Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many community sentences were passed in each of the last ten years; and what proportion of these included an unpaid work requirement.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The data requested are provided in the attached excel tables.
The decision as to what type of order to impose at sentence, or when imposing any other type of Order in court, is a matter for our independent judiciary, taking into account all the circumstances of the case before them.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of sentences given in each of the last five years included an unpaid work requirement.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The data requested are provided in the attached excel tables.
The decision as to what type of order to impose at sentence, or when imposing any other type of Order in court, is a matter for our independent judiciary, taking into account all the circumstances of the case before them.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether their Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice has rolled out general purpose artificial intelligence tools like Microsoft Copilot across the Department to enhance productivity and support the work of all staff, including policy professionals. AI is being used to assist the policy-making process with tasks like brainstorming ideas, clarifying drafting, and searching for publicly available information. The Department encourages officials to always cross-validate the outputs of AI rather than blindly trusting them, applying human judgement and oversight as appropriate.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70519 on Public Inquiries, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the Nottingham Inquiry.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In fulfilment of the PM’s commitment, this Government established a statutory Inquiry into the horrific attacks that took place in Nottingham in 2023. The Inquiry was formally announced by the previous Lord Chancellor to Parliament on 22 April.
The total cost of the Nottingham Inquiry from its commencement up to 31/03/26 is £10.9 million.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has taken steps to implement the Law Commission’s July 2022 recommendations on weddings law reform in England and Wales; and whether his Department has published any progress reports.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October 2025 that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows, taking forward the two key elements from the Law Commission report. We will move to a more flexible system that gives couples greater choice over where and how they marry and simplify the legal framework so that it is fairer, more consistent and reflects modern society, while continuing to protect the dignity of marriage.
Ahead of these reforms, we will be undertaking a public consultation early this year. This consultation will seek views from wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, couples, celebrants, and others to ensure broad engagement by those affected by and interested in weddings law.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation on the Marriage Act 1949 reforms will be launched; how long it will run; and what steps will be taken to ensure the broad engagement with all stakeholders including couples and celebrants.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October 2025 that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows, taking forward the two key elements from the Law Commission report. We will move to a more flexible system that gives couples greater choice over where and how they marry and simplify the legal framework so that it is fairer, more consistent and reflects modern society, while continuing to protect the dignity of marriage.
Ahead of these reforms, we will be undertaking a public consultation early this year. This consultation will seek views from wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, couples, celebrants, and others to ensure broad engagement by those affected by and interested in weddings law.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time was for applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme by people resident in Glasgow in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below shows the average time for decisions to be made on applications* for criminal injuries compensation by people resident in Glasgow**.
Financial Year of CICA decision | Average time (days) |
2020-21 | 377 |
2021-22 | 449 |
2022-23 | 481 |
2023-24 | 487 |
2024-25 | 454 |
* The table does not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.
** The above table includes all applications where the applicant named Glasgow as the city in their home address in their application.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in Glasgow received awards under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each of the last five years; and what the value of those awards was.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The table below provides the number of compensation awards paid in each of the last five financial years to applicants living in Glasgow.
Number of compensation awards paid to applicants living in Glasgow* **
Financial Year | Number of awards paid | Total value of those awards |
2020-21 | 349 | £3,584,374 |
2021-22 | 306 | £2,535,552 |
2022-23 | 245 | £2,723,991 |
2023-24 | 367 | £3,592,648 |
2024-25 | 323 | £2,703,553 |
* The above table includes all awards where the applicant named Glasgow as the city in their home address in their application.
**The table does not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve standards in relation to bailiffs.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to strengthening the regulation of the private enforcement (bailiff) sector and establishing an independent regulatory framework as soon as parliamentary time allows. Last year, we consulted on how to do so in a way that ensures that regulation is targeted, proportionate, as well as ensuring fair treatment for everyone, including people in vulnerable circumstances. This will build on the excellent work that the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) is already doing on a voluntary basis to improve standards in the sector. This includes the recent publication in March 2026 of Vulnerability and Ability to Pay Standards, strengthening expectations on the identification of vulnerability, affordability assessments and the use of sustainable repayment arrangements.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will include anti-SLAPP legislation in the King's Speech in May 2026.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have a chilling effect on public participation and freedom of expression, posing a threat to our legal system and democracy. The Government is committed to tackling SLAPPs and is considering all options for reform to address this issue.
The legislative programme for the second session will be set out in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026.