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1729715

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Service: Recruitment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made for future graduate recruitment into the prison workforce (including for the cohort graduating in 2025).
	tabling member printed	Baroness Porter of Fulwood
	uin	HL1132
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>HMPPS recognises the value that graduate prison officers bring to prisons and is committed to continuing to invest in its pipeline of future leaders. Several options for talent schemes, including graduate programmes, are being explored.</p><p> </p><p>The contract with the current graduate scheme provider will run until October 2026. All participants will continue to receive full support from our staff to thrive in their career with HMPPS.</p> answering member printed Lord Timpson question first answered 18/09/2024 10:42:11 answering member 5364 label Biography information for Lord Timpson
	tabling member	5009 label Biography information for Baroness Porter of Fulwood

1729650

	registered interest
	date	12/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Civil Servants: Sexuality
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 12 August (HL426), whether the Ministry of Justice has received such representations from the Public and Commercial Services Union; and what was their response.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL1056
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>The Public and Commercial Services Union has not made any representations to the Ministry of Justice regarding this motion and therefore no response was given.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede question first answered 18/09/2024 10:51:29 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1729058

	registered interest
	date	11/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Press Recognition Panel
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 August (HL330), on what basis the Ministry of Justice made a payment to the Press Recognition Panel of £430,000 in April; and whether they intend to place in the House of Lords Library a copy of all correspondence between the Ministry of Justice and Press Regulation Panel relating to the payment.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lexden
	uin	HL974
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>The Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the press sets out that The Exchequer (acting through the Lord Chancellor) will fund the Press Recognition Panel (PRP) until it becomes effective. It also sets out that in the event that the PRP considers its income is likely to be insufficient it will have a right to request further reasonable sums so it is not frustrated by a lack of funding. Whilst the Lord Chancellor is the conduit for the PRP with HM Treasury, they have no policy responsibility under the Royal Charter that created the PRP. The PRP publish their accounts on an annual basis, confirming their annual income of £430,000.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede question first answered 18/09/2024 10:46:01 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	4202 label Biography information for Lord Lexden

1729071

	registered interest
	date	11/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Employment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable prisoners with work outside the confines of prison to be paid a wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL988
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why we have committed to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector to get more people with convictions into work.</p><p> </p><p>Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) allows prisoners to be released temporarily into the community for specific purposes, including to engage in employment. Prisoners working on ROTL are paid the same as their counterparts in the community and are subject to the same income tax, National Insurance and child support requirements, as well as other court ordered deductions.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Prisoners’ Earnings Act 1996 (PEA) gives governors the power to deduct up to and including 40% from prisoners’ earnings on ROTL. Currently, the money deducted is given to the charity Victim Support. An average of £296 per prisoner per month was raised through the levy; totalling £4.2 million raised for the year ending March 2024.</p> answering member printed Lord Timpson question first answered 18/09/2024 10:41:17 answering member 5364 label Biography information for Lord Timpson
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1728439

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Victims
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had recent discussions with the Victims' Commissioner on the potential impact on victims of her Department's scheme to temporarily reduce the proportion of some custodial sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	4963
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Victims’ Commissioner. I can confirm recent meetings have included discussions about the impact on victims of the prison capacity measures announced on 12 July, and the processes in place to ensure that victims have access to information and support they may need.</p><p> </p><p>Victims who are eligible for and have opted into either the Probation Service’s Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme are provided with updates about an offender that perpetrated crimes against them, including when these offenders are due to be released from custody. This includes providing these victims with the opportunity to make representations as to the licence conditions that they would like to be in place on an offender’s release such as an exclusion zone.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4964 question first answered 18/09/2024 10:28:42 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1728440

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Victims
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department informs victims when perpetrators of crimes against them are due to be released under her Department's scheme to temporarily reduce the proportion of some custodial sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	4964
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Victims’ Commissioner. I can confirm recent meetings have included discussions about the impact on victims of the prison capacity measures announced on 12 July, and the processes in place to ensure that victims have access to information and support they may need.</p><p> </p><p>Victims who are eligible for and have opted into either the Probation Service’s Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme are provided with updates about an offender that perpetrated crimes against them, including when these offenders are due to be released from custody. This includes providing these victims with the opportunity to make representations as to the licence conditions that they would like to be in place on an offender’s release such as an exclusion zone.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4963 question first answered 18/09/2024 10:28:43 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1728654

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Equality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many positions in her Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
	tabling member constituency	Great Yarmouth
	tabling member printed	Rupert Lowe
	uin	5196
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.</p><p>Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department’s annual report and accounts.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones question first answered 17/09/2024 13:54:08 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	5158

