theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of adequacy of the (a) support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training provided to ambulance staff. \p Karin Smyth: The mental health of all National Health Service staff is taken seriously, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents. Ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to ensure there is a good range of health and wellbeing support for staff. This includes an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for staff experiencing suicidal ideation. At a national level, ambulance trust employees have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support, alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the HIV action plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish this year.
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Marie Goldman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of provisions for involuntary mental health interventions for children and young adults. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our aim is to ensure that children and young people are only detained under the Mental Health Act for involuntary mental health interventions when it is absolutely necessary.

The Mental Health Bill, currently being considered by the House of Commons, will strengthen the rights of children and young people detained under the act so they are involved in decisions about their care and so they can challenge these decisions. This includes statutory care and treatment plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests, and expanded access to independent mental health advocates.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we are focussing treatment away from hospital and inpatient care and improving community and crisis services, so that fewer children and young people need to be detained in hospital.

We will also take action to ensure that young people in mental health inpatient settings are supported through a safe and effective transition to adult mental health services, to ensure they are treated with more dignity, given a greater say in their care, and that their health, education, and social needs are appropriately met.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of power outages on mental health (a) service delivery, (b) remote digital therapy and (c) crisis response platforms. \p Stephen Kinnock: No such assessment has been made. Planning for power outages is a core function of business continuity arrangements for all National Health Service organisations, including mental health providers.

NHS England monitors such incidents to identify root causes, solutions, and learning to share across the system.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Change NHS Blog entitled Ensuring the Plan represents everyone, published on 21 January 2025, which groups are classified as inclusion health groups. \p Ashley Dalton: Throughout the 10-Year Health Plan’s engagement activity, we have engaged with over 1,600 stakeholders, non-governmental organisations, and patient groups to hear their ideas for change. We will shortly publish a list of organisations that made a submission to the Change NHS engagement portal and the organisations that were members of the 10-Year Health Plan Partners Council.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 July 2025 to Question 63741. The published list will include organisations from inclusion health groups who took part in the consultation.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate the registration process for overseas-trained dentists to help extend the provision of NHS dental care. \p Stephen Kinnock: I have asked the General Dental Council (GDC) to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the GDC’s Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) waiting list, and I will be regularly meeting with them to monitor progress.

I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place, as well as their ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. I will continue to discuss the new arrangements with the GDC, with a focus on understanding how they will further increase the availability of the ORE exam in the short and longer term.

The Department not be proceeding with providing the GDC with any additional legislative powers for international registration at this time. Having considered options for a provisional registration scheme, the Government’s view is that other, more cost-effective and efficient routes to registration should be the immediate priority.

Meanwhile, we expect the GDC to make full use of the flexibility afforded by the international registration reforms introduced in 2023 to ensure that those who have the right skills and experience are able to join its registers as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) removing (i) dental therapist and (ii) dental technician roles and (b) other changes to the Skilled Worker visa eligibility list on internationally trained dental professionals seeking registration with the General Dental Council. \p Stephen Kinnock: Registration with the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom is a separate process from obtaining a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa, although both are required to enable overseas dental professionals to work in the UK.

On 1 July 2025, changes to immigration rules were laid before Parliament which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will come into force from 22 July. Dentists meet the new higher skill level of Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above, and continue to remain eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa under the immigration changes.

The expanded Immigration Salary List (ISL) and interim Temporary Shortage List (TSL) allow time-limited access, until the end of 2026, to the UK’s immigration system for selected occupations of skill level RQF 3 to 5, with restrictions on bringing dependants. The evidence considered by the independent Migration Advisory Committee for the ISL and by the Department for Business and Trade for the TSL did not support including dental technicians, dental nurses, dental hygienists, or dental therapists on either list. Therefore, these occupations will no longer be eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa or Skilled Worker visa from 22 July.

