Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department is providing to veterans to help them become entrepreneurs.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to making sure that our veterans have equitable access and opportunity to a full range of career options after leaving military service, including self-employment, SME (small & medium-sized enterprise) ownership and entrepreneurship.
The Government-owned British Business Bank has a specialist delivery partner, X-Forces Enterprise, for its Start Up Loans programme which specifically supports veterans, members of the wider Armed Forces community and their family members. Since 2013 there have been over 3000 Start Up Loans delivered by X-Forces Enterprise, totalling over £33 million of finance provided.
Asked by: Lord Northbrook (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government in each of the last five years (1) how many applications have been made to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, (2) in how many cases a review has been completed and a decision been made and, (3) what is the average length of time that the Commission has taken to examine and complete a review.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Information on the number of cases received and completed, and the average duration of a review, is available on the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s (CCRC) website and in their annual report. The table below provides data for the last five complete business years:
| Applications Received | Cases Completed | Average Duration of a Review (from allocation to initial decision) |
2019-20 | 1334 | 1453 | 31.7 weeks |
2020-21 | 1142 | 1109 | 35.1 weeks |
2021-22 | 1198 | 1183 | 34.4 weeks |
2022-23 | 1424 | 1275 | 38.7 weeks |
2023-24 | 1629 | 1441 | 35.1 weeks |
The average number of Case Review Managers over the past five years is as follows:
Year ending 31 March | Case Review Manager Average Headcount |
2019 – 2020 | 30 |
2020 – 2021 | 30 |
2021 – 2022 | 29 |
2022 – 2023 | 29 |
2023 - 2024 | 31 |
Section three of the CCRC’s published Case Review Process policy (CW-POL-04-Case-Review-Process-v3.0.pdf (cloud-platform-e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com)) outlines that cases are generally allocated in date order of receipt. However, there are several exceptional factors which determine the degree of priority once a case is under review. These assessments are fluid and relative to the needs of other cases. There are several factors for a case to be given higher priority, these include old age (75 years or older) and/or ill health, supported by medical evidence, where there is concern that the applicant may die before the case is dealt with. In addition, evidence that the applicant’s serious ill health (or that of any close family member of the applicant) is directly and significantly aggravated by any delay will also result in the case being given higher priority. The full list of factors for a case to be given a higher priority can be found in the Case Review Process policy.
Asked by: Lord Northbrook (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what procedure, if any, exists within the Criminal Cases Review Commission for ensuring priority is given to those cases where an applicant has a limited life expectancy, due to age or infirmity.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Information on the number of cases received and completed, and the average duration of a review, is available on the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s (CCRC) website and in their annual report. The table below provides data for the last five complete business years:
| Applications Received | Cases Completed | Average Duration of a Review (from allocation to initial decision) |
2019-20 | 1334 | 1453 | 31.7 weeks |
2020-21 | 1142 | 1109 | 35.1 weeks |
2021-22 | 1198 | 1183 | 34.4 weeks |
2022-23 | 1424 | 1275 | 38.7 weeks |
2023-24 | 1629 | 1441 | 35.1 weeks |
The average number of Case Review Managers over the past five years is as follows:
Year ending 31 March | Case Review Manager Average Headcount |
2019 – 2020 | 30 |
2020 – 2021 | 30 |
2021 – 2022 | 29 |
2022 – 2023 | 29 |
2023 - 2024 | 31 |
Section three of the CCRC’s published Case Review Process policy (CW-POL-04-Case-Review-Process-v3.0.pdf (cloud-platform-e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com)) outlines that cases are generally allocated in date order of receipt. However, there are several exceptional factors which determine the degree of priority once a case is under review. These assessments are fluid and relative to the needs of other cases. There are several factors for a case to be given higher priority, these include old age (75 years or older) and/or ill health, supported by medical evidence, where there is concern that the applicant may die before the case is dealt with. In addition, evidence that the applicant’s serious ill health (or that of any close family member of the applicant) is directly and significantly aggravated by any delay will also result in the case being given higher priority. The full list of factors for a case to be given a higher priority can be found in the Case Review Process policy.