1728678

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Foreign Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the prisoners released under the early release scheme (a) are foreign nationals and (b) will be deported.
	tabling member constituency	Bassetlaw
	tabling member printed	Jo White
	uin	5220
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>We are unable to provide the requested prisoner release figures at this time, as they form a subset of prisoner releases data scheduled for future publication. Numbers of custodial releases for the period covering July 2024 to September 2024 will be published on 30 January 2025, here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>All foreign national offenders in receipt of custodial sentences are referred to the Home Office to be considered for deportation. The Home Office make all final decisions relating to deportation, taking into account individual circumstances in each case, meaning it is not possible to predict future deportation numbers.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 18/09/2024 15:57:22 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5105

1728680

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign-born criminals (a) are in prisons and (b) were released under the revised terms of the early release scheme in Norfolk since 10 September 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Great Yarmouth
	tabling member printed	Rupert Lowe
	uin	5222
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>Information on the number of Foreign Nationals in prisons can be found in Table 1_Q_12 here: Source: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a1167cce1fd0da7b592c8d/Prison-population-30-June-2024.ods" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a1167cce1fd0da7b592c8d/Prison-population-30-June-2024.ods</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We are unable to provide the requested prisoner release figures at this time, as they form a subset of prisoner releases data scheduled for future publication. Numbers of custodial releases for the period covering July 2024 to September 2024 will be published on 30 January 2025, here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 18/09/2024 15:58:15 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5158

1727954

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Remand in Custody: Women
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of women remanded in custody in each of the last three years were subsequently (1) sentenced, and (2) not sentenced.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL869
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the remand status of defendants and subsequent outcomes in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66461215993111924d9d3696/remands-tool-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Remands data tool</a>.</p><p>The attached tables provide the proportion of outcomes for female defendants after being remanded in custody, split by magistrates’ court and Crown Court.</p><p>Defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and subsequently committed to the Crown Court will have separate remand decisions made in both courts and will be included in both totals.</p> answering member printed Lord Timpson question first answered 13/09/2024 13:53:10 answering member 5364 label Biography information for Lord Timpson attachment 1 file name 2024-09-23 PQ HL869 tables.xlsx title HL869 Tables
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1727973

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Wills
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to the consultation on the storage and retention of wills and other documents submitted in applications for probate which closed on 23 February; and what steps they have taken to ensure that no such documents have been destroyed in the meantime.
	tabling member printed	Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
	uin	HL894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>The response to the consultation will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p>No wills or other defined documents have been destroyed. The consultation sought views on changes to modernise the storage of documents submitted in applications for probate. If the Government did decide to proceed with the proposal in the consultation no documents would be destroyed without Parliament agreeing to legislative changes.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede question first answered 17/09/2024 15:33:49 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

1728041

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of sending prisoners serving sentences in England and Wales to prisons overseas.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	4586
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>We have prisoner transfer agreements with over 100 countries which enable us to send foreign national offenders to serve the remainder of their prison sentence in their home country. We are reviewing the opportunities to strengthen or expand these arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>The previous Government explored the possibility of sending British prisoners to rented prisons overseas. There are no current plans to introduce this measure, which we believe carries considerable cost. This Government is in the market for practical approaches that work, and not for costly gimmicks, unlike our predecessors</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 17/09/2024 13:39:34 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1728063

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who (a) have been convicted of domestic abuse and (b) will be released early from prison as part of the SDS40 scheme.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	4593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>There is no single offence for domestic abuse defined in legislation as many other criminal offences can include domestic abuse.</p><p>The SDS40 change has exclusions for specific offences linked to domestic abuse including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation. This represents a change from the previous Government’s End of Custody Supervised Licence Scheme which failed to exclude domestic abuse sentences.</p><p>SDS40 data will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 17/09/2024 13:40:29 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1728207

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of prison places made available in the adult male estate as a result of the prisoner early release scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Melton and Syston
	tabling member printed	Edward Argar
	uin	4726
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>The modelled estimates for the number of prison places made available in the adult male estate as a result of this change were published in the Impact Assessment for the Statutory Instrument to Amend the Standard Determinate Sentence Automatic Release Point.</p><p> </p><p>This can be found at: <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf</a>. Further statistics will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 17/09/2024 13:41:15 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar

1728220

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Crimes of Violence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle physical violence between prisoners in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Ashfield
	tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
	uin	4788
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Reducing violence in prisons remains a key priority. We are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible and are continuing our efforts to address the levels of violence in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>We have completed our landmark £100 million Security Investment Programme to clamp down on illicit items such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons – that drive prison violence and undermine safety.</p><p>To support those at raised risk of being violent, we have introduced the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP), a case management approach that is centred around the individual and addressing the underlying causes of their violence, including specific risk factors and needs, to help them manage and move away from violent behaviours.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure our staff are equipped with the right tools to protect themselves and prisoners from serious assaults, we have completed the roll out of PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – for use by prison officers in the adult male estate alongside SPEAR, a personal safety training package.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing with plans for a phased removal of wet-shave razors in up to 30 prisons in the adult male estate in 2024/25.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 13/09/2024 13:51:25 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1728252