A transition period applies for those already in the UK, where skilled workers can continue to be sponsored in RQF level 3 to 5 occupations if they are already in the route, meaning they have a visa or have a Certificate of Sponsorship issued, before 22 July, even where an occupation is not on the ISL or the TSL, providing they continue to meet all other requirements of the route.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that (a) families and (b) carers of cell therapy patients can access (i) mental health and wellbeing and (ii) bereavement support. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that families and carers have the support they need.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including mental health and wellbeing support for families and carers.

The Government also recognises how important it is for grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones to have access to the support they need, when they need it. Bereavement support is commissioned locally, to meet the needs of the local population. NHS England has developed guidance for integrated care boards which requires local commissioners to ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement support services.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 June 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS697, what discussions her Department has had with hon. Members from Croydon on the best value intervention in that area since 4 July 2024. \p Jim McMahon: I hold regular meetings with honourable members in accordance with my Ministerial responsibilities.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 June 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS697, what discussions her Department has had with (a) councillors and (b) political assistants from Croydon on the best value intervention in that area since 4 July 2024. \p Jim McMahon: All details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on gov.uk.
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David Baines:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress she has made on considering the capital funding request from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. \p Alex Norris: The fiscal position means that there have been tough choices to get us back on the path to recovery. It is in this context that the department is considering the request made for funding by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

I was pleased to meet with Andy Lock to discuss the outstanding work done by the organisation across Britain’s coalfields. I recognise that addressing the acute challenges faced by our coalfield communities will require greater partnership working between government and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, and I am committed to working in partnership with them to explore opportunities for collaboration.

This government remains committed to supporting our most disadvantaged communities. At Spending Review, we announced funding for up to 350 places. Of the 100 places announced, 15 are in coalfield areas. Details of the remaining places will be announced in due course.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who migrate from income-related Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit are not affected by reductions in Council Tax Support. \p Jim McMahon: Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.1.1 of the publication entitled The Fair Funding Review 2.0, published on 20 June 2025, whether the transitional arrangements will be subject to downward phasing. \p Jim McMahon: In the Fair Funding Review 2.0 We are inviting views on a package of transitional arrangements to support local authorities to their new allocations in a sustainable way. While we will confirm the specific arrangements after the consultation closes, we expect the vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Spending Review period.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 12.3 of the consultation outcome entitled Local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation: summary of responses, published on 20 June 2025, what the fees named in the 65 consultation responses were. \p Jim McMahon: Responses to the December funding reform consultation highlighted several fees and charges where local authorities felt they were unable to recover the cost of the service. These included alcohol licensing, planning and building control.

Through the Fair Funding Review 2.0, the government is now consulting on proposals to review local authority fees and charges and consider where there is a case for reform. We welcome views on this, including the scope of proposed reforms.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a response to the press release by PCS entitled PCS members at MHCLG escalate industrial action, published on 26 June 2025. \p Alex Norris: The department will not be publishing a direct response to the PCS communication published for their members. We continue to hope for a resolution and remain open to further discussions on the matters raised.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times the Islamophobia Definition Working Group has met. \p Alex Norris: The working group has met weekly since it was first established. The meetings included engagement with relevant stakeholders.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61518 on MHCLG: Civil Servants, what is the FTE headcount number of a 10% reduction in the number of civil servants; and whether it will involve (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary redundancies. \p Alex Norris: The department is aiming to reduce the FTE headcount of its Civil Servant workforce from 3,790 as at March 2025 to 3,350 by March 2030. This will be achieved through utilising natural workforce turnover and the already publicised voluntary exit scheme for staff this year. There are no plans to implement either a compulsory or a voluntary redundancy programme to support this aim.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Alex Norris: The cost to provide Digital equipment to enable staff to work effectively from home for the 3 years 07/07/2022 to 06/07/2025 is £272,301.85.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to ensure the objectivity of the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition. \p Alex Norris: The working group includes members from a cross-section of society and have been selected for their technical expertise and experience and ability to work to deliver the objectives of the group.

