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1693174

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Surrogacy: Parental Orders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why they do not centrally hold data on the number of Parental Orders awarded each year through the Family Court for England and Wales in cases of surrogacy (1) where the child was born abroad through a commercial surrogacy arrangement, and (2) where the child was born in the United Kingdom through a surrogacy arrangement in which the mother uses her own egg.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
uin	HL2991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The number of these orders is not recorded centrally. The current recording system only collates data on the total number of parental orders made and there is no capability to break the data into further sub-sets of the different types of surrogacy arrangements. Such information can only be obtained through individual analysis of court files at disproportionate cost since they would require a manual search of court records. The Government has no plans to record this information centrally, doing so would require fundamental changes to existing IT systems.</p><p> </p><p>You will be aware that in March 2023 the Law Commission of England and Wales published a joint report with the Scottish Law Commission; “Building families through surrogacy: a new law&quot;. The report puts forward recommendations for a robust new system to govern surrogacy in the UK, including recommendations specifically for the family court system.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently considering all of the recommendations within the report and will publish a full response in due course. If and when further action is taken in response to the report, we will consider the collection of data in this area rather than risk making piecemeal changes.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL2992 question first answered 15/03/2024 13:21:57 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	4229 label Biography information for Baroness Jenkin of Kennington

1693175

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Surrogacy: Parental Orders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to collect and publish data on the number of Parental Orders awarded each year through the Family Court for England and Wales in cases of surrogacy (1) where  the child was born through a commercial surrogacy arrangement abroad (2) where the child was born in the United Kingdom through a surrogacy arrangement in which the surrogate mother uses her own egg, and (3) where a child was born through surrogacy in this country using the egg of a third party egg donor, and not the egg of the commissioning female parent.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
uin	HL2992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The number of these orders is not recorded centrally. The current recording system only collates data on the total number of parental orders made and there is no capability to break the data into further sub-sets of the different types of surrogacy arrangements. Such information can only be obtained through individual analysis of court files at disproportionate cost since they would require a manual search of court records. The Government has no plans to record this information centrally, doing so would require fundamental changes to existing IT systems.</p><p> </p><p>You will be aware that in March 2023 the Law Commission of England and Wales published a joint report with the Scottish Law Commission; “Building families through surrogacy: a new law&quot;. The report puts forward recommendations for a robust new system to govern surrogacy in the UK, including recommendations specifically for the family court system.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently considering all of the recommendations within the report and will publish a full response in due course. If and when further action is taken in response to the report, we will consider the collection of data in this area rather than risk making piecemeal changes.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL2991 question first answered 15/03/2024 13:21:57 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	4229 label Biography information for Baroness Jenkin of Kennington

1693208

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Administration of Justice
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 potential merits of the introduction of unique identifiers for people in the justice system.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
uin	16620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>We have not made a recent assessment of the impact of introducing unique identifiers for people in the justice system. <br> <br>However, we have started work to create a single 'Core Person record’ for use across HMPPS. This will begin to remove the multiple records we hold for those in our care, and reduce the amount of manual data matching required. Additionally, our award-winning probabilistic matching tool ‘splink’, has underpinned the linking of data across the justice system, including assessing the substance misuse pathways between justice and health, electronic monitoring curfew and probation case management, which has allowed us to identify individuals as they interact with our interventions and services. This has significantly overcome challenges of not having a unique identifier and has supported policy makers and operational staff in their work to reduce offending and strengthen public protection.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 07/03/2024 12:58:27 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