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce legal aid for tenants for (a) housing repair issues and (b) enforcing legal housing rights.
	tabling member constituency	Bournemouth East
	tabling member printed	Tom Hayes
	uin	4820
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>Legal aid is available for those facing homelessness, and disrepair claims (when there is a serious risk of illness or injury) subject to a financial means test. Tenants in this situation should contact the Civil Legal Aid telephone helpline for assistance.</p><p> </p><p>Legal aid is available for anyone facing the loss of their home through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS). HLPAS provides free early legal advice on housing, debt, council tax reduction and welfare benefits problems from the moment someone is faced with losing their home.</p><p> </p><p>HLPAS also provides free legal advice and representation from a duty solicitor on the day of their court hearing. Where no face-to-face coverage is available, users can access remote early legal advice through HLPAS providers in other areas or via the Civil Legal Aid helpline or by going to <a href="https://find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There is no means or merits test for this service.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 16/09/2024 13:41:44 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	5210

1728286

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on victims of SDS40 applying to sentences being served concurrently with sentences of sexual or domestic abuse.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Cheshire
	tabling member printed	Andrew Cooper
	uin	4854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>Offenders’ eligibility for SDS40 is determined by each specific sentence. Release provisions for different sentence types and length are fixed by law. This change has amended the automatic release point for standard determinate sentences that are not excluded. This means that by law, an offender serving multiple sentences could have a mixture of some sentences that are eligible for the 40% release point and others that are not. Someone serving a sentence for an excluded offence will not see their custodial time for that sentence reduced, but any sentences for non-excluded offences will be impacted.</p><p>Certain offences have been excluded from the Standard Determinate Sentences SDS40 change. These include sex offences irrespective of sentence length; serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security. The change will also not apply to sentences subject to release at the discretion of the Parole Board or to offences which currently attract automatic release from an SDS at the two-thirds point (certain serious sexual and violent offences).</p><p>If victims are part of the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS) or Victim Notification Scheme (VNS), they will be informed about a change to an offender’s release date. Victims of a sexual, violent or terrorism offence are eligible for the VCS where an offender receives a specified custodial sentence of 12 months or more. They are eligible for the VNS if they are a victim of a stalking or harassment offence regardless of the length of the custodial sentence. This includes breach of a restraining order.</p><p>For victims of domestic abuse, there are national helplines that victims can also contact for more immediate help and support, which do offer translation services if your first language is not English. These are 24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline; the Men’s advice line for domestic abuse; and the 24 hour National Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence helpline in Wales.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 17/09/2024 13:41:48 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5195

1728288

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making actual bodily harm an excluded offence under SDS40 when being served concurrently with sexual or domestic abuse offences.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Cheshire
	tabling member printed	Andrew Cooper
	uin	4856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>Offenders’ eligibility for Standard Determinate Sentences (SDS40) is determined by each specific sentence. Release provisions for different sentence types and length are fixed by law. This change has amended the automatic release point for standard determinate sentences that are not excluded. This means that by law, an offender serving multiple sentences could have a mixture of some sentences that are eligible for the 40% release point and others that are not. Someone serving a sentence for an excluded offence will not see their custodial time for that sentence reduced.</p><p> </p><p>Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is excluded where the sentence is four years or more. Other offences have also been excluded from the change, including sex offences irrespective of sentence length; other serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security.</p><p> </p><p>Offenders who are eligible for release at the 40% point are subject to a robust risk assessment to manage them safely in the community. This will include checks with partners from other agencies, such as the police. Once released, offenders will be subject to the same set of strict licence conditions that would apply had they been release at a 50% automatic release point, for example to prohibit the offender from having contact with named persons, such as the victim or victim’s family, or to impose exclusion zones to prevent the offender from going to specified places.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 17/09/2024 13:42:30 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5195

1728297

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Horizon IT System: Convictions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many letters informing postmasters and former postmasters that their conviction has been quashed under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 her Department has sent.
	tabling member constituency	Broadland and Fakenham
	tabling member printed	Jerome Mayhew
	uin	4865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2024 answer text <p>I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2024 to Question 4254 (<a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-09-04/4254" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-09-04/4254</a>).</p><p>The Government will begin to release monthly management information on the progress of the Post Office Convictions casework team. The first release of this management information will be on 3rd October 2024.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 17/09/2024 16:16:46 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	4739 label Biography information for Jerome Mayhew

1727849

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Victim Support Schemes: Grants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Victims Grant will continue to be given to Police and Crime Commissioners.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	4550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting victims of crime. The Ministry of Justice provides annual grant funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime. Supporting victims to cope is essential in helping them move forwards following the impact of the crime.</p><p> </p><p>Funding after March 2025 will be agreed through the next Spending Review process, which we cannot pre-empt. We appreciate the importance of notifying PCCs and providers about future funding as early as possible in order to effectively commission, plan and deliver services.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4551 question first answered 16/09/2024 15:41:35 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1727850

