Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) staffing shortages and (b) interpreter availability on delays in magistrates’ courts.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on ineffective trials specifically caused by staffing shortages within HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). However, we monitor staffing levels closely and do not assess them to be a significant driver of ineffective trials in magistrates’ courts.
Staffing levels across HMCTS have remained broadly stable, with administrative staffing at junior grades (AA–EO) holding steady, and staffing at more senior grades (HEO–G6), including legal and administrative roles, showing an upward trend. These patterns reflect continued investment in workforce capacity and ongoing recruitment activity.
We recognise the importance of a reliable and efficient court system, and the impact on victims when trials do not proceed as planned. That is why the Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction/acquittal.
The Ministry of Justice regularly monitors the impact of interpreter availability on court proceedings. According to the latest data published in the “Trial effectiveness in the courts” tool (covering up to December 2024), there were 364 ineffective trials in magistrates’ courts between July and December 2024 due to the unavailability of an interpreter. This represents 4% of all ineffective trials and less than 1% of all listed trials during that period.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the proportion of magistrates’ court trials listed that did not go ahead on the scheduled day since July 2024; and what the primary recorded reasons were for such delays.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of ineffective trials at the magistrates’ courts across England and Wales in the “Trial effective in the courts” data tool (latest to December 2024). This can be downloaded from the Criminal Court Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal trials in magistrates’ courts were delayed or adjourned due to (a) the late arrival of prison vans, (b) administrative errors and (c) the absence of an interpreter since July 2024.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of ineffective trials at the magistrates’ courts across England and Wales in the “Trial effective in the courts” data tool (latest to December 2024). This can be downloaded from the Criminal Court Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times an interpreter was requested in criminal cases in magistrates’ courts since July 2024; and in how many of those cases the interpreter did not attend.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the use of (a) scanners and (b) enhanced security screening upon entry to secure prisons for all prison officers.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) maintains a zero-tolerance approach to smuggling contraband into prisons, including weapons, drugs and mobile phones, which can fuel violence and create instability.
Airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, comprising of metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanners, is used in 52 highest-risk prison sites (both private and public sector), including all of the High Security prisons in the Long Term High Security Estate.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving sentences in closed prisons will become eligible for transfer to open prisons under the early transfer rules that came into force on 9 June 2025; and how many prisoners are eligible by (a) primary offence type and (b) sentence length.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Temporary Presumptive Recategorisation Scheme (TPRS) is not a new scheme; it was first introduced in March 2023 under the previous Government. On 9 June 2025, the scheme was extended to allow eligible prisoners to transfer to the open estate 36 months prior to release. Due to being in the early stages of operationalising this change, our staff are still in the process of conducting risk assessments to determine eligibility.
There is limited eligibility for the scheme; all sexual, terrorist and violent offenders serving a sentence of at least four years are barred. Furthermore, prisoners are assessed against clear criteria to ensure that their move will not pose a serious risk to the public. We can immediately return any offender in the Category D estate back to closed conditions at any point if there is any evidence of an increased risk, and Governors retain the discretion to rule prisoners out of moves if there are serious concerns.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her oral contribution in response to a question from the Rt hon. Member for Newark on 3 June 2025, Official Report, col 161, if she will write to the Council of Europe in support of the open letter produced by nine Council members calling for reform of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK participates in regular engagement with the Council of Europe and its member States – including on the important issues raised in this letter.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the interim Permanent Secretary spoke at the televised Ministerial press conference on prisons of 14 May 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The interim Permanent Secretary attended the televised press conference on 14 May to provide a factual update on prison capacity.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders released on licence were not tagged in accordance with their licence conditions in the last 12 months for which data is available; and what proportion of that total were due to (a) equipment shortages and (b) administrative delays.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by manually going through each individual’s record on the Electronic Monitoring (EM) supplier’s and probation service’s systems where this detail is recorded.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish the outcome of her Department's review into whether protective body armour should be made available to frontline prison staff.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Prison & Probation Service has commissioned an internal review to establish whether it is necessary for our brave and hard-working prison officers to wear Protective Body Armour either routinely or when working in high-risk environments within the prison estate which will report in early June. We will announce the outcome of the review and next steps to be taken following the review’s conclusion.