Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total annual cost of administering the Community Payback scheme was in each of the last five years; and what the average cost per (a) sentence and (b) completed hour of unpaid work was in each of those years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Financial Year | Total Community Payback Unpaid Work Spend (£) |
2021/22 | £47,340,492 |
2022/23 | £77,175,893 |
2023/24 | £89,614,915 |
2024/25 | £96,014,945 |
In terms of what the total cost covers, it is things such as staffing costs, fleet (vans) and tools.
We do not hold information on average cost per sentence in the format requested.
The average cost per hour of Unpaid Work credited was £17.15 (2022/23), £19.14 (2023/24) and £21.24 (2024/25). Data are not provided for the performance year 2021/22 as this is only a partial year of data following the reunification of the Probation Service.
The average cost per hour credited is calculated by dividing the total spend by the number of hours credited in each year.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of face-to-face civil legal aid provision for the residents of Norwich South constituency; when the provision was last reviewed; and what steps his Department is taking to improve local access to justice.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Legal aid is a vital part of the justice system and underpins our plans to build a justice system that works fairly for all parties.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) continuously assesses the available supply of legal aid services throughout England and Wales across all categories of law. Details about volumes of contracted legal aid providers are published in the LAA’s official statistics (Tables 9.1–9.9). These figures help the LAA monitor the availability of services. Additionally, the LAA’s network of regional contract managers in England and Wales provide intelligence-led information regarding provision of legal aid based on contact with legal aid service providers. The LAA takes operational action, where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise.
For civil contracts, the LAA commissions legal aid services across larger geographic areas called procurement areas, rather than by local authority or parliamentary constituency. The relevant procurement area serving the Norwich South constituency varies depending on the type of civil law.
Constituents in Norwich South can access face to face services across all civil categories of law for which legal aid is available. All procurement areas serving Norwich South exceed the minimum required number of legal aid providers. The LAA is satisfied there is adequate provision of legal aid services in Norwich South.
We are committed to sustaining the long-term future of the legal aid sector and ensuring access to justice. That is why we are uplifting immigration and housing legal aid fees, areas identified by the Review of Civil Legal Aid as facing particularly acute challenges. This is a significant investment of £20 million a year once fully implemented – the first major increase since 1996.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received reports regarding the treatment of disabled or seriously ill prisoners in Montserrat.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Secretary of State does not routinely receive formal reports specifically on the treatment of disabled or seriously ill prisoners in Overseas Territory prisons. However, he would be informed in cases where a prisoner is transferred to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Ministry of Justice officials have visited HMP Brades, the prison in Montserrat, on several occasions over the past five years to review prison operations, including healthcare provision. This has helped inform the overall management of the establishment by the Superintendent and Governor.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to the Law Commission's recommendations on the reclamation and reuse of graves.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Law Commission’s recommendations on burial were published on 18 March 2026 in its final report on the Burial and Cremation sub-project of a wider review of the legislative framework for burial, cremation and new funerary methods. Reports will also be published in due course in relation to New Funerary Methods and Rights and Obligations relating to Funerary Methods, Funerals and Remains.
The Government will consider the Law Commission’s recommendations carefully and will respond in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to provide compensation or redress to applicants affected by long delays in the processing of probate applications.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises that probate applications are made at a difficult and emotional time for bereaved families and it is important that the service is delivered as efficiently as possible.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has significantly improved processing times, with most applications now processed within published service standards. While some cases take longer, this is often due to the complexity of the estate or where further information is required from personal representatives.
There are no current plans to introduce a general compensation scheme for delays. HMCTS keeps performance continually under review and has an established complaints process to consider any concerns on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) emotional impact of probate delays on bereaved families.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises that probate applications are made at a difficult and emotional time for bereaved families and it is important that the service is delivered as efficiently as possible.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has significantly improved processing times, with most applications now processed within published service standards. While some cases take longer, this is often due to the complexity of the estate or where further information is required from personal representatives.
There are no current plans to introduce a general compensation scheme for delays. HMCTS keeps performance continually under review and has an established complaints process to consider any concerns on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to designate a national body with statutory responsibility for ensuring the adequate provision of nationwide burial sites; and what steps he is taking to ensure there are an adequate number of burial sites in the absence of such a body.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government does not have day-to-day operational responsibility for burial grounds, which are managed locally. There is no statutory duty on local authorities to make provision for burial, and it is a matter for each authority to allocate local resources in line with local priorities.
The Law Commission’s final report on its review of burial and cremation law was published on 18 March 2026. The report makes a number of recommendations on a future legislative framework for burial but does not propose the creation of a national body to oversee burial provision.
The Government will consider the Law Commission’s recommendations carefully and will respond in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the current average processing time is for probate applications; and how that compares to each of the last five years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publish regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in our quarterly family court statistics bulletin: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system, process improvements and a programme of upskilling to improve the processing time for applications and maintain the low level of outstanding caseload.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the backlog of probate cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publish regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in our quarterly family court statistics bulletin: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system, process improvements and a programme of upskilling to improve the processing time for applications and maintain the low level of outstanding caseload.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of marriages between uncle and niece legally contracted overseas by people now residing in England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on overseas marriages.