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Victim Support Schemes: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding for victims of crime is provided to Police and Crime Commissioners in a timely fashion after 31 March 2025.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	4551
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting victims of crime. The Ministry of Justice provides annual grant funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime. Supporting victims to cope is essential in helping them move forwards following the impact of the crime.</p><p> </p><p>Funding after March 2025 will be agreed through the next Spending Review process, which we cannot pre-empt. We appreciate the importance of notifying PCCs and providers about future funding as early as possible in order to effectively commission, plan and deliver services.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4550 question first answered 16/09/2024 15:41:35 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1727851

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the backlog in court cases.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	4552
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to reducing the outstanding caseloads across jurisdictions and bringing down waiting times to ensure cases move through our system without delay.</p><p> </p><p>Criminal courts</p><p>Over 90% of criminal cases are dealt with at the magistrates’ courts where the outstanding caseload remains well below its peak during the pandemic. We continue to invest in the recruitment of more magistrates, aiming to recruit 2,000 new and diverse magistrates this year and similar numbers of each in the coming years.</p><p> </p><p>The Crown Court outstanding caseload remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Criminal Justice System. The outstanding caseload has increased in recent years as more cases come before our criminal courts. To address this, we plan to sit at least 105,000 working days at the Crown Court this financial year, alongside considering further measures to speed up justice.</p><p> </p><p>Family courts</p><p>In March this year the Family Justice Board agreed clear and measurable priorities for the family justice system, with a clear focus on closing the longest running cases and increasing the proportion of public law cases concluding within the 26-week statutory timeline.</p><p> </p><p>To deliver this, we plan to sit 102,500 days in the family court this financial year and are investing £10m to develop, test and evaluate new initiatives to address the longest delays in public law cases.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working to reduce the number of private law cases coming to court by supporting earlier resolution of family disputes. As of August 2024, over 32,000 separating parents have accessed the Family Mediation Voucher scheme, which provides £500 towards the cost of mediation, sparing many families from lengthy courtroom battles.</p><p> </p><p>The outstanding caseload for public and private family law was 11,162 and 42,255 respectively (HMCTS MI published 8 August 2024). This is a reduction when compared to the same period last year, where there were 11,297 outstanding public law cases and 45,938 private law cases. (HMCTS MI published 11 July 2024).</p><p> </p><p>Civil courts and tribunals</p><p>The civil courts have been under significant pressure in recent years. This has come from increased volumes and judicial capacity being both limited and often shared with the family jurisdiction.</p><p> </p><p>It is important to note, though, that timeliness is not the sole indicator of performance in the civil justice system, and speedy resolution is not necessarily the best or most feasible justice outcome for every kind of case; some claims simply take time to resolve.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is working to support people to resolve their civil disputes as swiftly and effectively as possible. We are doing this by promoting, where appropriate, simpler, less costly, more consensual methods of dispute resolution, including mediation. This has the potential to significantly reduce the burden on the court system and deliver better outcomes for parties to disputes and society.</p><p> </p><p>As part of HMCTS Reform, 94% of civil court services are, or are becoming, available online.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 16/09/2024 13:40:14 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1727852

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help ensure that victims of crime do not wait more than a year for cases to reach trial.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	4553
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>We want to make sure every victim has the swift access to justice they deserve, and we are committed to reducing the Crown Court caseload and bringing waiting times down.</p><p>To ensure we are hearing as many cases as possible, we plan to sit at least 105,000 working days in the Crown Court this financial year (FY24/25). We continue to hear criminal cases at Nightingale Courts, which increase the physical capacity of the court estate. We are also considering other measures to reduce the caseload and will make further announcements in due course.</p><p>We also know that, due to the complex nature of cases, rape victims can experience disproportionately long wait times for their trial.</p><p>Addressing this issue is central to this Government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We have committed to fast-track rape cases through the courts, working with the judiciary to drive down waiting times for the victims and survivors of this abhorrent offence.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4554 question first answered 16/09/2024 08:30:08 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1727853

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Rape: Trials
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help ensure that victims of rape do not wait more than a year for cases to reach trial.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	4554
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>We want to make sure every victim has the swift access to justice they deserve, and we are committed to reducing the Crown Court caseload and bringing waiting times down.</p><p>To ensure we are hearing as many cases as possible, we plan to sit at least 105,000 working days in the Crown Court this financial year (FY24/25). We continue to hear criminal cases at Nightingale Courts, which increase the physical capacity of the court estate. We are also considering other measures to reduce the caseload and will make further announcements in due course.</p><p>We also know that, due to the complex nature of cases, rape victims can experience disproportionately long wait times for their trial.</p><p>Addressing this issue is central to this Government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We have committed to fast-track rape cases through the courts, working with the judiciary to drive down waiting times for the victims and survivors of this abhorrent offence.</p> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones grouped question UIN 4553 question first answered 16/09/2024 08:30:08 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1727856