The Terms of Reference and full membership of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Working Group were published on Monday 24 March. Per the Terms of Reference, the Group is an independent, non-statutory body. These also set a requirement for group members to immediately raise any potential conflicts of interest with MHCLG.

The group will make evidence-based recommendations for ministers to consider, informed by engagement with a wide cross section of individuals and organisations from across the sector.

A Call for Evidence was recently published on gov.uk to ensure that the advice provided to Government reflects the diverse experiences and opinions of our faith communities’ and beyond across the country.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any members of the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia informed her Department of potential conflicts of interest. \p Alex Norris: The group members completed declaration of interest forms which have been held by the Department. Their appointment was made on the basis that they had no conflicts of interest in taking up this role. Should any potential conflict of interest arise in future, the group must notify MHCLG in writing and be prepared to step aside from decisions on which they are conflicted.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Government calls last orders on red tape choking pubs, clubs and restaurants in major boost to the British night out, published on 4 April 2025, whether the London pilot will operate on a voluntary basis; and whether it will be piloted in London boroughs which do not support the proposals to transfer licensing powers. \p Alex Norris: In April, the government announced that it would work with the Greater London Authority to review strategic licensing powers and explore a pilot scheme, providing the Mayor of London with new powers over strategic licensing. My officials are working closely with the Greater London Authority to design a pilot to boost growth in London’s sporting, cultural and hospitality venues and revitalise London’s nightlife. Alongside this, the GLA is carrying out extensive consultation with key London partners including the Metropolitan Police, London councils and business groups. The London pilot will aim to unlock the full potential of London’s hospitality, cultural and night-time economies by exploring how the Mayor’s strategic oversight role can complement local licensing powers.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many orders of electronic jamming equipment his Department has made for use by the armed forces since 5 July 2024. \p Maria Eagle: The Department procure a number of systems across all domains, many of which are integrated into larger platforms. Consequently, the information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 15669 on Ajax Vehicles, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equipping infantry battalions with Ares. \p Maria Eagle: The Army continues to undergo a combined programme of work to ensure our Land Forces will have the lethality, protection and mobility to fight and win against any adversary; and to support the transformation of the Army's two divisions and Corps Headquarters committed to NATO's Strategic Reserve Corps. As part of this the Army intends to reorganise its Heavy Forces units in 3 Division, such that all four would become Armoured Infantry Units based on the Ajax and Boxer family of vehicles. Further detail will be provided in due course.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual operating costs are of the (a) RAF Envoy IV with registrations (i) G-ZAHS and (ii) G-ZABH, (b) VIP Voyager with registration ZZ336 and (c) Airbus A321-Neo with registration G-GBNI. \p Maria Eagle: The Envoy aircraft operating costs are currently £4.4 million per year, contracted through Centreline Av Ltd.

The operating costs of Voyager ZZ336 in its secondary role of VIP use are not separately recorded within the wider 27-Year AirTanker contract for the Voyager fleet's primary role of Air-to-Air Refuelling and military Air Transport.

The Airbus A321-Neo aircraft, registration G-GBNI is leased by the Cabinet Office not the Ministry of Defence.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled UK to purchase F-35As and join NATO mission as Government steps up national security and delivers defence dividend, published on 24 June 2025, whether nuclear certification of the aircraft will take place (a) prior and (b) after the aircraft are delivered. \p Maria Eagle: The detail of F-35 procurement is subject to the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan, which is scheduled to complete in the Autumn. However, we will not be providing detailed updates on the steps required to enable participation in the NATO nuclear mission for national security reasons.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, what is the definition of a task; and whether this involves a one-way or return journey. \p Maria Eagle: A task can include multiple legs between the point of departure and the final destination.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 7.62mm rounds his Department has ordered since 5 July 2024. \p Maria Eagle: I am withholding the information requested as it is operationally sensitive.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 9mm rounds his Department has ordered since 5 July 2024. \p Maria Eagle: I am withholding the information requested as it is operationally sensitive.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ghost MK4 drones has his Department ordered since 5 July 2024. \p Maria Eagle: Due to operational security, we cannot provide details on the numbers or types of drones ordered by the Ministry of Defence.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of the drones provided to Ukraine since February 2022 have been British made. \p Luke Pollard: Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's drone requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry, and this is true of the majority of the spend on drone procurements for Ukraine.

