Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish any (a) project initiation documents, (b) minutes of meetings and (c) equality impact assessments relating to the development and implementation of Youth Diversion Orders under the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Youth Diversion Orders under Part 15 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 confer powers or impose restrictions comparable to those under Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures for persons under the age of 21.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been issued to Counter Terrorism Policing and Youth Courts on the implementation of Youth Diversion Orders; and whether participation in a Youth Diversion Order is mandatory for an individual once imposed by the court.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the youngest age is at which a Youth Diversion Order (YDO) can be imposed on a child; and whether she has considered applying YDOs to children of 10.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which cohorts of young people are in scope for Youth Diversion Orders; and what the planned timetable is for the national rollout of the scheme following Royal Assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the statistical analysis of prison leavers in England entitled Prison leavers in substance misuse treatment: 4-week outcomes – report, published 23 April 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Department of Health and Social Care’s analytical report on Prison Leavers in Substance Misuse Treatment: 4-week outcomes provides valuable data on the early outcomes of prison leavers receiving substance misuse treatment, including mortality and reincarceration rates, and differences in treatment engagement for different cohorts. We recognise that the first few weeks after release are high-risk for relapse, overdose and reoffending, and we are determined to ensure prison leavers have a smooth transition into the community, with swift access to care and treatment.
In England, improving health outcomes for people in prison and on probation is a shared priority across the Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. We have recruited over 50 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators to strengthen links between prison, probation and treatment providers. We are improving information sharing between treatment providers and probation and enabling virtual pre-release appointments with community treatment providers via secure laptops. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs to engage with the right health services in the community through referrals and peer support.
The report indicates that people in prison for shorter periods were less likely to be in treatment. This aligns with the rationale for key provisions within the Sentencing Act 2026, including the introduction of a presumption for the courts to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less. Around 60% of adults sentenced for under a year reoffend within 12 months. This is unacceptably high for victims and the public. The evidence shows that those given a community order or suspended sentence reoffend less than similar offenders given a short prison sentence.
We have also made changes to fixed term recall. The Independent Sentencing Review found the previous shorter 14 and 28 day fixed-term recalls did not provide enough time for offenders to address their criminal behaviour. 56 days provides more time to undertake a risk assessment and a thorough review of risk management plans to ensure offenders can be safely managed in the community.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership's report entitled Child Safeguarding Practice Review: Sara Sharif, published on 13 November 2025, whether his Department plans to review the accessibility of family courts.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
What happened to Sara Sharif was a tragedy. Whilst Sara’s father and stepmother are rightly serving life sentences for their appalling crimes, it is clear that our response must not stop there.
We recognise the challenges raised by the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review. The Ministry of Justice is working with partners across the family justice system to enable the Family Courts to deliver the right outcomes for children. A key element of this Government’s reform of private law children cases is the national rollout of the Child Focused Courts model in certain private law proceedings relating to children. The model improves coordination between the Family Court and agencies, including local authorities and the police, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The model frontloads information gathering and risk assessment through the introduction of the Child Impact Report which presents an assessment of issues through engagement with the parties, the children, and relevant agencies.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent the misuse of civil and family court proceedings as a form of post-separation abuse and coercive control.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We are committed to improving experiences and outcomes for children and families, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The courts have a range of powers to protect victims of domestic abuse. Where repeated applications may be a continuing form of abuse, courts can make orders meaning the perpetrator would require the prior permission of the court before an application could be made. Alongside this, both the Family and Civil courts can appoint an appropriately qualified person to undertake cross-examination instead of a perpetrator.
We are rolling out the Child Focused Model nationally, reforming the procedure to be followed in certain private law children’s proceedings in the Family Court. The model embeds referrals to local, specialist domestic abuse support services where domestic abuse is raised as an issue in the case. Victims of domestic abuse and other harms can receive expert support from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser who will undertake a risk assessment and can offer support to the victim throughout the court process.
The model frontloads information gathering and risk assessment through the introduction of the Child Impact Report which presents an assessment of issues through engagement with the parties, the children and relevant agencies. This approach means that evidence is available to judges earlier in the case and reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of bail conditions in reducing reoffending and protecting the public in cases involving persons under the age of 18 accused of violent offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government is clear that when the courts are considering bail for children charged with violent offences, public protection should always be the foremost priority, alongside reducing the risk of offending. For children, there is the option of imposing Bail Intensive Support and Supervision which includes high levels of contact, monitoring, structured activity and in some cases electronic tags.
While evidence specifically on the effectiveness of different bail conditions on reducing offending or protection of the public is limited, there is evidence on the factors that reduce the chances of a child offending. The key principles of lowering the risk of offending include therapeutic rather than punitive responses, and family-based interventions that draw on community support and address wider needs, such as education and health. A strong and robust bail package is expected to address these key principles to ensure public safety.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 101253, in which categories of private‑law children cases Cafcass or the family courts apply a domestic‑abuse‑first assessment as the initial step in their safeguarding or case‑analysis process; and what other circumstances automatically trigger domestic‑abuse screening as the primary explanatory framework.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
Practice Direction 12J (PD12J) sets out what the court should do in any case in which domestic abuse is alleged or admitted or there is other reason to believe that a child or party has experienced abuse perpetrated by another party or that there is a risk of such abuse.
Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy sets out the actions that Cafcass practitioners and managers must undertake when working with children and adults who have or may have experienced domestic abuse and for whom, therefore, the requirements and definitions of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and its accompanying statutory guidance apply. It is informed by Practice Direction 12J and by our understanding of the impact of domestic abuse and harmful parenting on a child and the child’s primary and protective carers. The protection of children from harm or further harm is the central and fundamental purpose of this policy.
Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and Guidance supports practitioners in applying a structured, sensitive approach to assessing domestic abuse in Family Court proceedings. It reflects the statutory responsibilities outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and is aligned with the Cafcass Domestic Abuse Practice Policy (2025) and Practice Quality Standards.