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an estimate of reoffending rates for prisoners released under the early release scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Great Yarmouth
	tabling member printed	Rupert Lowe
	uin	4565
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Prisoners released on SDS40 will be subject to licence and liable to recall to prison if they do not comply or are judged a risk to public safety. Reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the link below:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics." target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.</a></p><p> </p><p>A critical element of reducing reoffending is ensuring offenders leaving prison can access the support they need to resettle effectively into the community. An offender’s resettlement needs are assessed on their arrival into the prison estate, with appropriate provision arranged in advance of release. When the release date is changed, as is the case with SDS40, this provision is realigned to that new release date.</p><p> </p><p>There are clear processes in place to ensure all releases are carefully managed by Prison and Probation staff.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 13/09/2024 13:49:55 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5158

1727857

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Norfolk
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people will be released from prisons in Norfolk under the early release scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Great Yarmouth
	tabling member printed	Rupert Lowe
	uin	4566
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2024 answer text <p>Our best national release estimates were published in the Statutory Instrument to Amend the Standard Determinate Sentence Automatic Release Point Impact Assessment published on 17 July 2024: <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf</a>.</p><p>Further statistics will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 16/09/2024 16:17:00 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5158

1727591

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Kent
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people will be released early from prison due to overcapacity in Kent in September 2024; and how many units of accommodation are available for those people.
	tabling member constituency	Tunbridge Wells
	tabling member printed	Mike Martin
	uin	4495
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>As the allocation process is still in progress, the total number of individuals in Kent to be released from custody at 40% of their standard determinate sentence is not yet known. It is also therefore not possible to ascertain how many units of accommodation would be needed.</p><p>Certain offences have been excluded from the SDS change. This includes sex offences irrespective of sentence length; serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security. The change will also not apply to sentences subject to release at the discretion of the Parole Board, or to offences which currently attract automatic release from a standard determinate sentence at the two-thirds point (certain serious sexual and violent offences).</p><p>Once released, offenders will be subject to the same set of strict license conditions that would have applied had they been released at a 50% automatic release point. They will be liable to recall to prison if they do not comply with these conditions, or are judged to be a risk to public safety.</p><p>Any who are at risk of being homeless upon release can be referred to H M Prison &amp; Probation Service’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12 weeks’ temporary accommodation, and we are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to mitigate any impact on local authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 11/09/2024 17:30:55 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5219

1727647

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of sexual assault.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	4402
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2024 answer text <p>This Government is deeply committed to supporting victims of sexual assault. To do so, we must improve the justice system’s response to these crimes. We must relentlessly target the most prolific and harmful perpetrators; better support victims and survivors; and ensure timely and effective justice.</p><p> </p><p>To do this, the Government has committed to:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Increasing the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner, ensuring that victims get the information that they need throughout their justice system journey.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Introducing specialist rape and sexual offence teams in every police force, providing the capacity and capability our police forces need to respond to these offences.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Introducing independent legal advocates to rape victims, ensuring that victims know and can uphold their rights.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Fast tracking rape cases through the courts, driving down waiting times for victims of these abhorrent offences.</p></li></ul> answering member constituency Pontypridd answering member printed Alex Davies-Jones question first answered 12/09/2024 14:48:32 answering member 4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1727662

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that prisons are safe workplaces for staff.
	tabling member constituency	Thornbury and Yate
	tabling member printed	Claire Young
	uin	4485
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2024 answer text <p>Staff must be able to expect a safe and decent work environment. We will not tolerate any violence against prison officers and prisoners who are violent towards staff will face the full consequences of their actions.</p><p>The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 doubled the maximum penalty to up to two years’ imprisonment for those who assault emergency workers, including prison officers. There are higher maximum penalties in place for more serious offences, including ABH, GBH and sexual assault.</p><p>We are providing targeted support to adult male prisons with the highest assault rates to tackle local drivers of violence.</p><p>We are continuing with plans for a phased removal of wet-shave razors in up to 30 prisons in the adult male estate in 2024/25.</p><p>To protect staff from serious assaults, prison officers in the adult male estate are provided with PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray. Every prison officer across public sector prisons can wear a Body Worn Video Camera whilst on shift, providing high-quality evidence to support prosecutions against those who commit assaults against staff.</p><p>We are implementing measures to ease prison crowding as we know that crowded conditions can increase violent incidents in prisons.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 10/09/2024 09:32:22 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5140