Asked by: Lord Northbrook (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many case review managers have been employed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission during each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Information on the number of cases received and completed, and the average duration of a review, is available on the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s (CCRC) website and in their annual report. The table below provides data for the last five complete business years:
| Applications Received | Cases Completed | Average Duration of a Review (from allocation to initial decision) |
2019-20 | 1334 | 1453 | 31.7 weeks |
2020-21 | 1142 | 1109 | 35.1 weeks |
2021-22 | 1198 | 1183 | 34.4 weeks |
2022-23 | 1424 | 1275 | 38.7 weeks |
2023-24 | 1629 | 1441 | 35.1 weeks |
The average number of Case Review Managers over the past five years is as follows:
Year ending 31 March | Case Review Manager Average Headcount |
2019 – 2020 | 30 |
2020 – 2021 | 30 |
2021 – 2022 | 29 |
2022 – 2023 | 29 |
2023 - 2024 | 31 |
Section three of the CCRC’s published Case Review Process policy (CW-POL-04-Case-Review-Process-v3.0.pdf (cloud-platform-e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com)) outlines that cases are generally allocated in date order of receipt. However, there are several exceptional factors which determine the degree of priority once a case is under review. These assessments are fluid and relative to the needs of other cases. There are several factors for a case to be given higher priority, these include old age (75 years or older) and/or ill health, supported by medical evidence, where there is concern that the applicant may die before the case is dealt with. In addition, evidence that the applicant’s serious ill health (or that of any close family member of the applicant) is directly and significantly aggravated by any delay will also result in the case being given higher priority. The full list of factors for a case to be given a higher priority can be found in the Case Review Process policy.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in judicial processes.
Answered by Gareth Bacon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We remain committed to tackling the outstanding caseloads across our courts and tribunals and have introduced a range of measures to achieve this aim.
While the listing of cases is an independent judicial function, we have consistently invested in judicial recruitment to ensure we have the capacity to deliver effective judicial processes. Since 2018, we have recruited around 1,000 judges and tribunal members annually, across all jurisdictions.
Criminal courts
Over 90% of all criminal cases are heard at the magistrates’ courts, where we heard 100,000 cases a month on average across 2023. While the outstanding caseload in the magistrates’ courts has slightly increased in recent months due to an increase in the number of cases coming to court, the caseload remains well below its pandemic peak and stood at 370,700 at the end of December 2023, and cases continue to be progressed quickly.
To aid our efforts in the magistrates’ courts, we invested £1 million in a programme of work to support the recruitment of more magistrates. We aim to recruit 2,000 new and diverse magistrates this year, and similar numbers for each of the next couple of years.
At the Crown Court, we remain committed to reducing the outstanding caseload. We delivered 107,700 sitting days in the most recent financial year (FY23/24) and judges have worked tirelessly to complete more cases. The latest data shows cases progressed through the Crown Court more quickly throughout 2023, with the median time from receipt to completion reducing from 167 days in the first quarter of 2023, to 125 days in the last quarter.
We are also investing more in our criminal courts. In August 2023, we announced we are investing £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work of our court buildings, up to March 2025.
Family Court
In March 2024 the Family Justice Board agreed a new set of priorities for the family justice system, with a clear focus on closing the longest running cases and increasing the proportion of public law cases concluding within the 26-week statutory timeline.
We announced in the Spring Budget an additional £55 million to improve productivity, support earlier resolution of family disputes and reduce the number of cases coming to court. This includes creating a digital advice tool for separating couples, piloting early legal advice and supporting the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model. The Department for Education are investing an extra £10 million to deliver new initiatives to address the longest delays in public law.
We have provided the flexibility for judges to sit virtually across regional boundaries, so that judges can be deployed where they are needed most, to reduce the caseload and waiting times.
We are also investing up to £23.6 million in the family mediation voucher scheme, which we intend will allow for its continuation up to March 2025. As of May 2024, over 28,600 families have successfully used the scheme to attempt to resolve their private law disputes outside of court.
Civil courts
With regards to civil cases, we are taking action to ensure those that do need to go to trial are dealt with quickly. We have a significant volume of judicial recruitment underway for District and Deputy District Judges, are digitising court processes and holding more remote hearings, and are increasing the use of mediation.
