Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) performance standards and (b) key performance indicators on the timeliness of prisoner arrivals at court are set out within the contract for Prisoner Escort and Custody Services.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contracts specify that the contractor shall deliver prisoners to court by the required times to ensure the efficient and effective running of courts without delay. The key performance indicator relating to the timeliness of prisoner arrivals in court is Contract Delivery Indicator 15, at Annex 1 to Schedule 5 of the contract.
The PECS contracts can be found in the Contracts Finder on the GOV.UK website:
Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (Generation 4) - Lot North - Contracts Finder.
Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (Generation 4) - Lot South - Contracts Finder.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to open the consultation on cohabitation rights reform; and whether that consultation will include proposals covering cohabiting couples who separate without having had children together.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As set out in our manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples. Cohabitation reform is a matter of utmost importance, and we will be consulting this Spring on how best to deliver this commitment. The consultation will consider how best to strengthen the rights of cohabitating couples and the circumstances in which protections may apply, while firmly upholding marriage as one of our most important institutions.
The Government also recognises the challenge posed by the mistaken belief in the myth of “common law marriage”. To improve public awareness of the legal distinction between marriage and cohabitation, we updated GOV.UK guidance last year to set out the legal position clearly. In addition, from September 2026, the updated Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance will also state that schools should teach that “common-law marriage” is a myth by the end of secondary school, helping to tackle persistent misconceptions and improve public understanding of the law.
Legal aid is currently available to a person in a cohabiting couple for some private family proceedings, such as child arrangement orders and transfers of tenancies, where they are a victim of domestic abuse or are at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests. Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, for example, cohabiting partners seeking to resolve property disputes upon separation, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF). ECF will be granted if, without legal aid, there is a risk that the person’s human rights may be breached. ECF applications are determined by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis. This Government keeps legal aid policy under review.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of legal aid to cohabiting partners seeking to resolve property disputes upon separation.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As set out in our manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples. Cohabitation reform is a matter of utmost importance, and we will be consulting this Spring on how best to deliver this commitment. The consultation will consider how best to strengthen the rights of cohabitating couples and the circumstances in which protections may apply, while firmly upholding marriage as one of our most important institutions.
The Government also recognises the challenge posed by the mistaken belief in the myth of “common law marriage”. To improve public awareness of the legal distinction between marriage and cohabitation, we updated GOV.UK guidance last year to set out the legal position clearly. In addition, from September 2026, the updated Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance will also state that schools should teach that “common-law marriage” is a myth by the end of secondary school, helping to tackle persistent misconceptions and improve public understanding of the law.
Legal aid is currently available to a person in a cohabiting couple for some private family proceedings, such as child arrangement orders and transfers of tenancies, where they are a victim of domestic abuse or are at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests. Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, for example, cohabiting partners seeking to resolve property disputes upon separation, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF). ECF will be granted if, without legal aid, there is a risk that the person’s human rights may be breached. ECF applications are determined by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis. This Government keeps legal aid policy under review.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the review of pornography law will include differences between online and offline regulation in relation to children’s access to sexually explicit material.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 9 December 2025, during the House of Lords Committee Stage debate on the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government announced that it would accept, in part, recommendation 24 of Baroness Bertin’s Independent Review on Pornography:
‘The current criminal justice response is ineffective in tackling illegal pornography online. Government should conduct its own legislative review of this regime to ensure that legislation and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance is fit-for-purpose in tackling illegal pornography in the online world.’
The Ministry of Justice will be reviewing the criminal law relating to pornography, which will give an opportunity to look holistically and consider whether it is fit for purpose in an ever-developing online world. This will involve reviewing the effectiveness of existing legislation which criminalises the possession and publication of illegal pornographic material both online and offline. We have accepted in part because the Government cannot accept the recommendation to review CPS guidance. As the CPS is independent, whether to conduct a review of guidance would be a matter for them to decide.
As the review is focused on the criminal law set out above, it will not appraise the adequacy of age-verification, age-assurance methods or regulation.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the cumulative number of years of experience held by prison officers in each year since 2010.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The cumulative length of service, in years, held by public sector band 3-5 prison officers is given in the following table. Figures are given as at 31 December each year.
