Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 101467 on Men, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the terms and reference, objectives and conclusions of the planned Men and Boys Summit feed into wider policy work about men, including the implementation of the Men's Health Strategy.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We are unable to separate advertising and marketing spend. Total spend with our media buying agency Omnigov and TMP for the last three financial years is as follows:
22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
£3,120,675 | £12,609,151 | £8,975,058 |
The Ministry of Justice advertising spend is published yearly within our Annual Report and Accounts. Attached are the reports that cover the three previous financial years.
2022/23 – Annual Report and Accounts
2023/24 – Annual Report and Accounts
2024/25 – Annual Report and Accounts
The Ministry of Justice uses advertising to support the Department in delivering its key priorities. These priorities include campaigns that ensure victims of crime are aware of, and able to access the support services available to them, as well as our recruitment campaigns that support filling our operationally critical front line roles in the Prison and Probation Service, and Magistrates roles.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot sent on the 27 of November 2025 with case ref MW04041.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
As the majority of the issues raised do not fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, the correspondence was transferred out of the Department and accepted by the Home Office.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps with HM Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure that courts can accept attachments of more than 20 megabytes in size from plaintiffs and defendants.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
New digital systems developed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service during the Reform Programme, are already of sufficient size to cater for most documents that need to be uploaded during proceedings. Limits are currently 1GB for documents and 500MB for multimedia. These are in place to protect systems from malicious attack. A 1GB limit allows for a standard text document of around 26,000 pages, and around 7,000 pages if images are included. These standards will be the baseline for future digital development.
A review is being completed on the current limit relating to email submissions which is set at a lower level, and we recognise is particularly restrictive for users.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to help support people affected by the poor performance of specialist conveyancing businesses which are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The regulation of legal services in England and Wales operates independently of government and is underpinned by the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007. The Act establishes a framework under which certain activities, known as reserved legal activities, may only be carried out by authorised persons regulated by an approved regulator (or persons otherwise exempt from authorisations). Conveyancing is a reserved legal activity when it involves legal tasks such as preparing instruments like transfer deeds, charges, and applications for land registration.
Reserved conveyancing services are regulated by approved regulators under the LSA 2007, for example the Solicitors Regulation Authority where they are provided by solicitors or solicitor-led firms, and by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) where they are provided by licensed conveyancers or CLC-authorised firms. In both cases, authorised providers are subject to professional standards for entry to the profession, ongoing regulatory oversight which includes ensuring adherence to a wide range of published codes of conduct, mandatory Professional Indemnity Insurance, and clear and transparent complaints arrangements. Consumers may pursue redress through internal complaints procedures and then through the Legal Ombudsman if the response from the provider is not satisfactory.
The Government recognises the impact that poor performance by conveyancing providers can have on consumers. The home buying and selling process is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government who recently consulted on proposals to drive improvements. This has involved extensive engagement with the wider industry, including conveyancing regulators, to ensure it takes maximum advantage of the opportunities of technology to improve the functioning of the housing market in the consumer and public interest, and support growth. The Ministry of Justice keeps the overall framework for legal services regulation and associated consumer protections under review to ensure it remains proportionate and effective, but has no current plans to introduce additional measures.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Urgent Question HMP Leyhill: Offender Abscondments, how many of the 57 prisoner abscondments that occurred in 2025 remained at large as of 1 January 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
There were 57 absconds in the year ending March 2025. Data on absconds is published annually in the HMPPS Annual Digest: HMPPS Annual Digest 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. This only includes a 30-day reference point for whether prisoners remained at large. Data for April 2025 to March 2026 will be published in July 2026 as part of the next HMPPS Annual Digest.
Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody.
Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions will likely face longer before they are released.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of overseas domestic workers who have been able to enforce their rights to fair pay and working conditions through an employment tribunal over the last decade.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department publishes regular statistics on Employment Tribunals claims, which includes claims relating to pay and working conditions (such as unauthorised deductions, minimum wage, working time, and equal pay) which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025.
The published data does not break down claims by claimant characteristics (such as nationality or visa status), or the type of work conducted by claimant.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error from HM Prison Peterborough since July 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error from North Sea Camp Prison since July 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error from HM Prison Lincoln since July 2024.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point national action plan to reduce releases in error, which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab), and provide data up to March 2025.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.