The requirement for small claims in the county court to attend a mediation session with the Small Claims Mediation Service will start this spring and is expected to help parties resolve their dispute swiftly and consensually without the need for a judicial hearing.
The HMCTS Reform Program has introduced technology that delivers simplified and transformed digital ways of working for civil court users and judges such as the online money claims process and the damages claims service, offering accessible and responsive services.
Tribunals
With regards to the tribunals, we continue to work with the Department for Business and Trade on further measures to address caseloads in the Employment Tribunal, where the deployment of legal officers, recruitment of additional judges and a new electronic case management system have helped the Tribunal to manage its caseload which remains below its pandemic peak.
We have rolled out the HMCTS digital reform programme in the Immigration and Asylum and Social Entitlement chambers so that anyone challenging an immigration or welfare benefits decision can lodge their appeal, track progress and receive the results all online.
HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the links between the Li family and the Chinese state on the proposed merger of Three Mobile with Vodafone.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government has the power to review mergers and acquisitions through the National Security and Investment Act to ensure the most sensitive sectors of our economy are protected. It would be inappropriate to comment on private individuals.
The Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office has issued a Final Order in respect of the proposed Vodafone Three merger, allowing the transaction to proceed subject to the introduction of proportionate measures to address national security concerns.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog in the courts.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We remain committed to tackling the outstanding caseloads across our courts and tribunals and have introduced a range of measures to achieve this aim.
Over 90% of all criminal cases are heard at the magistrates’ court, where we heard 100,000 cases a month on average across 2023. While the outstanding caseload in the magistrates’ courts has slightly increased in recent months due to an increase in the number of cases coming to court, the caseload remains well below its pandemic peak and stood at 353,900 at the end of September 2023, and cases continue to be progressed quickly. To aid our efforts in the magistrates’ courts, we invested £1 million in a programme of work to support the recruitment of more magistrates. We aim to recruit 2,000 new magistrates this year, and similar numbers for each of the next couple of years.
At the Crown Court, we remain committed to reducing the outstanding caseload. Last financial year we sat over 100,000 days and this financial year, we plan to deliver around 107,000 sitting days and recruit more than 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions. Judges have worked tirelessly to complete more cases, with disposals up by 9% during Q3 in 2023 compared to Q4 in 2022 (25,700 compared to 23,700).
We are also investing in our criminal courts. In August 2023, we announced we are investing £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work of our court buildings across the next two years, up to March 2025. We have also continued the use of 20 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2024/25 financial year, to allow courts to work at full capacity.
In the Family Court, we are working with the Department for Education and other partners on the Family Justice Board to tackle the longest running cases and increase the proportion of public law cases that conclude within the 26-week timeline. The Department for Education are also investing an extra £10m to develop new initiatives to address the longest delays in public law proceedings.
We announced in the Spring Budget an additional £55m to improve productivity, support earlier resolution of family disputes and reduce the number of cases coming to court. This includes creating a digital advice tool for separating couples, piloting early legal advice and supporting the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model. We are also investing up to £23.6m in the family mediation voucher scheme, which we intend will allow for its continuation up to March 2025. As of March 2024, over 26,000 families have successfully used the scheme to attempt to resolve their private law disputes outside of court.
With regards to civil cases, we are taking action to ensure those that do need to go to trial are dealt with quickly. We have launched the biggest ever judicial recruitment drive for District Judges, are digitising court processes and holding more remote hearings, and are increasing the use of mediation. The requirement for small claims in the county court to attend a mediation session with the Small Claims Mediation Service will start this spring and is expected to help parties resolve their dispute swiftly and consensually without the need for a judicial hearing.
With regards to tribunals, we continue to work with the Department for Business and Trade on further measures to address caseloads in the Employment Tribunal, where the deployment of legal officers, recruitment of additional judges and a new electronic case management system have helped the Tribunal to manage its caseload which remains below its pandemic peak.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to cover the cost of (a) removing and (b) replacing the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products in service family accommodation.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service families accommodation properties are affected by the product recall of Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department first learnt of fire safety issues related to Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.