Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer all child victims of crime Achieving Best Evidence-compliant service and video-recorded interviews in child-friendly environments, including those outside police stations, regardless of whether they have already made complaints to police officers.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring that child victims of crime are treated with sensitivity and care throughout the criminal justice process. The Achieving Best Evidence guidance makes clear that interviews do not need take place in police stations and provides practical advice on arranging a suitable interview environment. Registered intermediaries are also available to support effective communication between the child and the police during interviews.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who are victims of abuse receive the highest standard of care and support. To this end, the Ministry of Justice funds local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including child sexual abuse.
The Government continues to explore innovative models of support, including approaches inspired by the Barnahus model, to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases get the support they need.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to adopt as standard in criminal justice settings the Barnahus service approach for achieving best evidence and meeting the physical and mental health needs of children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring that child victims of crime are treated with sensitivity and care throughout the criminal justice process. The Achieving Best Evidence guidance makes clear that interviews do not need take place in police stations and provides practical advice on arranging a suitable interview environment. Registered intermediaries are also available to support effective communication between the child and the police during interviews.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who are victims of abuse receive the highest standard of care and support. To this end, the Ministry of Justice funds local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including child sexual abuse.
The Government continues to explore innovative models of support, including approaches inspired by the Barnahus model, to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases get the support they need.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most recent figures are for reoffending rates within 12 months of release.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The latest quarterly reoffending statistics (October to December 2023 cohort) show that, among adults released from custody, 41.1% reoffended within 12 months—down from 48.8% for the same quarter in 2013.
We are committed to tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions and services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes access to education & employment opportunities, stable accommodation, and substance misuse treatment.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been over detained in prison in the last five reported years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.
On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies.
The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.
The data requested comes from internal management information and is therefore not fully Quality Assured and does not meet the standard required for publication.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to R (Denny De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin), how much his Department has paid Mr Denny De SIlva in (a) damages, (b) other compensation, (c) ex gratia or out-of-court payments and (d) legal costs.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
With reference to R (Denny De Silva) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 128 (Admin):
(a), (b), (c) The damages claim is ongoing and therefore we cannot comment on compensation, ex-gratia or out-of-court payments.
(d) Legal costs for the Judicial Review were settled at £255,000, inclusive of interest and assessment costs.
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) successfully defends around two-thirds of all litigation cases brought by prisoners. Where damages are awarded to prisoners, we seek to ensure that payments are offset against any outstanding debts owed to victims and the courts.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to R (Awale) v Secretary of State for Justice [2024] EWHC 2322 (Admin), how much his Department has paid Mr Fuad Awale in (a) damages, (b) other compensation, (c) any ex gratia or out-of-court payments and (d) legal costs.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
With reference to R (Awale) v Secretary of State for Justice [2024] EWHC 2322 (Admin):
(a), (b), (c) The damages claim is ongoing and therefore we cannot comment on compensation, ex-gratia or out-of-court payments.
(d) Legal costs for the Judicial Review were settled at £234,250, inclusive of interest and assessment costs.
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) successfully defends around two-thirds of all litigation cases brought by prisoners. Where damages are awarded to prisoners, we seek to ensure that payments are offset against any outstanding debts owed to victims and the courts.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the level of remuneration for expert witnesses in family cases.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Between January 2023 and March 2025, the Ministry of Justice undertook a comprehensive review of civil legal aid. This included family legal aid. The evidence from the review indicated that the housing and debt, and immigration and asylum sectors face particularly acute challenges with service provision and high demand.
Following a consultation, we recently announced uplifts to housing and debt, and immigration and asylum legal aid fees, which will inject £20 million into the sector each year once fully implemented.
The Government keeps legal aid policy, including family legal aid and remuneration for expert witnesses, under review.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce court delays in relation to hearings for possession orders for anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not currently collect or publish data broken down by the specific grounds used in possession claims, such as anti-social behaviour.
The Civil Procedure Rules stipulate that possession claims should be listed within 4 to 8 weeks. The most recent published statistics, covering the period April to June 2025 show that the median time from claim to order is 7.9 weeks, consistent with the same period in 2024. The timeliness of subsequent enforcement of an order, where this is required, can be influenced by the actions of users as well as the court. Less than 25% of possession claims require progression to enforcement.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 which has recently received Royal Assent, will shorten the notice period for the existing mandatory anti-social behaviour eviction ground. As soon as landlords have served their notice for eviction to the tenant for anti-social behaviour using this ground, they can begin possession proceedings through the court immediately.
The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on possession claims at: Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts in the North East.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the court system. This is being delivered through a combination of increased funding and improving efficiency. In the North East, specifically, the Government is taking the following steps:
CRIMINAL COURTS
For this financial year (25/26), this Government is funding a record allocation of Crown Court sitting days to deliver swifter justice for victims – 111,250 sitting days this year, 5,000 higher than the previous Government funded in the last financial year.
As a result of increased government funding, the North East circuit will sit an extra 1,500 days in FY25/26, taking the total to around 15,000 days.
In the magistrates’ courts, we continue to recruit trainee legal advisers and magistrates to deal with the increasing levels of cases coming into the courts.
FAMILY COURTS
The North East has strengthened arrangements between the judiciary and HMCTS operational teams. This collaborative approach ensures early triage of applications, timely allocation of judicial resources, and improved scheduling of hearings. By jointly reviewing case readiness and safeguarding information at the outset, courts are better able to identify appropriate pathways, reduce unnecessary delays, and maintain progress toward the 16-week measure.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October to Question 84015 on Legal Aid Scheme: Ely and East Cambridgeshire, what criteria the Legal Aid Agency uses to assess the adequacy of access to legal aid services in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 7 November to Question 86918.