1727663

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Disclosure of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) protections and (b) support mechanisms are in place for whistleblowers in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Thornbury and Yate
	tabling member printed	Claire Young
	uin	4486
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has a comprehensive whistleblowing policy which all staff can access via the intranet. The policy sets out the protections and support available to a whistleblower. Protections include protection under the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/23/contents" target="_blank">Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA)</a> and the assurance that the Department will take disciplinary action if a whistleblower is subject to detrimental treatment as a result of having raised a concern.</p><p>Sources of support include Nominated Officers, who can advise on how to raise a concern, and specialist teams including Counter Corruption, the HM Prison and Probation Service Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit, and the Department’s employee assistance provider.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 11/09/2024 16:07:23 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5140

1727665

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Reoffenders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending.
	tabling member constituency	Exeter
	tabling member printed	Steve Race
	uin	4463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2024 answer text <p>This Government will act to reduce reoffending by giving offenders leaving prison the tools to move away from crime.</p><p>This will include improving prisoners' access to purposeful activity, such as education; delivering pre-release plans for all those leaving custody; and ensuring that ex-offenders leave prison with a job and the skills needed to lead law abiding lives.</p><p>We are also supporting prisoners with a mental health or substance misuse need into treatment and are building stronger links with health partners to support continued engagement with treatment for prison leavers.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 10/09/2024 09:43:19 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5064

1727668

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Civil Disorder: Criminal Proceedings
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of violent disorder cases were heard by (a) district judges and (b) lay magistrates in August.
	tabling member constituency	Beaconsfield
	tabling member printed	Joy Morrissey
	uin	4420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 13/09/2024 09:07:54 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	4759 label Biography information for Joy Morrissey

1727696

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to end the use of A to D ratings for the prisons system.
	tabling member constituency	South Suffolk
	tabling member printed	James Cartlidge
	uin	4392
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to end the use of A to D ratings for the prisons system.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 11/09/2024 16:18:00 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge

1727723

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Veterans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the number of veterans in prison.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool Wavertree
	tabling member printed	Paula Barker
	uin	4445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2024 answer text <p>As per the statistics in the “Ex-service Personnel in the prison population: 2023” publication included at the following link, an estimated 3.6% of the prison population were ex-service personnel as of 30 June 2023: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2023" target="_blank">Offender Management Statistics quarterly: April to June 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 11/09/2024 16:18:24 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4828 label Biography information for Paula Barker

1727778

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage: Ceremonies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Bellamy on 16 June and 2 August 2023 (HL8197 and HL9550), whether they will publish a response to the Law Commission Report Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published in July 2022, particularly Recommendation 42.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL793
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>We are aware that the Law Commission made recommendations for wholesale change to weddings law in July 2022. These recommendations include recommendation 42, in relation to the creation of offences relating to an officiant dishonestly misleading a couple about the legal effect of a wedding ceremony or failing to disclose that the ceremony they are officiating will not create a valid marriage. We will take the time as a new Government properly to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations and will outline our position in due course.</p><p>The Marriage Act 1949 enables religious bodies, alongside the Church of England and the Church in Wales, to conduct legally binding weddings. However, the difficulties which those who have undergone ceremonies which do not qualify as legally binding face when their relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. That is why the Government committed in its 2024 manifesto to ‘strengthen the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples’. We will set out the next steps on this manifesto commitment in the near future.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede grouped question UIN HL794 HL795 HL796 question first answered 13/09/2024 12:17:36 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1727779

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Opportunity and Integration Review
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the recommendation for reform of the Marriage Act 1949 in paragraph 8.50, page 135, of The Casey Review into Opportunity and Integration, published in December 2016.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL794
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>We are aware that the Law Commission made recommendations for wholesale change to weddings law in July 2022. These recommendations include recommendation 42, in relation to the creation of offences relating to an officiant dishonestly misleading a couple about the legal effect of a wedding ceremony or failing to disclose that the ceremony they are officiating will not create a valid marriage. We will take the time as a new Government properly to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations and will outline our position in due course.</p><p>The Marriage Act 1949 enables religious bodies, alongside the Church of England and the Church in Wales, to conduct legally binding weddings. However, the difficulties which those who have undergone ceremonies which do not qualify as legally binding face when their relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. That is why the Government committed in its 2024 manifesto to ‘strengthen the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples’. We will set out the next steps on this manifesto commitment in the near future.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede grouped question UIN HL793 HL795 HL796 question first answered 13/09/2024 12:17:36 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1727780

