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1655045

registered interest
date	24/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Suicide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what were the most common reasons for suicide cited in coroners' Prevention of Future Death reports for each year since 2015.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL9638
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/08/2023 answer text <p>With regard to the number of Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports published in each of the last five years, I refer to my answer to the noble Lord Watson of Wyre Forest on 4 July (UIN <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-07-04/hl9054" target="_blank">HL9054</a>).</p><p>The Government does not collate analysis of references to reasons for suicide in PFD reports.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL9639 question first answered 07/08/2023 15:47:24 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1654641

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
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 applications for probate were acknowledged as received by HM Courts and Tribunals Service following the submission of an online application and receipt of supporting paperwork within (a) 2, (b) 4, (c) 6, (d) 8 and (e) 10 weeks.
tabling member constituency	Bridgwater and West Somerset
tabling member printed	Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
uin	195349
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>The online system automatically acknowledges receipt of all online applications at the point of submission and automatically acknowledges receipt of the documents, with 99% of users receiving an acknowledgement within 2 weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Some cases need manual intervention to acknowledge the receipt of documents, the most common reasons being the user hasn’t provided the case reference or provided an incorrect reference and the documents are submitted before the application.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table shows the proportion of applications for probate processed by HMCTS with 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Cases can be delayed where more information is needed from the applicant, an application to stop a case from an interested party is in place, or where cases are complex.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 195350 question first answered 04/09/2023 08:51:41 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer attachment 1 file name 2023-09-04 PQ 195350 Table.xlsx title Table
tabling member	1396 label Biography information for Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger

1654642

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
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 applications for probate were processed by HM Courts and Tribunals Service within (i) 16, (ii) 20, (iii) 24, (iv) 28 and (v) 32 weeks in the latest period for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Bridgwater and West Somerset
tabling member printed	Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
uin	195350
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>The online system automatically acknowledges receipt of all online applications at the point of submission and automatically acknowledges receipt of the documents, with 99% of users receiving an acknowledgement within 2 weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Some cases need manual intervention to acknowledge the receipt of documents, the most common reasons being the user hasn’t provided the case reference or provided an incorrect reference and the documents are submitted before the application.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table shows the proportion of applications for probate processed by HMCTS with 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Cases can be delayed where more information is needed from the applicant, an application to stop a case from an interested party is in place, or where cases are complex.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 195349 question first answered 04/09/2023 08:51:41 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer attachment 1 file name 2023-09-04 PQ 195350 Table.xlsx title Table
tabling member	1396 label Biography information for Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger

1654720

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of people who were in employment six months after they have been released from prison in the last twelve months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	195372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>I am pleased to say that the proportion of prisoners released from custody who were employed at six months from their release has increased by nearly a third between April 2022 and March 2023, from 23.2% to over 30.4%.</p><p>We are determined to increase the number of prison leavers securing employment on release to cut their chances of reoffending and so we can keep the public safe.</p><p>We are offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release from custody, supported by our new, dedicated Prison Employment Leads, who are now in post at 92 prisons including all resettlement prisons.</p><p>They provide case-level employment support and match prisoners to roles on release and head up our new Employment Hubs where prisoners can access support with job applications and CVs.</p><p>We are building stronger links with employers, including through our prison Employment Advisory Boards which are chaired by local business leaders. They will provide challenge and advice on how to align the skills delivered in prisons with labour market demand, with Chairs now appointed in 92 prisons.</p><p>Data on the number and proportion of people in employment after release from prison is published regularly and can be found on the Gov website at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employment-rates-following-release-from-custody-ad-hoc" target="_blank">Employment Rates following Release from Custody - Ad Hoc - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 04/09/2023 12:37:14 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1654721

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Transfers: Albania
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the prisoner transfer agreement with Albania.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	195373
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>A new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania came into force in May 2022. In May 2023, we announced a complementary arrangement whereby the UK Government has agreed to provide support to modernise and expand the Albanian prison system and in return Albania has agreed to accept the return of up to 200 Albanian Nationals currently serving sentences of 4 years or more in the UK. The arrangement will save taxpayers’ money, as it is cheaper to house prisoners in Albania than in England and Wales and will also free up capacity in our prisons.</p><p>The deal builds on the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the UK and Albania in 2021, which came into force in May 2022. This implementation package will ensure Albania has the right processes and prison capacity in place, meaning transfers can now proceed at pace.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 04/09/2023 12:38:45 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1654722

