Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department will publish the details and allocations of its £550 million investment over the next three years in victim support services as part of the Government's violence against women and girls strategy.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to halving Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in a decade. Ensuring victims receive the right and timely support is a key part of this mission. The Ministry of Justice has committed £550 million in funding for victim and witness support services over the next three years, including year-on-year increases. This includes funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, and national services such as the Witness Service and the Homicide Service.
We do not routinely publish the full Ministry of Justice budget for victim and witness support services. The budgets for individual PCC areas are published on each area’s website. A breakdown of grant funding for the previous financial year is published on an annual basis on the Government Grants Information System. The latest data, released in March 2026, covers the 2024-2025 financial year.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 106177, on Rents: Appeals, whether any programmes of works detailed in that Answer are estimated not to be completed before the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All the programmes of work detailed in the answer to Question 106177 are expected to be completed by implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026. This includes recruitment exercises for additional administrative staff, establishment of a centralised operational hub, updates to operational processes, availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings and enhancements to technology systems.
Recruitment of judges and members for the Property Chamber is ongoing, with further recruitment exercises planned throughout 2026.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds data on the outstanding caseload in the County Court in England and Wales.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No data is held regarding outstanding caseloads in the County Court in England and Wales. Civil cases do not progress through the court system in a linear way. The vast majority of civil cases settle, are resolved by default judgment, or conclude outside of a final court hearing. Only about 3% of cases are disposed of at a final hearing. Given this, and the fact that civil claims are often driven by party behaviour, an outstanding caseload figure would not provide a fair or meaningful reflection of County Court demand or performance.
I can confirm County Court performance is improving, with the median time taken from claim issue to hearing falling for all tracks. The median time taken for small claims to go to trial was 36.1 weeks in October to December 2025, 6.4 weeks faster than the same period in 2024. The median time taken for fast/intermediate/multi track claims to go to trial was 9.3 weeks faster than the same period last year, at 57.4 weeks in the current quarter.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department collects data on document handling errors or lost filings in County Court civil cases.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is not held centrally. The terms “document handling errors” and “lost filings” are broad and may encompass a wide range of issues, making it difficult to provide a specific or reliable answer. HMCTS is reducing the risk of administrative errors in civil claims through work to digitalise processes.
The Deputy Prime Minister has announced further modernisation of civil justice with £50 million investment to continue digitalising the County Court.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he met President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria during his visit to the UK on 31 March 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Secretary of State for Justice did not meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria during his visit to the UK on 31 March 2026.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will have discussions with his counterparts in the European Union on case number INFR(2021)2001 relating to Poland's obligations in relation to the Brussels IIa Regulation.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government has no plans to discuss this infringement case with Ministers from EU countries. Officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been in contact with officials in the European Commission, which issued the infringement notice. Ministers and officials continue to raise relevant international child abduction cases with the Polish authorities at every appropriate opportunity.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of sentencing guidelines on hare coursing.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. There are currently no specific guidelines for hare coursing offences. However, in 2025 the Council consulted on a draft guideline for certain offences relating to hare coursing under the Night Poaching Act 1828, Game Act 1831 and Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Subject to approval from the Lady Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor, the Council plans to issue a final version of the guideline, for use by the courts, later this year.
Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, taking into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders. As well as imposing a sentence, sentencing courts may also impose ancillary orders on offenders, such as dog disqualification orders under section 66 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which aim to help prevent future re-offending.
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 has been the total public cost to date of the Andrew Malkinson Inquiry.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The total cost of the Malkinson Inquiry from its commencement in October 2023, up to the end of the financial year 2025/26 is £2.9 million.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to restore pre-Brexit entitlement to cross-border civil legal claims; and what assessment he has made of the level of cost and time of pursuing such claims following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The UK has ratified the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention, which entered into force for the UK on 1 July 2025. The EU is also party to this Convention, and UK participation has therefore significantly strengthened the UK-EU framework for the recognition and enforcement of cross-border civil claims. Being a Party to the Convention provides greater certainty for UK citizens and businesses and reduces costs and delays in relevant cross‑border disputes.
The Government remains committed to working with the EU and other international partners, including through the Hague Conference on Private International Law, as well as with the UK legal sector to deliver practical benefits for our citizens and businesses. We continue to promote the mutual benefits of closer cooperation in civil and commercial matters, as noted in the UK-EU Summit Common Understanding of May 2025.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions the Deputy Prime Minister has had with the President of the Maldives since 1 January 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Deputy Prime Minister has not held discussions with the President of the Maldives since 1 January 2026.