Table 1 – Cumulative length of service1 of public sector band 3-5 prison officers2 in England and Wales, as at 31 December each year from 2010 to 20253
Date | Number of prison officers in post | Cumulative length of service of these prison officers (Years) |
(Full Time Equivalent) | ||
31/12/2010 | 24,501 | 329,353 |
31/12/2011 | 23,054 | 326,563 |
31/12/2012 | 21,841 | 326,660 |
31/12/2013 | 18,731 | 287,921 |
31/12/2014 | 17,796 | 278,258 |
31/12/2015 | 18,226 | 271,984 |
31/12/2016 | 17,879 | 261,501 |
31/12/2017 | 19,892 | 253,286 |
31/12/2018 | 22,673 | 247,620 |
31/12/2019 | 22,100 | 245,855 |
31/12/2020 | 21,485 | 242,229 |
31/12/2021 | 22,057 | 239,723 |
31/12/2022 | 21,546 | 226,367 |
31/12/2023 | 23,174 | 219,792 |
31/12/2024 | 23,041 | 215,660 |
31/12/2025 | 22,067 | 213,125 |
Notes:
1. The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS
2. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers
3. The dates reflect the Full Time Equivalent and cumulative years of service at that particular point of the year.
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 support Women's centres in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
I welcome the positive work happening in Greater Manchester to support women involved in the criminal justice system, and the work of women’s community sector organisations that provide crucial infrastructure for the criminal justice system.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) currently funds specialist support for women on probation through Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) delivered by third sector organisations, including providers of women’s centres. HMPPS is committed to ensuring CRS contracts deliver holistic, gender-specific support that meets women’s needs, informed by service users, stakeholders and providers.
The Ministry of Justice is providing a further £7.2 million in 2025-2026 to support the women’s community sector. This funding is aimed at building sustainability, expanding interventions and increasing capacity, including residential provision where needed. Funding for future years is subject to internal allocations.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have been shared with devolved justice departments in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have not yet been shared more widely, but H M Prison & Probation Service will shortly be publishing its 12-month progress report to H M Inspectorate of Prison’s thematic report ‘Time to Care: What helps women cope in prison’, setting out the measures it has put in place.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Mark Pryor.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
I can confirm that the Ministry of Justice does not hold policy or operational responsibility for health care in police custody settings. However, in order to resolve any lack of clarity that may exist, the Department will shortly respond formally to the coroner on that basis.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the correction of 10 March 2026 to Question 115634 on Ministry of Justice: ICT, for what reason here was a discrepancy of 510 laptops, mobile phones and electronic devices recorded as lost or stolen between the original answer of 3 March 2026 and the correction of 10 March 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
When the previous (incorrect) answer was provided, it was the result of a simple search being run against criteria in the service management system and the result published.
When the corrected response was provided, it was a result of a manual search through records ensuring that duplicates were removed, and then checked against the ID numbers of assets known to be present.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department's review of the criminal law relating to pornography will consider the adequacy of existing age-verification and age-assurance measures in preventing children from accessing online pornography.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 9 December 2025, during the House of Lords Committee Stage debate on the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government announced that it would accept, in part, recommendation 24 of Baroness Bertin’s Independent Review on Pornography:
‘The current criminal justice response is ineffective in tackling illegal pornography online. Government should conduct its own legislative review of this regime to ensure that legislation and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance is fit-for-purpose in tackling illegal pornography in the online world.’
The Ministry of Justice will be reviewing the criminal law relating to pornography, which will give an opportunity to look holistically and consider whether it is fit for purpose in an ever-developing online world. This will involve reviewing the effectiveness of existing legislation which criminalises the possession and publication of illegal pornographic material both online and offline. We have accepted in part because the Government cannot accept the recommendation to review CPS guidance. As the CPS is independent, whether to conduct a review of guidance would be a matter for them to decide.
As the review is focused on the criminal law set out above, it will not appraise the adequacy of age-verification, age-assurance methods or regulation.