Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of criminal court compensation orders; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve the recovery of compensation awarded to victims of fraud.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The effectiveness of the enforcement of all financial penalties, including all criminal compensation orders is constantly under review.
HMCTS is taking action to improve the collection and enforcement of criminal compensation orders as part of the improvements to financial penalties more generally, and this includes compensation orders made to victims of fraud. For example, HMCTS is already investing over £14 million to replace an outdated IT system used to support the collection and enforcement of financial penalties. Although the functionality of the modernised system will initially be largely like for like, it will provide HMCTS with a stable foundation for more sophisticated technology features to be delivered in the future to provide further improvements to increase collections.
Court-imposed financial penalties are enforced as a whole, with payments distributed according to a statutory order of priority. This ensures the compensation is paid first to victims, followed by the victim surcharge, before any payments are applied to fines or other financial impositions.
HMCTS reports on compensation through the HMCTS Trust Statement, which is published annually on GOV.UK: HM Courts & Tribunals Service Trust Statement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms are available to victims to challenge or seek review of enforcement activity where a court-ordered compensation award has remained unpaid for an extended period.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no statutory mechanism through which victims can formally challenge or seek a review of enforcement activity relating to an unpaid compensation order. However, compensation orders are given the highest priority in the enforcement process, and all appropriate enforcement options are considered to maximise the prospect of recovery.
Court-imposed financial penalties are enforced as a whole, with payments distributed according to a statutory order of priority. This ensures the compensation is paid first to victims, followed by the victim surcharge, before any payments are applied to fines or other financial impositions.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HM Courts and Tribunals Service has a procedure for escalating cases where a compensation order has remained wholly unpaid for more than two years despite repeated enquiries from the victim.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no specific escalation process for cases where a compensation order has remained unpaid for more than two years. However, HMCTS takes the recovery and enforcement of all financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of sanctions to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties.
Court-imposed financial penalties are enforced as a whole, with payments distributed according to a statutory order of priority. This ensures the compensation is paid first to victims, followed by the victim surcharge, before any payments are applied to fines or other financial impositions.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance HM Courts and Tribunals Service provides to victims seeking updates on the enforcement of compensation orders; and what service standards apply to responding to such enquiries.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Victims can be informed about the amount of compensation awarded, payments received, and any outstanding balance. HMCTS may also explain the enforcement options available where payment has not been made. However, specific enforcement activity and personal information relating to the defendant cannot be disclosed due to legal and operational requirements including the administration of justice and data protection compliance.
There are currently no formal service standards or published guidelines setting out response times for general enquiries. However, the expectation is that enquiries will normally receive a response within five working days. Where a matter is submitted as a formal complaint, a defined service standard applies and a response should be issued within ten working days.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals have been the victims of homicide abroad in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the case for appointing an Envoy for Complex Consular Homicides, given the recent appointment of an Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Terms of Reference for the UK Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions are published on GOV.UK. The Envoy's remit is limited to cases involving consular detention overseas and does not extend to non-detention consular cases.
We provide support to families bereaved by homicide through a specialist team in Consular and Crisis Directorate.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the remit of the newly appointed Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions extends to cases involving the homicide of British nationals abroad.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Terms of Reference for the UK Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions are published on GOV.UK. The Envoy's remit is limited to cases involving consular detention overseas and does not extend to non-detention consular cases.
We provide support to families bereaved by homicide through a specialist team in Consular and Crisis Directorate.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the index used to calculate interest rates on Plan 2 student loans.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government, and the costs were based on the RPI measure.
In April, interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans were capped at 6% for this academic year, to protect graduates from high interest rates.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that it will bring the methods and data sources used to calculate CPIH into RPI from February 2030.
This Government will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer, but any changes must be fiscally responsible.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of scientifically validated alternatives to the use of dogs in procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage their adoption.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
DSIT’s most recent assessment is set out in its November 2025 strategy, Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. This reports that alternative methods can already replace some uses of animals and that advances including organoids, organ-on-a-chip systems and computational approaches offer significant further potential. However, the maturity and regulatory acceptance of alternatives vary, and scientifically satisfactory non-animal methods are not yet available for all purposes for which dogs are used.
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, a project involving dogs may be authorised only where its purpose cannot be achieved by a scientifically satisfactory method that does not use protected animals. Applicants must demonstrate how they have applied the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement, and the availability of alternatives is considered during the project licence assessment.
DSIT is supporting wider adoption through its £75 million strategy programme, including investment in the development and validation of alternative methods, action to increase regulatory confidence and acceptance, and new infrastructure and partnerships to support their use. This is intended to accelerate the replacement of animal procedures, including those involving dogs, wherever scientifically robust alternatives become available.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness and independence of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in overseeing licensed establishments under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office keeps the effectiveness of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit under review. The Home Office has expanded the inspectorate, introduced additional expertise in data analysis and quality management, and is developing a revised, risk-based audit programme, including greater use of unannounced audits. A new governance board is also being established to provide additional support and scrutiny of regulatory performance, which will be operational later this year.
ASRU is independent in its regulatory decision-making. Its inspectors assess licence applications and compliance matters on their merits, applying scientific and professional judgement within the statutory framework of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. ASRU remains accountable to the Home Office for its overall performance, but Ministers do not direct individual regulatory decisions.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Ofsted on the inspection of multi-academy trusts' handling of permanent exclusions of pupils with special educational needs.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Trust inspection will consider how trusts drive educational quality, and how they contribute to an inclusive, collaborative system. Officials in the department and Ofsted are working together, and with the sector, to ensure the system works well and delivers the benefit that we expect including addressing the needs of pupils with special educational needs.