1693209

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Victims
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of its data collection systems in regard to victims.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
uin	16621
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>There are two main services for victims, the Domestic Abuse Safety Officer Service and the Victim Contact Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The Probation Service runs the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS) for victims of offenders convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, who are sentenced to twelve months or more imprisonment. It has carried out changes in 2021 to ensure efficacy of its systems in relation to data collection to support the Victims’ Code of Practice.</p><p> </p><p>There is also ongoing work to develop a set of national performance measures which can be used to measure the impact of the scheme and inform future development and decision making.</p><p> </p><p>A change to the referral process in 2021, outlined in the Victims’ Code of Practice, now directs that victim’s contact details are automatically sent to Probation Service Victim Contact Units. These details are then recorded on the Probation Service Victim Contact Management System. This ensures timely offers of the VCS to victims, allowing them the choice of whether or not to engage in the scheme. To ensure the receipt of referrals, Probation staff also run reports from court and probation systems to ensure the receipt of qualifying cases. Figures from the Victim Satisfaction Survey linked to the scheme continues to show positive satisfaction of above 80% from victims who engage in the scheme.</p><p> </p><p>To date, there has been no evaluation of the effectiveness of the Domestic Abuse Safety Officer service. This is a service that is offered to all victims and new partners of people attending Probation Service-run domestic abuse rehabilitation programmes. In July 2023, a national case management database was launched. This is a robust system, which enabled efficient collation, monitoring, and analysis of victim data. There is ongoing work to develop a set of national performance measures which can be used to measure the impact of the scheme and inform future development and decision making.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in September 2023, the new digital service to apply for criminal injuries compensation was made available to 100% of applicants. The number of questions asked as part of applying for compensation was reduced where possible - by 20-30% on some application journeys - compared to the older service we replaced.</p><p> </p><p>This approach was supported by user research and trauma-informed practice, to ensure the data we are collecting is proportionate and required to enable the decision-making process - for example, we removed the mandatory need for victims to describe the nature of the incident as part of the application process, to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 12/03/2024 16:01:19 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

1693210

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Victims
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve communication with victims on (a) individual court cases, (b) sentencing and (c) custodial circumstances of offenders who perpetrated crime against them.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
uin	16622
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>The Victims’ Code sets out the services victims are entitled to receive in England and Wales from criminal justice agencies, including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Courts, and Probation Services. This includes being provided with information by the police’s Witness Care Unit about the progress of their case, including the date and time of any hearings and the outcomes. If there is a conviction, the Witness Care Unit will tell victims about the sentence. Any questions a victim has about the sentence will be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Bereaved families of victims of homicide can also meet with the crown prosecutor.</p><p> </p><p>Victims who are eligible to join the Victim Contact Scheme, which are victims in cases where the offender receives a sentence of 12 months or more for a for a specified violent or sexual offence, will be given information about the prisoner by His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service’s Victim Liaison Officers, such as whether they are eligible to move to open conditions and when they are going to be released.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, the Victims and Prisoners Bill has measures to improve how the services under the Victims’ Code are delivered, by improving data collection and sharing, strengthening local and national oversight of performance, and increasing the transparency of how the criminal justice system delivers for victims. We will publicly consult on the draft for the new Victims' Code after the Bill has completed its passage through Parliament. As part of that consultation, we are open to whether further updates may be useful, including to how communication with victims might be improved.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 07/03/2024 14:19:57 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

1693246

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Publishing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Dame Nia Griffith
uin	16626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 07/03/2024 12:58:47 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1693437

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates his Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	16853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 01 March 2024, Official Report, PQ <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-27/16019" target="_blank">16019</a> on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 12/03/2024 17:28:04 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1693502

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Damages: Public Consultation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a public consultation on updating the law on bereavement damages in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	16903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>There are no current plans to consult on reforms. The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 12/03/2024 17:29:07 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1693503

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Damages: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Damages (Scotland) Act 2011 in compensating bereaved relatives in Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	16904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>Any review of the system of bereavement damages in England and Wales would have regard to the legislative approach adopted in Scotland and other jurisdictions, but there are no current plans to undertake a review.</p><p>The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 12/03/2024 17:25:42 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1693504

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Damages
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 176607 on Fatal Accidents Act 1976, what the basis is for his Department's assessment that an extension of eligibility for bereavement damages could lead in some cases to intrusive and upsetting investigations.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	16905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The assessment is based on a strong sense that such an extension of the current legislative framework (for those eligible for bereavement damages) may lead to defendants seeking in some cases to question or challenge relationships. For example, seeking to establish whether a person was the child of the deceased person. Another example might be competing claims for an award, such as where a deceased person had both a surviving spouse and a cohabiting partner.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 12/03/2024 17:24:30 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan