Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he will recommend the Isle of Man Constitution Bill 2023 for Royal Assent.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The UK Government has yet to receive the Isle of Man Constitution Bill 2023 from Tynwald.
The time required to scrutinise Crown Dependency legislation prior to Royal Assent varies depending on its complexity and any legal or constitutional questions that arise, including where clarification is needed from Law Officers in the Islands. Any decision on whether a Crown Dependency law can be recommended for Royal Assent will depend on the outcome of that process and as such, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the timing or outcome of the scrutiny in respect of the Isle of Man’s Constitution Bill in advance of its receipt.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that its legal obligations under the Human Rights Act in relation to the detention of defendants are met.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Department ensures compliance with its obligations under the Human Rights Act, and other legal requirements, through operational policies communicated to prisons and probation, and oversight by bodies such as HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards.
The Department works hard to ensure we maintain safe, lawful conditions and uphold prisoners’ rights.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of super injunctions with (a) governance and (b) transparency.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is for the courts to determine individual applications for interim injunctions to restrain publication of confidential information (and the existence of the injunction) on the merits of each case, and in accordance with the law and specific Practice Guidance.
The Practice Guidance on Interim Non-Disclosure Orders was issued by the then Master of the Rolls as part of the implementation of the Superinjunctions Committee’s recommendations, which he chaired and whose final report was published in 2011. It provides detailed guidance on the law, principle of open justice and model court orders.
These applications will generally be argued on the competing balances of Articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the right to freedom of expression as against the right to reputation and privacy. The public interest is an important element the court will take into account.
The Government has no plans to reform the law.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58502, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of chess in prisons on reducing offending behaviour.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The Ministry of Justice is aware of research that is in progress in relation to regular chess sessions across the prison estate. To date, no formal assessment has been made of any effect on re-offending.
As chess is not a structured physical activity, it is not included in the management information that is collected centrally. To determine how many prisons hold regular chess sessions, it would be necessary to consult each individual establishment, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58502, how many prisons currently hold regular chess activity sessions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The Ministry of Justice is aware of research that is in progress in relation to regular chess sessions across the prison estate. To date, no formal assessment has been made of any effect on re-offending.
As chess is not a structured physical activity, it is not included in the management information that is collected centrally. To determine how many prisons hold regular chess sessions, it would be necessary to consult each individual establishment, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58502, what the total discretionary budget across the prison estate for (a) education and (b) sports in 2024-2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Non-discretionary spending on education in the adult prison estate and part of the private prison estate is funded from the Prison Education Framework budget. Governors are able to supplement this with provision from the Dynamic Purchasing System budget (£12.6 million in 2024-25).
Funding for sport forms part of the budget for measures at establishment level aimed at reducing re-offending. As the sport element is not disaggregated, it is not possible to give a budget figure for this provision.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to introduce AI integration and camera use in family law proceedings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Within the Ministry of Justice, we are testing and adopting AI to improve the experience and efficiency within our courts.
AI has the potential to enable service improvements across HM Courts & Tribunals Service, and we are exploring how it can be applied responsibly to our operations and services, including to support document processing, transcription, summarisation and translation. The use of AI in the courts and tribunals will be focused on accelerating and assisting people’s work, not automating decisions.
All use of artificial intelligence in the Ministry of Justice is aligned with the AI Playbook for the UK Government and the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard. The Lady Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals issued AI Guidance for the judiciary in December 2023.
There are currently no live AI or predictive analytics systems in use in the Family Courts.
We are running early-stage discovery and proof of concept projects to test the potential value of AI in the Family Courts as follows:
Remote hearings in family proceedings, often conducted via telephone or video conferencing, are already regularly used where the judge with conduct of the case feels it is appropriate.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on providing (a) football, (b) pool, (c) table-tennis, (d) gym, (e) running, (f) yoga, (g) chess and (h) other sporting activities in prisons in the last year.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
H M Prison and Probation Service recognises the importance physical activity plays in the overall well-being of prisoners and the effect sport, exercise and movement can have on supporting other programmes designed to reduce offending behaviour.
Data on the amount spent in providing the activities specified are not held centrally, and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to create a women's centre in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
This Government’s plan to support women is clear and ambitious. The Women’s Justice Board was established with the goal of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system. The Board has met twice so far this year and will publish a strategic document setting out its vision and aims later this Spring. The Board’s initial focus is centred around four priority areas: working to intervene earlier and divert women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate; community solutions; improving outcomes for young adult women; and addressing issues specific to pregnant women and mothers of young children across the criminal justice system.
Women’s services, including women’s centres, are run by the voluntary sector and are funded via different routes, including through government funding. We recognise the vital support that these services provide to vulnerable women in or at risk of contact with the justice system, and the importance of sustainable funding. This year, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from custody. Future funding is dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2025, which will be announced on 11 June. Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service (CRS) providers have also been appointed in every HM Prison and Probation Service region to deliver interventions that are responsive to the specific needs and characteristics of women.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the report by Baroness Jean Corston entitled Vulnerable women in prison, published on 13 March 2007; and whether she is taking steps to increase the number of women's centres.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
This Government’s plan to support women is clear and ambitious. The Women’s Justice Board was established with the goal of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system. The Board has met twice so far this year and will publish a strategic document setting out its vision and aims later this Spring. The Board’s initial focus is centred around four priority areas: working to intervene earlier and divert women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate; community solutions; improving outcomes for young adult women; and addressing issues specific to pregnant women and mothers of young children across the criminal justice system.
Women’s services, including women’s centres, are run by the voluntary sector and are funded via different routes, including through government funding. We recognise the vital support that these services provide to vulnerable women in or at risk of contact with the justice system, and the importance of sustainable funding. This year, the Government is investing £7.2 million in community support, with funding for women’s centres and other organisations focused on diverting women from custody. Future funding is dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2025, which will be announced on 11 June. Women’s specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Service (CRS) providers have also been appointed in every HM Prison and Probation Service region to deliver interventions that are responsive to the specific needs and characteristics of women.