evidence in this area before we consider whether adjustments to the regime are necessary or desirable.
In the meantime, we are working hard to support employment of prison leavers. In January, we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions to support offenders into jobs.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43737, if she will share the minutes of those meetings with the hon. Member for Horsham and the Child Trust Fund campaign.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Engagement with The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) was via an exchange of emails so there are no meeting minutes. The exchanges sought any feedback provided to Child Trust Fund providers by parents or carers about: (i) signposting by TISA to the parent and carers toolkit published by the Ministry of Justice in 2023; and (ii) the additional information sent by providers to account holders since February 2024 with the mandatory account statement at age 16. This provides information about mental capacity and the possible need for a parent or carer to make an application to the Court of Protection. No data was available.
An informal meeting took place with UK Finance in April 2025 to explore whether any data was available in relation to Child Trust Fund withdrawals and the process used. No formal minutes were produced but the note taken by officials records that no data was available.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Minister of State for Courts and Justice will meet with the hon. Member for Horsham to discuss the Child Trust Fund campaign.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As he acknowledged in his letter to me dated 02 March 2025, the Hon. Member for Horsham is aware that I am happy to meet with him regarding locked Child Trust Funds.
My office will be in touch to agree a mutually convenient date.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations within the financial industry her Department has consulted with on locked Child Trust Funds since January 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department continues to engage with financial organisations on the issue of Child Trust Funds where the account holder lacks mental capacity to access their account and legal authority is required to enable a parent or carer to access the funds on their behalf.
Since January 2025, the Department has engaged with The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) and UK Finance. The Department has also engaged with a range of stakeholders with interest including One Family and others.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her policy to allow release of Child Trust Funds to family members where those funds are inaccessible to disabled children unable to manage their finances.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund.
On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an application to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on Gov.UK.
We understand that concerns remain. We are considering the options for improving access to matured Child Trust Funds while balancing the need to maintain safeguards and protect the best interests of individuals that lack capacity.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to resolve the issue where Child Trust Funds are inaccessible to disabled children who have been assessed as lacking the mental capacity to manage their own finances.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund.
On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an application to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on Gov.UK.
We understand that concerns remain. We are considering the options for improving access to matured Child Trust Funds while balancing the need to maintain safeguards and protect the best interests of individuals that lack capacity.