Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation into increasing inheritance rights for cohabitants will begin; when he expects it to be completed; when he expects proposals based on this consultation to be brought before Parliament; and which piece of legislation he expects the changes to be contained in.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has committed to strengthening the rights of cohabitants and has launched the A Fairer End to Relationships consultation on potential reforms. This consultation includes proposed changes related to inheritance rights to ensure the law reflects modern relationships and family structures.
The consultation, and the responses received, will inform the Government’s approach. Any decision on legislation will be made following the conclusion of the consultation on 14 August 2026 and, if necessary, will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to modernise the Inheritance Act to reflect a) common law partners and b) common law partners whose marriage plans were underway before one of those partners passed away.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
There is no legal status of “common law partners” in England and Wales. Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, cohabitants (where they were living together as if married or in a civil partnership for at least two years) may apply for reasonable financial provision from a deceased partner’s estate.
The Government recognises concerns about the current position and has committed to strengthening the rights of cohabitants. We will consult in due course on potential reforms, including enhancing inheritance rights for cohabitants.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is for the Office of the Standing Advocate in financial years (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
It is important that the Office of the Independent Public Advocate is adequately equipped to deliver its vital function of supporting victims of future major incidents and preparing for these incidents.
The budget for the Independent Public Advocate for 2025/26 is £552k. All future spending will be considered as part of the Department’s allocations process to determine detailed budgets over the spending period. We will explore budgetary requirements with the Advocate once they are in post.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of rehabilitation practices used at HMP Latchmere House on reducing reoffending.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 31 March 2025 to Question 42652.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts and tribunals have been closed since 2015.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Since 2015, 90 courts and 4 tribunals have been permanently closed. All of these closures took place under the previous Government.
The figures do not include integrations, where workload remained in the local area by transferring to another building in close proximity, or courts that are temporarily closed.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Independent Sentencing Review, published on 22 May 2025, whether the introduction of an identifier at sentencing for domestic abuse perpetrators will enable the Government to exclude offenders who have committed domestic abuse from being included in an early release scheme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
On 22 May, the Lord Chancellor set out the Government’s in-principle response to the Independent Sentencing Review’s findings and recommendations, which will help to ensure that prisons never run out of space again and dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets. This includes a recommendation to introduce a statutory requirement for courts to record judicial findings of domestic abuse at sentencing to better identify them.
The Government remains committed to ensuring that this better identification leads to more effective risk management and stronger victim protection, as part of our landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of cases a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The Probation Service is responsible for producing Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) where they have been requested by the Court. The PSR assesses the offender’s behaviour, the risk they pose, and recommends sentencing options tailored to the individual. The report can suggest community sentences and specific requirements like treatment programmes. Ultimately, the PSR provides recommendations to the Court, but the final decision rests with the judge.
The Lord Chancellor has been clear that she wishes to see the widest possible use of pre-sentencing reports and in recent months she has taken steps to ensure that the probation service has more time for vital work such as this.
We cannot provide the proportion of cases where a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013 as obtaining this information would incur disproportionate costs. However, we can provide the number of pre-sentence reports prepared by the Probation Service and presented to the criminal courts in England and Wales.
Year | Number of pre-sentence reports |
2013 | 163,799 |
2014 | 141,932 |
2015 | 159,278 |
2016 | 148,296 |
2017 | 129,642 |
2018 | 113,228 |
2019 | 103,004 |
2020 | 68,077 |
2021 | 88,657 |
2022 | 83,240 |
2023 | 91,368 |
Note, these figures are published every April in Table 6.24 of the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin. The latest figures are available within Probation: 2023 at Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2023 - GOV.UK. Figures for 2024 will be published on 24 April 2025.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of rehabilitation practices in HMP Latchmere House.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
HMP Latchmere House is no longer operational.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to support the Domestic Abuse (Aggravated Offences) Bill.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
This Government was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission.
As discussed during the recent Adjournment Debate on Domestic Abuse Offences, the Government is actively considering various approaches to address the challenges posed by domestic abuse. However, there is a risk that proposals set out in the Domestic Abuse (Aggravated Offences) Bill could unwittingly create a system in which some offences are deemed serious enough to constitute offences that could be aggravated by domestic abuse, whereas other offences in which domestic abuse could play a part are not. For example, we should not return to the outdated view that domestic abuse only involves physical violence.
We recognise the importance of ensuring that the harm caused by offences typically committed against women and girls is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework. The Sentencing Review, chaired by former Lord Chancellor David Gauke, is currently examining the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls. We are committed to engaging with the review to ensure the best outcomes for survivors of domestic abuse.
We agree with the Honourable Member for Eastbourne that it is crucial that we are able to better protect victims of domestic abuse, and I have committed to discuss this with him in more detail.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value is of penalty charges imposed on Serco for underperformance in relation to its electronic tagging contract since November 2023.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Serco’s performance is not good enough, and last year’s backlog of outstanding visits has been substantially reduced. We will continue to hold Serco to account and will not hesitate to impose further contract penalties, where necessary, to drive performance improvement.
The Ministry of Justice believes that the information is commercially sensitive and releasing this information would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.