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage: Women
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect the spousal rights of women who have been married outside of the legal framework for weddings in England and Wales.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>We are aware that the Law Commission made recommendations for wholesale change to weddings law in July 2022. These recommendations include recommendation 42, in relation to the creation of offences relating to an officiant dishonestly misleading a couple about the legal effect of a wedding ceremony or failing to disclose that the ceremony they are officiating will not create a valid marriage. We will take the time as a new Government properly to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations and will outline our position in due course.</p><p>The Marriage Act 1949 enables religious bodies, alongside the Church of England and the Church in Wales, to conduct legally binding weddings. However, the difficulties which those who have undergone ceremonies which do not qualify as legally binding face when their relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. That is why the Government committed in its 2024 manifesto to ‘strengthen the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples’. We will set out the next steps on this manifesto commitment in the near future.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede grouped question UIN HL793 HL794 HL796 question first answered 13/09/2024 12:17:36 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1727781

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage: Ceremonies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliance of the Marriage Act 1949 and other marriage law with the right to freedom of religion or belief, as Church of England and Church in Wales marriage ceremonies fulfil legal requirements and are legally recognised, while other religious ceremonies may not be.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
	uin	HL796
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>We are aware that the Law Commission made recommendations for wholesale change to weddings law in July 2022. These recommendations include recommendation 42, in relation to the creation of offences relating to an officiant dishonestly misleading a couple about the legal effect of a wedding ceremony or failing to disclose that the ceremony they are officiating will not create a valid marriage. We will take the time as a new Government properly to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations and will outline our position in due course.</p><p>The Marriage Act 1949 enables religious bodies, alongside the Church of England and the Church in Wales, to conduct legally binding weddings. However, the difficulties which those who have undergone ceremonies which do not qualify as legally binding face when their relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. That is why the Government committed in its 2024 manifesto to ‘strengthen the rights and protections available to women in cohabiting couples’. We will set out the next steps on this manifesto commitment in the near future.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede grouped question UIN HL793 HL794 HL795 question first answered 13/09/2024 12:17:36 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1727783

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Court of Protection
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the rights of families in Court of Protection proceedings and to encourage transparency, natural justice and openness in those legal proceedings.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
	uin	HL798
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Attended hearings in the Court of Protection have ordinarily been held in public since 2016 with a ‘Transparency Order’ being made by the court to prohibit the publication of information that identifies, or is likely to identify, the vulnerable person concerned, their family, or any other person specified in the order.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede question first answered 13/09/2024 12:18:20 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1727363

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for tribunal hearings.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	4182
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2024 answer text <p>We are working to reduce the outstanding caseload in the First-tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal including the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal. Reducing outstanding caseloads is the key measure to bringing down the waiting times for tribunal hearings.</p><p>HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology.</p><p>Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 12/09/2024 09:15:22 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1727371

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential merits of using accommodation contracted by the Home Office to provide housing for prisoners released when they have served 40% of their sentences.
	tabling member constituency	Melton and Syston
	tabling member printed	Edward Argar
	uin	4223
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.</p><p>The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.</p><p>We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.</p><p>We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin grouped question UIN 4224 4225 question first answered 13/09/2024 13:40:48 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar

1727372

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of prisoners who will be released having served 40% of their sentences who will not have stable accommodation to be released to.
	tabling member constituency	Melton and Syston
	tabling member printed	Edward Argar
	uin	4224
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.</p><p>The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.</p><p>We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.</p><p>We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin grouped question UIN 4223 4225 question first answered 13/09/2024 13:40:48 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar

1727373

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent changes to the prisoner early release scheme on demand for housing from local authorities.
	tabling member constituency	Melton and Syston
	tabling member printed	Edward Argar
	uin	4225
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.</p><p>The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.</p><p>We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &amp; Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.</p><p>We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin grouped question UIN 4223 4224 question first answered 13/09/2024 13:40:48 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar

1727374

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Pepper Spray
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Ministers in her Department have had discussions with the Prison Officers' Association on the issuing of PAVA spray to prison officers in the youth estate since the general election.
	tabling member constituency	Melton and Syston
	tabling member printed	Edward Argar
	uin	4226
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Whether PAVA spray should be made available to officers in the youth estate was one of the matters discussed when the Secretary of State and the Minister for Prisons met representatives of the Prison Officers Association in July. We are considering all available information on this complex matter, including hearing the representations from a number of stakeholders with a range of perspectives.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 13/09/2024 13:41:15 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar

1727398

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Probation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the probation service has the capacity to cope with recent increases in prisoner releases.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Anna Dixon
	uin	4313
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Probation staff do an extraordinary job in extremely challenging circumstances.</p><p>The eight weeks since the Lord Chancellor’s announcement of prisoner release under SDS40 has given the Probation Service more time to prepare than a release on the previous Government’s End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme afforded. We have also committed to recruiting 1000 new probation officers by March 2025.</p><p>Once released, offenders will be subject to the same set of strict licence conditions. These can include electronic monitoring, alcohol tags and exclusion zones. Should offenders breach these conditions they face being immediately recalled to prison.</p><p>Since July 2024, the Probation Service has implemented a set of measures designed to help alleviate workload pressures in response to the impact of prison capacity. This involves prioritising early engagement at the point where offenders are most likely to breach the requirements of their licence or community sentence. In turn that ensures that staff can maximise supervision of the most serious offenders.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 13/09/2024 13:43:18 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5281

