Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of marriages between cousins that have taken place in the UK in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The number of marriages between relatives, mainly cousins, is not a data set that is collected and the Government therefore cannot give an estimate.
The Office for National Statistics publishes marriage statistics derived from information recorded at the point of marriage registration in England and Wales. This includes data about age, sex, previous marital status and whether the ceremony was civil or religious, but not whether the parties were related.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government will publish data on market rent determinations, tribunal volumes, decision times and outcomes following implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Currently HM Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS) publish quarterly data on the Residential Property Chamber.
HMCTS is reviewing the data captured, drawn and published from the supporting systems for the Tribunal as part of preparations for the Renters’ Rights Act.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 21 November 2025, (b) 15 December 2025 and (c) 20 January 2026 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
A response to the correspondence was sent on 27 January 2026.
The Department apologises for the delay in responding on this occasion and we regret that this fell short of expected standards.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of long-term potential impacts of the mandatory disclosure of criminal records on access to (a) employment and (b) education for offenders.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We recognise the importance of removing barriers to employment for ex-offenders. Employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points in the year following release, and a similar percentage point reduction for prisoners who take any form of learning activity. The criminal record regime has a role in this process, striking a balance between providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions, while enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.
We recognise that disclosure requirements and the approach of employers and learning institutions can have a significant impact on an individual’s employment opportunities and access to education. This is also an area that Sir Brian Levenson’s recent independent review of the Criminal Courts highlighted. The Deputy Prime Minister confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 2 December 2025 that we are considering Sir Brian’s recommendation, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made in considering the Law Commission’s 2022 recommendation to regulate officiants rather than venues, and how independent celebrants are being considered within that approach.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.
As part of the consultation, we will invite views on the introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published, to help to inform our next steps.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether independent celebrants will be explicitly included within the scope of the forthcoming marriage law reform proposals.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.
As part of the consultation, we will invite views on the introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published, to help to inform our next steps.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Department plans to consult directly with independent celebrants as part of the development of marriage law reform.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.
As part of the consultation, we will invite views on the introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published, to help to inform our next steps.
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 16 December 2025 to Question 98098 on Ministry of Justice: Public Appointments, what the annual remuneration of those appointments is.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Due to data protection requirements, this information cannot be disclosed. The Ministry of Justice notes the Cabinet Office’s new guidance on Direct Ministerial Appointments (DMAs), including the information to be published when such appointments are announced, and the creation of a new portal for these announcements.
All DMAs enclosed in PQ 98098, with the exception of the English Law Promotion Panel (which is unremunerated), were made before the guidance was published. Going forward, the Ministry of Justice will ensure that announcements of DMAs are made in accordance with this guidance.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of Parole Board recommendations on moving (a) prisoners serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence and (b) other prisoners to open conditions were rejected by his Department in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
For many years, the Secretary of State has asked the independent Parole Board for advice on whether a prisoner serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) or a life sentence is suitable for transfer to open conditions. Where the Parole Board recommends that a prisoner is suitable, the Secretary of State is not bound to accept the recommendation, and it is the Secretary of State who is ultimately responsible for determining whether a life or IPP prisoner is safe to be managed in an open prison. In making that decision, the Secretary of State takes account of the Parole Board’s recommendation and needs evidence to justify rejecting the recommendation.
The following tables provide the number and proportion of recommendations made by the Parole Board which were rejected in each month between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 for prisoners serving (a) an IPP sentence and (b) a life sentence.
Number and proportion of rejected open condition recommendations involving IPP prisoners, 1 April 2024-31 March 2025
Table 1: Year | Month | Accepted | Rejected | % Rejected |
2024 | April | 8 | 1 | 11% |
2024 | May | 9 | 4 | 31% |
2024 | June | 10 | 5 | 33% |
2024 | July | 17 | 9 | 35% |
2024 | August | 8 | 4 | 33% |
2024 | September | 19 | 5 | 21% |
2024 | October | 17 | 9 | 35% |
2024 | November | 14 | 8 | 36% |
2024 | December | 12 | 7 | 37% |
2025 | January | 10 | 2 | 17% |
2025 | February | 7 | 7 | 50% |
2025 | March | 6 | 2 | 25% |
Number and proportion of rejected open condition recommendations involving life prisoners, 1 April 2024-31 March 2025
Table 2:
Year | Month | Accepted | Rejected | % Rejected |
2024 | April | 14 | 7 | 33% |
2024 | May | 15 | 3 | 17% |
2024 | June | 10 | 1 | 9% |
2024 | July | 48 | 3 | 6% |
2024 | August | 34 | 7 | 17% |
2024 | September | 25 | 3 | 11% |
2024 | October | 20 | 8 | 29% |
2024 | November | 17 | 8 | 32% |
2024 | December | 27 | 6 | 18% |
2025 | January | 19 | 7 | 27% |
2025 | February | 23 | 3 | 12% |
2025 | March | 23 | 3 | 12% |
Data has been provided for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 to align with the publication of the Parole Board’s data on recommendations for open conditions.
Public protection remains the priority and prisoners will only be approved for a move to open conditions if it is assessed that it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who the members of the pool of Independent Panel Members for public appointments in his Department are.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The members of the Ministry of Justice’s pool of Independent Panel Members for public appointments are:
- Mohamed Ali
- Lambert Allman
- Nicolina Andall
- Delroy Beverley
- Lord Bew
- Charlotte Black
- Baroness Bull
- Jayne Butler
- Cindy Butts
- Jody Chatterjee
- Jacqui Francis
- Keith Fraser
- Graham Gee
- Rory Geoghegan
- Malcolm John
- Carly Jones
- William Kennedy
- Grant Lamond
- Alison Lyon
- Paula McDonald
- Jacob Meagher
- Caterina Milo
- Oliver Mosely
- Camilla Poulton
- Grace Quantock
- Dale Simon
- Rohan Sivanandan
- Graeme Spencer
- John Tasioulas
- Bernadette Thompson
- Rachel Tranter
- Mark Trafford
- Joanne Vance