Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help reduce the time taken to process compensation claims by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; and if she will introduce measures to help ensure timely decisions for people awaiting compensation.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.
The majority of applications are decided within 12 months. Each application must be considered on its own facts and assessed based on the information available. In almost all cases, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) needs to get information from third parties such as the police and medical authorities to assess applications.
Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide. This could be where information is not available due to ongoing criminal proceedings, where CICA needs time to assess the long-term impacts of complex injuries (e.g. brain injuries), or where there is an application for loss of earnings which requires at least 28 weeks of loss. CICA has continued to uplift staff numbers in line with funding and identify operational efficiencies to ensure applications are decided as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using National Insurance numbers to proactively identify veterans in the criminal justice system in order to provide them with appropriate support.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There is no mechanism for identifying former Armed Forces personnel or any other category of individuals through National Insurance numbers. Those eligible are issued a National Insurance number for the administration of Social Security Benefits, National Insurance and tax only.
However, all newly received prisoners are asked if they have previously served in the Armed Forces as part of the screening process at reception. The Probation Service also uses a self-declaration form to identify former Armed Forces personnel.
Those who choose to report as former members of the Armed Forces are given access to specialist support that is available to them via the armed forces and military charities that work in prisons and in the community.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of veterans therapists' ability to access veteran inmates in Wales to provide PTSD treatment.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Healthcare in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Government, with seven Local Health Boards responsible for the planning and delivery of health services (including mental health therapy, such as PTSD) in prisons across Wales.
A strong partnership exists between HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in Wales, the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales, underpinned by a 2019 agreement. Regular strategic meetings and local partnership boards ensure that prisoners can access appropriate interventions, including mental health support, through coordinated efforts between prison services and healthcare providers.
HMPPS delivers a range of initiatives to support veterans including via third sector organisations, who provide a prison in-reach service to veterans whilst in custody.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the probation service in the West Midlands.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Performance ratings for prisons in the West Midlands are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Annual Prison Performance Ratings. The 2023-24 ratings can be found at: Prison Performance Ratings: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
The performance of the Probation Service in the West Midlands is published as part of the Community Performance Annual publication. The 2023-24 edition can be found at: Community Performance Annual, update to March 2024 - GOV.UK.
The ratings for 2024-25 for both prisons and probation will be published on 31 July 2025.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of prisons in the West Midlands.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Performance ratings for prisons in the West Midlands are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Annual Prison Performance Ratings. The 2023-24 ratings can be found at: Prison Performance Ratings: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
The performance of the Probation Service in the West Midlands is published as part of the Community Performance Annual publication. The 2023-24 edition can be found at: Community Performance Annual, update to March 2024 - GOV.UK.
The ratings for 2024-25 for both prisons and probation will be published on 31 July 2025.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of gambling among the prison population; and what steps she is taking to help tackle gambling-related issues in prisons.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) co-commissioned, and subsequently published, an independent report to help inform our understanding of the prevalence of gambling harms among those in prison and on probation in the community. The report was undertaken from 2023-2024 and published in May 2025.
We are committed to rehabilitating those impacted by gambling and its harms, driven by good rehabilitative culture, positive relationships and pro-social staff. Alongside this, HMPPS delivers a broad range of interventions to address individuals’ criminogenic risks and needs, including accredited offending behaviour programmes.
The NHS also provides support for prisoners who are experiencing gambling addiction, and HMPPS is working in partnership with health and social care partners so that people in prison can access the equivalent standard and range of services to those they would receive in the community.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released under SDS40 since July 2024; and how many of those prisoners have subsequently committed another offence.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
Reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.
We have also published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers by prisoners were recorded by HM Prison & Probation Service in each month since January 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is not currently able to be shared. Accredited Official Statistics on assaults on staff from January 2025 onwards are subject to future publication through our Safety in Custody quarterly publication. The data from January - March 2025 will be published on 31 July 2025.
The latest available assaults data covers up to December 2024 and can be found via: Safety in custody statistics - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female ex-offenders found employment within six months of release in the West Midlands in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The latest data available (April 2023-March 2024) shows that 13.0% of females and 21.8% of males in the West Midlands region were employed six months after release from custody, a gap of 8.8 percentage points. This represents 30 females and 715 males from sample sizes of 230 and 3,280 respectively.
We know that women face additional barriers to employment, including greater prevalence of trauma, substance misuse issues and being more likely to be a primary carer for children. In recognition of these additional challenges, New Futures Network, the prison service’s specialist employment team, has a dedicated employment broker for the women’s prison estate.
In addition, an expert in education and employment for women with convictions has been appointed to the cross-government Partnership Delivery Group, which supports our recently established Women’s Justice Board. The Board will set the vision for and deliver on our ambition to have fewer women in custody.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions for manslaughter there have been in (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Liverpool in cases involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for manslaughter by Police Force Area in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. The latest data is available up to December 2024. This can be downloaded at the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.
However, it is not possible to provide the number of convictions for manslaughter involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor, as this information is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings Database.