1727433

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Horizon IT System: Convictions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many subpostmasters had their convictions quashed as a result of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act.
	tabling member constituency	Broadland and Fakenham
	tabling member printed	Jerome Mayhew
	uin	4254
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2024 answer text <p>The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 quashed all convictions meeting the conditions in the Act immediately upon commencement on 24 May 2024.</p><p>Following the commencement of the Act, the Ministry of Justice has been working through data from a range of sources and spanning multiple decades to identify convictions that are in scope of the Act and notify individuals of this where possible. As of 6 September 2024, the Ministry of Justice has sent 178 letters to individuals notifying them that their convictions were quashed by the Act, covering a total of 506 convictions. More letters are being sent on a daily basis, and we aim to have issued letters to individuals with a known conviction by early November.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 10/09/2024 16:42:06 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	4739 label Biography information for Jerome Mayhew

1727435

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of differences in sentencing for violent crimes committed (a) within domestic settings and (b) outside the home.
	tabling member constituency	Nuneaton
	tabling member printed	Jodie Gosling
	uin	4284
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent courts. Courts take into account the specific facts of each case and have a statutory obligation to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines. The Sentencing Council’s guideline on domestic abuse, published in 2018, makes clear that the domestic context of an offence increases its severity. This is because it represents a violation of trust and security that normally exists in an intimate or family relationship.</p><p>We know, however, that sentences which offenders receive often do not make sense either to victims or the wider public, and this is particularly worrying for offences against women and girls. That is why this Government has committed to carry out a review of sentencing, to ensure it is consistent and makes sense to victims and the public.</p><p>We are also aware that there are specific issues in relation to domestic homicide sentencing, due to the effects of the 25-year starting point for murders committed with a knife or other weapon taken to the scene with intent. In opposition, this Government welcomed the legislation introduced by the previous administration which implemented some of Clare Wade KC’s independent Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review recommendations. We recognise, however, that there is more to be done and Ministers are continuing to meet stakeholders on this complex issue.</p> answering member constituency Scunthorpe answering member printed Sir Nicholas Dakin question first answered 13/09/2024 13:42:14 answering member 4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin
	tabling member	5036

1727466

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 24 July (HL Deb col 501), what further discussions, if any, have taken place about the formulation and timetabling of anti-SLAPP legislation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Ladyton
	uin	HL743
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2024 answer text <p>The Government recognises that SLAPPs pose a risk to the integrity of our legal system. We are considering all options for reform in relation to this issue.</p> answering member printed Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede question first answered 13/09/2024 12:13:10 answering member 3154 label Biography information for Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
	tabling member	620 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Ladyton

1727479

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign prisoners are currently in prisons in England and Wales, what proportion that represents of the prison population, what proportion are sentenced for criminal offences making them eligible for deportation, and from which 10 countries the highest number of prisoners come.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hoey
	uin	HL756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2024 answer text <p>There were 10,435 (3,578 remand, 6,486 sentenced and 371 non-criminal) Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in custody on 30 June 2024; representing 12% of the total prison population.</p><p> </p><p>See below table for top 10 nationalities held in custody on 30 June 2024:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Nationality</p></td><td><p>Number in prison in England and Wales</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Albanian</p></td><td><p>1,227</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Polish</p></td><td><p>911</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Romanian</p></td><td><p>729</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Irish</p></td><td><p>634</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jamaican</p></td><td><p>370</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pakistani</p></td><td><p>316</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lithuanian</p></td><td><p>313</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Portuguese</p></td><td><p>289</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Iraqi</p></td><td><p>276</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Indian</p></td><td><p>273</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to the removal of FNOs. All FNOs in receipt of custodial sentences are referred to the Home Office to be considered for deportation.</p> answering member printed Lord Timpson question first answered 18/09/2024 10:29:35 answering member 5364 label Biography information for Lord Timpson
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

1728401

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Rural Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to justice for rural communities.
	tabling member constituency	Mid and South Pembrokeshire
	tabling member printed	Henry Tufnell
	uin	900368
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2024 answer text <p>Access to justice is integral to a fair society, including for our rural communities. That’s why we want to ensure effective and timely access to justice, including through our legal aid system and the broader network of legal support services, and by making best use of modern technology in providing advice.</p><p>In our courts and tribunals, modernised services and more effective use of technology are improving people’s access to the justice system across the country.</p> answering member constituency Swindon South answering member printed Heidi Alexander question first answered 10/09/2024 15:21:29 answering member 4038 label Biography information for Heidi Alexander
	tabling member	5121