Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to public safety arising from the early release of prisoners, including registered sex offenders, under the current early release scheme.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety.
Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited.
Following a review, the Prime Minister and Lord Chanceller have decided that rape and certain child sex offences will be excluded from the progression model and these sentences will retain their current release points. This is in addition to the 18,000 offenders who are already ineligible for earlier release under the model given they have either been found by a court to be the most dangerous or are serving a life sentence.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to public safety arising from the early release of prisoners, including registered sex offenders, under the current early release scheme.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety.
Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited.
Following a review, the Prime Minister and Lord Chanceller have decided that rape and certain child sex offences will be excluded from the progression model and these sentences will retain their current release points. This is in addition to the 18,000 offenders who are already ineligible for earlier release under the model given they have either been found by a court to be the most dangerous or are serving a life sentence.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes to jury trials proposed in the Courts and Tribunals Bill on the Crown Court backlog.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The published Impact Assessment for the Courts and Tribunals Bill shows that the structural reform package in the Bill is expected to reduce incoming demand on Crown Court time by almost 20%. The Impact Assessment can be found here: (Courts and Tribunals Bill (Structural Criminal Court) Impact Assessment).
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of community care lawyers in the light of the findings of the report by Dr Jo Wilding, Community Care Legal Aid in England and Wales: Urgent help needed, published in July.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the vital work of Community Care lawyers in supporting those who are vulnerable, and the importance legal aid can have in helping vulnerable people access justice.
The Government recognises the pressures facing civil legal aid and is investing in the sector. We have secured additional funding of over £200 million over the Spending Review period for legal aid transformation, recovery from the cyber-attack, and for moving our legacy systems to a modern and secure technology platform. The transformation programme aims to support sustainability for all providers – including those undertaking community care legal aid work – by ensuring new digital systems streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens.
In preparation for the 2028 Standard Civil Contract, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) will engage with stakeholders to gather views on how best to support the sustainability of the market. These insights will inform LAA’s approach and help shape future contracts that support providers in delivering high-quality legal aid services.
The Government is making significant investments in legal aid. We are delivering the first major fee uplifts for civil legal aid since 1996, increasing spend on immigration and housing work by £20 million per annum once fully implemented. Whilst these investments are not targeted at community care legal aid specifically, they are important steps towards improving services and sustainability across the civil legal aid system.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of specialist courts to fast-track rape cases.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We remain committed to fulfilling our manifesto commitment to introduce specialist rape courts. We are working with criminal justice partners and external stakeholders to develop plans for what form such courts should take. This includes a consideration of case timelines and progression, victim experience, the use of special measures and the effective operation of the courts.
The Government is already taking decisive action to revive our criminal court system and address long-standing issues that impact all victims, particularly those of rape and other serious sexual offences.
The uncapping of Crown Court sitting days in the 26/27 financial year means that more rape and other sexual offence cases can be heard more promptly. Judges will continue to prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, including rape and other sexual offences. Under the judiciary's new National Listing Framework published in July 2026, RASSO cases will be prioritised in listing and, crucially, the practice of floating these cases will end.
Lengthy delays can be particularly difficult for victims of rape and sexual violence and so we are taking forward a range of measures to improve the experience of these victims through the criminal justice system. This includes introducing independent legal advisors for adult rape victims, rolling out trauma-informed training to all court staff, and delivering legislative reforms to protect victims, particularly victims of sexual offences, from unnecessary and intrusive cross-examination about their personal lives at court.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to support further progress of the Courts and Tribunals Bill through Parliament.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government understands the pressure that is currently on the court system. The Crown Court backlog currently stands at over 80,000 cases and over 22,000 of those cases have been open for over a year. Behind each of those cases is someone awaiting justice – defendants seeking to clear their name and victims putting their lives on hold. The Crown Court caseload means that thousands of victims and witnesses are waiting years for their day in court. This cannot be acceptable. The justice system exists to serve the public, and this Government is committed to building a stronger justice system in which the public can have confidence.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is currently progressing through Parliament and will have report stage in the House of Commons when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of fire risk presented in prisons by (1) vapes, and (2) other ignition sources; and what steps they are taking to limit access to vapes and other ignition sources.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The level of fire risk associated with prisoner possession of vape devices is continuously monitored through the national fire reporting system. Data gathered through this process has supported the introduction of a redesigned, lower-risk vape device, which has contributed to a 43% reduction in overall fire incidents
Other ignition sources are continuously monitored through the national fire reporting system. Analysis of incident data informs both behavioural and infrastructure-based interventions designed to reduce opportunities for fire-setting and mitigate associated risks. This includes preventative and protective measures across the estate, such as Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs), safer kettles, and the use of non-combustible furnishings, all of which are intended to reduce the likelihood of fire occurring and limit fire growth where incidents do occur.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the law of corporate manslaughter.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government keeps the effectiveness of the criminal law under review, including the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. The 2007 Act created a specific offence to ensure that organisations can be held criminally accountable where serious management failures leading to a gross breach of a duty of care result in death. The offence has been used to secure convictions and substantial fines where the evidential test has been met. The Government has not undertaken a recent formal review of the Act but continues to monitor its operation through relevant criminal justice agencies and enforcement authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to trial the removal of vapes in prisons.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Prison Service has established a national working group to consider future policy options relating to vaping in prisons. This work remains at an early stage of development, and no decisions have been made. Several prisons in the north of England are also considering the practical implications of vape removal.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are trials in any prisons in the north of England regarding preventing prisoners from accessing vapes; and, if so, when they expect the evaluation of those trials to be published.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Prison Service is considering the practical implications of vape removal. There are currently no active trials to prevent prisoners accessing vapes in prisons in the north of England.