This has been reaffirmed by the Defence Secretary's announcement at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 4 June 2025, where he pledged £350 million investment into drones this financial year, with the majority of the spend to be with British companies.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has set a target number of days by which individual applications to the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme need to have been assessed by. \p Al Carns: Due to the unique nature of each application, and the need to assess each on a case-by-case basis, the Ministry of Defence is unable to set a target number of days by which individual applications to the LGBT Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme need to have been assessed.

The assessment process is complex, and processing times will vary based on the specific circumstances of each Veteran’s application. This work must be conducted thoroughly to ensure fair and accurate outcomes for applicants and the responsible management of public funds.

We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the Scheme going live to these prioritised groups.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to abolish the Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge. \p Luke Pollard: We have no plans to abolish the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge, known as SONAC.

As the Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State and Head of Review and Challenge, Malcolm Chalmers will be responsible for providing expert strategic advice to the Secretary of State and as appropriate to the PUS, CDS and NAD as well as the Ministerial team. He will lead, providing senior oversight and tasking, but not line management of SONAC’s approx. thirty staff, who will continue their expert work.

SONAC will continue to work with top external experts, running red teams and wargames to test and challenge departmental thinking, as well as continuing their long-term Net Assessment program to ensure we understand the problems we’re facing. These will be vital inputs to Malcolm Chalmers as he provides advice to the Secretary of State.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has appointed a Director of the Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence is pleased to welcome Malcom Chalmers as the new Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State (SofS) and Head of Review and Challenge. Malcolm Chalmers will not be a direct replacement for Director SONAC but will have many of the same responsibilities. This model will allow Mr Chalmers to focus on providing expert advice to the SofS, backed by the expertise and intellectual horsepower of SONAC. SONAC will be run day to day by a Civil Servant Deputy Director. This model will allow us to get the best out of the expert - and optimise the strategic value that SONAC delivers to the Defence Secretary and the Department.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q43 of the oral evidence given by him to the Defence Committee on 2 July 2025, HC 973, how many candidates were interviewed as part of the recruiting process to appoint the announced Strategic Advisor and Head of Review and Challenge. \p Luke Pollard: As the hon. Gentleman will recall from his time as a Defence Minister, Ministers are entitled to directly appoint ‘eminent’ or qualified individuals to provide advice, champion an issue or undertake a review. Such appointments have been made under successive administrations and those holding these roles play a vital role in providing expert, independent advice to the government on a range of matters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that single sex (a) living accommodation, (b) bathroom and (c) changing facilities for service personnel are compliant with the law. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling and the clarity that it brings for women and service providers. The MOD is undertaking a review of its internal policies to ensure compliance with the ruling; this includes living accommodation, ablutions, changing facilities, and single-sex spaces. We will be guided by the revised Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice when it becomes available.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on fitting military vehicles with direct energy weapons to help protect from swarm drone attacks. \p Maria Eagle: This Government has announced nearly £1 billion in further investment for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to bring these capabilities into service, including a new DEW for the British Army by the end of the decade.

We have recently completed trials of both radio frequency and laser DEW demonstrators mounted on British Army vehicles, putting DEW in the hands of the warfighter so we can learn from their experience and shape the development of future systems. This included the first use of DEW by the Army to counter drone swarms as part of live testing against targets.

DragonFire, our high energy laser for Type 45 destroyers, recently completed a trial that saw us fire 300 times, proving consistency and reliability, and included 30 drone defeats and firings in adverse weather conditions. This is critical to system development, meeting our plan to put it into service from 2027.
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on private finance initiatives in each of the last five years. \p Maria Eagle: Details of Ministry of Defence Private Finance Initiatives are published on PFI and PF2 projects: 2024 Summary Data - GOV.UK
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Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who were released under the early release scheme were returned to prison following an arrest for (a) Intentional strangulation, (b) criminal damage, (c) common assault, (d) actual bodily harm, (e) grievous bodily harm, (f) violence against the person, (g) threats to kill, (h) stalking, (i) rape, (j) sexual assault and (k) harassment in each month since July 2024. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on arrests and to provide it would result in a disproportionate cost.

We have published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_254

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that face-to-face meetings are available to claimants during the Personal Independence Payment appeals process. \p Sarah Sackman: Listing appeals, including the mode of hearing, is a judicial function, and HM Courts & Tribunals Service cannot comment on decisions made by independent tribunal judiciary.

As part of the appeal process, appellants are given the option to select the most suitable hearing types for them. This includes attending a tribunal venue for a face-to-face hearing; a video or telephone hearing; or for the appeal to be determined on the papers. The Department for Work and Pensions, as Respondent to the appeal, is also given the opportunity to express their preference for the type of hearing they would like. Most hearings are currently held in person at a tribunal venue.

The President of the First-Tier Social Entitlement Chamber has published a Guidance Note on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary Website covering the mode of hearing in Social Security and Child Support Tribunal Appeals here: Chamber President's Guidance Note No. 5 Mode of hearing in Social Security and Child Support Appeals.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_255
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_255

Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays to employment tribunal hearings. \p Sarah Sackman: We are working to reduce delays to employment tribunal hearings by investing in tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology. This has delivered over 1,500 additional sitting days. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March 2025 a sitting day allocation of 33,900 for the Employment Tribunals in the financial year 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.

Following judicial recruitment, in 2024 we added 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and recruitment for up to a further 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee-paid employment judges were appointed in 2024, and recruitment will commence for another 50 judges in early 2026. Additionally, recruitment for 150 non-legal tribunal members will commence this year.

We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on the Employment Tribunals and will continue to work closely with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times in order to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_256
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_256

Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of outsourcing interpreter and translation services for court proceedings; and what steps she has taken to ensure (i) quality, (ii) consistency and (iii) the protection of fair trial rights when third-party contractors provide such services. \p Sarah Sackman: The Department has recently undertaken a re-procurement of its interpreter and translation service under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These regulations mandate that public bodies aggregate expenditure on classes of goods and services and ensure that competition is applied through defined procurement procedures to ensure value for money. This principle underpinned the Ministry of Justice’s previous procurement of services and remains the case today.

The Ministry of Justice has regular conversations with stakeholders and incorporated their views into the options explored within a delivery model assessment which resulted in the consideration of insourcing, and hybrid options of insource and outsource. Stakeholders were informed in 2022/23 that the Department planned to continue with an outsourced model after assessments indicated that it was the best model for our needs. This option allowed for greater cost efficiency and enabled a larger share of funding to be directed towards paying interpreters.

It is vital that victims, witnesses and defendants understand what is happening in court to ensure justice is done. To support this, the Ministry of Justice operates a robust performance and quality regime for interpretation and translation services. These include monthly meetings with suppliers and stakeholders to monitor and discuss, in detail, the quality of the services being provided and performance against contractual performance indicators. The suppliers forecast demand, and work to ensure that there is a pool of qualified interpreters available to the Department to fulfil bookings and facilitate fair trials for those that require interpretation services. The contracts also provide for the Ministry of Justice to audit the suppliers to verify the accuracy of contractual payments, management information, and compliance with contractual obligations.

In addition, the Department has awarded a contract for the provision of independent quality assurance of the services provided under these other contracts. This assurance is undertaken in a number of ways, including:

Managing the Ministry’s register of interpreters

Conducting an annual audit of supplier processes for introducing new interpreters

Conducting a programme of 'spot checks' of interpreters undertaking assignments

Annual surveys of business users of the service
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_257
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_257

Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to support bereaved families who have lost loved ones as a result of serious and violent crimes committed by reoffenders. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government is committed to ensuring families bereaved by homicide receive the support they need to help them build resilience to cope with the impact of these devastating crimes.

Families bereaved by homicide have rights under the Victim’s Code, which sets out the minimum level of service that victims should receive. Under the Victims’ Code, they are entitled to be given information about and be referred to victim support services by the police. The Ministry of Justice also commissions a National Homicide Service, delivered by Victim Support, to provide a consistent level of support across England and Wales to families bereaved by homicide.

Addressing reoffending is critical to public safety. We follow the evidence to tackle the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions. Serious Further Offences (SFOs) committed by offenders subject to probation supervision are rare but have a devastating impact on victims, which is why we conduct thorough investigations into each one. The findings of SFO reviews are shared with victims, as we recognise that it is vital that victims understand any improvement we need to make as a direct result of the SFO.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_258
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_258

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of food served in prisons is sourced from British farms; and what plans she has to encourage more prisons to buy British produce. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: As at May 2025, 56.1% of food products sourced via the prisoner food contract and served in prisons is of British origin, however we do not hold a figure for farms specifically.

The sourcing of products is managed through commercial food contracts which are based upon value for money and the quality of the product, with British produce being chosen wherever possible. We continue to review options to source from UK suppliers as part of standard procurement processes.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_259
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_259

Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62457 on HMP/YOI Downview, how many of the seven males held on E Wing have access to the general women's estate for (a) work and (b) other services. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: As noted in the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62457, prisoners on E Wing are located separately from all other prisoners at HMP/YOI Downview. Supervised access to activities in the main prison’s regime, including work, is provided only where a local risk assessment has determined this to be appropriate.

Given the small number of prisoners held on E-Wing, it would not be appropriate to provide information about the management of the individuals in question.

We are reviewing the transgender prisoner policy in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_260
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_260

Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help improve the quality of probation services across the North West of England. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Probation Service in the North West has developed a Quality Improvement Plan which prioritises and focuses improvement activity across Probation Delivery Units in the region, and at regional level, and includes actions derived from internal audits and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation reports. Progress is routinely monitored, assured and supported by regional and national, Performance, Assurance and Risk functions.

We regularly publish performance ratings for each region of the Probation Service, which can be found at the following link: Community Performance Annual, update to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

We are hiring 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,050 already appointed last year. We are also investing in new technology to lift the administrative burden on probation officers so they can focus on what they do best – managing and rehabilitating offenders.

Probation funding will increase by up to £700 million by the final year of the spending review – a 45% increase in the next three years. We will deliver thousands more tags, more staff, and more accommodation to ensure that offenders are tracked and monitored closely in the community.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_261
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_261

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was that prisoners released from recall spent on recall in each year for which data are available. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The requested information for indeterminate prisoners re-released following recall can be found in Table 5_Q_11 of the Department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication: licence-recalls-Oct-to-Dec-2024.ods.

The corresponding information for determinate sentenced prisoners is only obtainable at disproportionate cost as it requires data matching between different data systems (namely prison recall information from the Public Protection Unit Database, and prisoner release information from prison-NOMIS).
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_262
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_262

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of people in prison on custodial sentences was in each of the last 20 years. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Information on the number of people in prison on custodial sentences is published as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly.

Data from 2002-2015 can be found in Table 1.Leg.1 at the following link: Prison-population-2002-to-2015.ods.

Data from 2015-2024 can be found in Table 1.A.1 at the following link: Prison-population-2015-to-2024.ods.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_263
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_263

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was that remand prisoners spent on remand in each of the last 20 years. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_264
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_264

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) assumptions and (b) formulae she uses to model prison place need. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: On 11 December 2024, we published the first annual statement on prison capacity, fulfilling our commitment to increased transparency, holding this government and future governments to account.

The demand projections used in the annual statement are based on population projection Accredited Official Statistics which are published at: Prison Population Projections: 2024 to 2029 - GOV.UK. Further detail on the modelling methodology is contained within the publication, including an overview of the assumptions used.