Mar. 27 2025
Source Page: List of Public Bodies in Scotland: FOI releaseFound: Accountant in Bankruptcy Communities Scotland Fisheries Research Services Historic Scotland HM
Mar. 27 2025
Source Page: Number and definition of public bodies in Scotland: FOI releaseFound: Accountant in Bankruptcy Communities Scotland Fisheries Research Services Historic Scotland HM
Apr. 22 2025
Source Page: National public bodies in Scotland: FOI releaseFound: Accountant in Bankruptcy Communities Scotland Fisheries Research Services Historic Scotland HM
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of Employment Tribunal cases are withdrawn or settled before hearing due to delays in the listing process; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact on business productivity.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Settlements and withdrawals from legal proceedings may take place for a variety of reasons which are unconnected to delays in the court process. HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold separate data on reasons for settlements or withdrawals. Moreover, listing is exclusively a judicial function.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Court of Protection in (a) issuing granted orders and (b) training for staff.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Court orders in the Court of Protection are prepared and approved by the Judiciary before being sealed and sent to the parties by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Regular management checks are conducted to review court processes, with additional training provided as necessary. Furthermore, the implementation of a new case management system in July 2024 provided extra training for all administrative teams concerning order production.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve data capture on the (a) number of private law proceedings that involve allegations of child sexual abuse and (b) outcomes of these cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be introducing a new case management system for private law children‘s cases, Manage Cases. This system will identify each type of abuse or harm allegation made by an applicant, including child sexual abuse. This will support data capture of the number of proceedings in which child sexual abuse is a factor and the outcome of these cases. The national roll out of the new digital system is expected to begin later this year.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for an appeal against a decision following an application for Universal Credit childcare support; and what steps her Department is taking to expedite cases in which the time taken to appeal those decisions is causing financial hardship for families.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is not solely responsible for the wait time. Appeals are lodged by claimants with HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), which the claimant may take up to 13 months to do. DWP have 28 days to respond to the appeal when notified by HMCTS, after which, the time taken to list the appeal is dependent on HMCTS, who administer tribunal hearings.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is adequate enforcement of unfulfilled court compensation orders.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Courts may impose a compensation order on an offender requiring them to make financial reparation to the victim for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence. Compensation may be ordered for such amount as the court considers appropriate having regard to any evidence including any representations made by the offender or prosecutor. There is no limit on the value of a single compensation order handed down to an adult offender. For young offenders, the maximum limit is £5,000.
Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine. The imposition is enforced as a whole, and any receipts received are applied to the offender’s account in accordance with a strict legal hierarchy. This ensures that compensation is paid first to ensure that victims receive any monies they are due first, with the victim surcharge being the second element to be collected and the fine element being the last to be collected.
The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of means to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. This includes deducting money from an offender’s earnings, or benefits if they are unemployed, or, if appropriate, issuing warrants instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. Offenders can also be imprisoned for up to 12 months for non-payment of compensation orders.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is already investing over £14 million in technology to increase the collection of financial penalties imposed in the criminal courts, including compensation orders, with a replacement IT system currently under development.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help tackle delays in the granting of probate.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in additional staff and made system and process improvements to reduce waiting times. Management Information published by HMCTS shows, despite continued high levels of receipts, average waiting times are improving and currently stand at 5 weeks, from receipt of the documentation needed, for November 2024.
Average waiting times for probate grants are routinely published on gov.uk via the Family Court Statistics (Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.) and HMCTS Management Information (HMCTS management information - GOV.UK)
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Independent - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making court transcripts available to (a) defendants and (b) plaintiffs both (i) during and (ii) after court hearings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Proceedings in the civil, family and crown courts are audio recorded, and HM Courts and Tribunals Service have processes in place which allow individuals, including defendants and plaintiffs, to request access to transcripts.
Where requested after the hearing has concluded, transcripts are produced by transcription companies using audio recordings. If a defendant or plaintiff requests an instantaneous transcript as a hearing is taking place, this can be provided through a qualified stenographer attending in-court. Both types of requests are subject to judicial approval and typically provided on payment of the relevant fee to cover the cost of the transcription.