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Parole System Root and Branch Review
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations in the report entitled Root and branch review of the parole system: the future of the parole system in England and Wales, published in March 2022.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	195374
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>We have made significant progress.</p><p> </p><p>Parole Board hearings can now be heard in public – there have been three so far. We have reformed the way indeterminate sentence prisoners are moved to open prison conditions by making sure that moves only happen if there is evidence they can be safely managed and there is low risk of them absconding. The Secretary of State will reject any recommendation from the Board where he is not satisfied there is a wholly persuasive case for transferring a prisoner.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding release decisions, the Secretary of State can now provide the Parole Board with an overarching view which takes account of all reports and available evidence, including any professional opinions offered by report writers pertaining to the prisoner’s suitability for release. In these cases, the Secretary of State will be represented at an oral hearing.</p><p> </p><p>In Part III of the Victims and Prisoners Bill, we are making the statutory release test more prescriptive and making clear that an offender must not be released unless the Board is confident there is no more than minimal risk to the public.</p><p> </p><p>We are increasing the number of Board members with a law enforcement background and the Bill will introduce the power to require them to sit on panels concerning the most serious offenders – the ‘’top-tier’’. The Bill also creates a power that will allow the Secretary of State to take a second look, on behalf of the public, at any decisions to release a top-tier prisoner.</p><p> </p><p>Another key recommendation was to establish a Parole System Oversight Group to explore and resolve whole-system operational issues across the parole system in England and Wales, such as delays. This Group has now been established and the inaugural meeting was held in June 2023.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 04/09/2023 14:18:05 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1654734

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of processing times for probate applications.
tabling member constituency	St Ives
tabling member printed	Derek Thomas
uin	195458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with significantly higher levels of receipts during January to March 2023. Whilst HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand the training and upskilling of those new and existing staff has led to applications taking longer in the short term.</p><p> </p><p>HMCTS is focused on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications and the average length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 9 weeks during January to March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Average waiting times for probate grants, are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to March 2023.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 04/09/2023 08:53:46 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4532 label Biography information for Derek Thomas

1654762

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Weddings: Passenger Ships
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report entitled Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law published by the Law Commission on 18 July 2022, HC 557, what steps the Government is taking to implement the changes proposed to permit weddings to take place under the law of England and Wales on board cruise ships registered in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	195481
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>The Law Commission report on weddings contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform which we are currently considering, including recommendations in relation to cruise ships.</p><p> </p><p>Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We will set out our position on the Law Commission’s recommendations relating to weddings reform in due course.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 04/09/2023 08:56:37 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1654838

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Judicial Appointments Commission fulfils its statutory duty to select solely on merit.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	195586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2023 answer text <p>The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is independent from government. It has a statutory duty under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 to select on merit and to encourage diversity. The JAC is governed by an independent Board of Commissioners, appointed by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. A key objective of the Board is to ensure the JAC is upholding its statutory functions and duties, including to appoint solely on merit.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the JAC’s selection process, there are several provisions in place to uphold its statutory requirement to select based on merit. This includes scrutiny by a Selection and Character Committee made up of the JAC’s Commissioners. The JAC submits annual reports to parliament about its performance and is also subject to triennial independent reviews. The Lord Chancellor also meets the JAC Chair regularly to discuss the Commission’s work.</p><p> </p><p>Any complaints about judicial recruitment decisions can be considered by the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman, an independent body able to investigate complaints about the administration of the judicial appointment process.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 04/09/2023 08:55:30 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1654950

registered interest
date	20/07/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage
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 urgency of the need for marriage law reform, with particular reference to protection and prevention for women whose religious marriage ceremonies do not comply with legal requirements and may not be legally recognised.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL9547
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2023 answer text <p>The Government shares the concern that some people, and disproportionately women, may have a religious wedding that is not legally binding, and does not provide legal protections, without appreciating the consequences.</p><p>We are carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations on weddings reform. As part of its review, the Law Commission has considered ways of ensuring there are fewer religious wedding ceremonies that result in a marriage which the law does not recognise.</p><p>Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We are now taking the time to consider the report’s recommendations and will publish a response shortly.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL9550 question first answered 02/08/2023 14:03:48 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox