theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on ending the military occupation of Western Sahara. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Following discussions with Moroccan Foreign Minister Bourita, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict on 1 June. In that context, we continue to support the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination. We welcome Morocco's stated commitment to further detail and willingness to engage in good faith with all relevant parties, to expand on details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region, with a view to restarting serious negotiations on terms acceptable to the parties.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of (a) 298 nutrition centres and (b) 420 health facilities on humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan in 2025. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We remain gravely concerned about the declining health and nutrition status of the most vulnerable Afghans. We are monitoring the impact of the closures of health and nutrition facilities on the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, and estimate that services for more than 3 million people are impacted. We continue to urge the Taliban to reverse their deadly ban on girls and women receiving medical education. We have adapted our support to provide more flexible funding to help sustain essential and lifesaving health and malnutrition treatment and prevention services. We are working with other donors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to safeguard health system capacity including routine immunisations for children and disease surveillance systems. We are convening key partners and donors to strengthen our collective approach to tackling food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with Polisario to improve security in Western Sahara not occupied by Morocco. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Senior UK officials meet regularly with Sahrawi representatives, and we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process with a view to improving security in the region. In addition, Ministers and officials frequently discuss Western Sahara with international stakeholders and partners.

On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. In that context, we continue to support the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help facilitate safe passage to Jordan for refugees fleeing Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Government has been clear that civilians in Gaza must be protected, and that Palestinians should not be forced to relocate from Gaza to third countries. Jordan is a generous host to several million refugees from regional conflicts, and entry of refugees from Gaza into Jordan is a matter for the Government of Jordan. We continue to call on all parties in Gaza to protect civilians and urge the Government of Israel to enable life-saving aid to enter Gaza at scale, and to enable the seriously ill and wounded to leave Gaza for medical care.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to suspend arms export licences to Israel for use in the West Bank. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: One of our first acts in government was to review and suspend export licences that could be used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza, as announced to Parliament. We have successfully implemented that suspension and continue to refuse all relevant licence applications. Subject to the specific measures taken to protect the global F-35 programme, we are clear there are no export licences currently being used by the IDF in military operations in Gaza or the West Bank.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart following the killing of up to 200 internally displaced Christians in Yelewata, Benue State. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: While the UK Government has not yet discussed the violent attacks on 13 June, UK officials have been actively engaging on broader security issues in Benue State. On 10 June, UK officials met Mr. Dickson Tarkighir, Member of the House of Representatives for Makurdi/Guma in Benue State and Chair of the House Committee on Constituency Outreach to discuss the root causes of insecurity in the region. The UK also maintains regular dialogue with key Nigerian institutions, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) to address conflict in Nigeria's middle belt. During his visit to Nigeria between 28-30 May, the Minister for Africa raised Freedom of Religion and Belief and the root causes of insecurity in discussions with Nigerian counterparts, including the Foreign Minister and Deputy Speaker.
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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to tie the provision of UK aid to Pakistan to the Pakistani authorities' cooperation on the (a) deportation of Pakistani criminals in the UK and (b) return of criminal suspects charged in the UK who are residing in Pakistan. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has transitioned from a traditional aid relationship with Pakistan to a mutually beneficial partnership which underpins UK national interests, and we have regular constructive discussions with Pakistani authorities on a range of topics of vital mutual interest, including criminal justice. None of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent in Pakistan is dispersed through the Pakistani government, therefore the UK government rules out linking ODA and deportations. Despite significant and complex challenges when seeking to return foreign national offenders, this government is fully committed to making our communities safer by deporting those who break our laws. The Foreign Secretary raised this matter with Pakistan's Prime Minister in May.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to repatriate British citizens in Tel Aviv. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Support to British nationals remains our top priority and we have worked at pace to ensure those who wanted to leave left safely. Consular teams have worked round the clock to support British nationals in the region. As soon as Israeli airspace re-opened UK government charter flights left Israel carrying more than 380 people on six flights. In allocating seats, we prioritised those who were most vulnerable, including those with medical needs, children, and the elderly. Commercial flights are now available.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to support accountability for breaches of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We have consistently called on all parties to comply with international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We have been clear that we respect the independence of the international courts who are currently considering cases concerning international law in the OPTs. The UK participated in the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on Israel's obligations as an Occupying Power and as a member of the United Nations, putting forward strong support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In relation to the conflict in Gaza, we have called for independent investigations into incidents where there are reports of breaches of international humanitarian law and accountability for those found responsible, including at the UN Security Council. In relation to the West Bank, we have a clear position that Israeli settlements in the OPTs are illegal under international law and have taken action to sanction violent settlers and individuals who incite violence against Palestinians.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the legal process for recognising a Palestinian state. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering.  We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace.  We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian statehood is the right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. The people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. That is why this Government supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Government agrees strongly on the importance of recognition, and that is why we will make sure the timing is right. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of border control posts in Scotland on levels of trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland. \p Kirsty McNeill: I know the Honourable Member will share my firm desire not to see borders erected between the different nations of our United Kingdom.

We have been clear that there will be no border control posts at Cairnryan.

The UK Government is unequivocal in its commitment to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s goods to the rest of the UK internal market and in coming weeks, as I advised the House at a previous Scottish oral questions, I will be meeting with NIO counterparts in coming weeks to discuss what more we can do to promote Scotland-NI trade.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's policies on child poverty on children in Scotland. \p Kirsty McNeill: The Honourable Member will be aware of recent announcements about Best Start Family Hubs, free school meals and affordable childcare - actions made possible because of a budget he and his colleagues voted against.

A key way to tackle poverty is through decent work which is why I'm proud that more than 4,000 workers in Dundee got a pay rise through this government’s plans to Make Work Pay. The Child Poverty Taskforce is considering all available levers to give every child the best start in life as part of the strategy.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the Government’s clean energy mission on Scotland. \p Kirsty McNeill: The Secretary of State and I are proud proponents of the government’s Clean Energy mission and this government is taking real action - whether that’s providing the £8.5 billion of funding for Aberdeen-based GB Energy, supporting our world leading workforce through the Energy Skills Passport, or providing £200 million towards delivering the Acorn project - crucial in our bid to decarbonise Scotland’s future.

That’s mission delivery in action.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on trends in the level of tourism in Scotland. \p Ian Murray: As a former small business owner myself, I have first hand experience and determination for ensuring Scotland’s small businesses thrive. Tourism is crucial not only for the economy, but for supporting local communities and promoting Scotland’s unique culture and natural beauty.

Through our Brand Scotland campaign, the Scotland Office is promoting Scotland as a premier destination for both business and leisure.

I am always eager to discuss matters important to Scotland, and have committed to meeting with VisitScotland as early as my diary permits.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on businesses in Scotland. \p Ian Murray: Properly funding public services and restoring economic stability required difficult decisions, which is why we are asking employers to contribute more.

Stabilising the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability businesses need to thrive.

We are protecting the smallest businesses by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of small businesses will either gain or be unaffected.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based. \p Ian Murray: The Scotland Office has no staff working remotely from a non-UK location.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) the Red Arrows and (b) other military display teams in the Spending Review 2025. \p Maria Eagle: The Spending Review has set the Ministry of Defence's Departmental Expenditure Limits until Financial Year 2028-29 for Resource and until 2029-30 for Capital. These are at high-level and do not specify all spend across the Department.

Funding for individual activities, such as display teams, will be decided on an annual basis as usual.
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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, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Royal Air Force's air to air refuelling capability for F35As. \p Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).

F-35 Aircraft: In-flight Refuelling (docx, 15.9KB)
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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, what proportion of time the purchased F-35As will spend on (a) operations and (b) training. \p Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) to Question 63065 on 2 July 2025.

F-35 Aircraft (docx, 29.4KB)
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for each British Army Unit holding stocks of electronic counter measure kits, what the (a) in service and (b) out of service dates are in each case. \p Maria Eagle: Generalist Force Protection equipment entered service with the Armed Forces between 2009 and 2014 in response to an Urgent Operational Requirement and was subsequently brought into the Core Equipment Plan, ensuring the maintenance of fleets. Specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal equipment was last refreshed in support of the 2012 London Olympics. The current Electronic Counter Measures (ECMs) have an Out of Service Date of March 2027.

The current ECM systems are held centrally by the British Army and are distributed to the land forces (Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Airforce) during Operations at the time of requirement. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to provide further details relating to ECM utilised by the Department.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the British army is able to train in trench warfare conditions across the defence estate. \p Maria Eagle: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), through its contactors, maintain the Defence Training Estate (DTE) to ensure it provides suitable training facilities for the Armed Forces, which can include trench warfare. These are available to be booked by the Armed Forces for training as required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the (a) financial and (b) related professional services industry is represented on the Defence Industrial Joint Council. \p Maria Eagle: The Defence Industrial Joint Council (DIJC) aims to harness a wide and diverse set of expertise to shape the future of Britain's defence manufacturing, supply chain and innovation. The DIJC's top-level council is comprised of experts from across the sector, including representatives from the finance and investor community (Kerry Baldwin, IQ Capital and Dame Fiona Murray, NATO Innovation Fund). The membership of the DIJC runs on a principle of rotation, with all appointments for an initial tenure of 12 months. The financial sector will have opportunities for participation in DIJC initiatives as these are stood up.

The DIJC has strong links through its membership to the CBI-led Defence Economic Growth Taskforce, an initiative that is mobilising defence and finance leaders, to shape the UK's future prosperity and is co-chaired by the Chancellor and Defence Secretary.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contracts their Department has with Palantir. \p Maria Eagle: Details of central Government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder.

Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on the pursuit of a (a) deployable and (b) persistent wide area anti-submarine warfare search capability. \p Maria Eagle: Atlantic Bastion is the Royal Navy’s plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO, as set out by the Strategic Defence Review. Navy Command is now focussed on delivering it. The first phase is now underway with industry engagement and associated commercial activity ongoing. This will see the Royal Navy integrate with commercial partners to provide elements of Anti-Submarine Warfare data collection through a service model that increases operational mass and persistence in targeted areas of the North Atlantic.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will expand the nuclear capabilities of the Royal Navy. \p Maria Eagle: There are no plans to expand the existing nuclear capabilities of the Royal Navy beyond those announced in the Strategic Defence Review published on 2 June 2025.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the Royal Air Force. \p Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).

F-35 Aircraft: In-flight Refuelling (docx, 15.9KB)
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential role Northern Ireland-based industries might play in helping support the UK’s nuclear (a) deterrent and (b) wider defence supply chains. \p Maria Eagle: Northern Ireland plays a crucial role in the defence of the United Kingdom, with a defence industrial base that is at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and our enduring support to Ukraine.

The UK Government will set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy how we will make defence an engine for growth, ensuring that our defence spending boosts prosperity, jobs and security for working people across all the nations and regions of the UK, including in Northern Ireland.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help improve recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces. \p Luke Pollard: The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 is clear that Defence must now meet the longstanding challenge of recruiting and retaining new generations with different requirements. We are committed to the vision that long-term success depends on reconnecting society with the Armed Forces and the purpose of Defence, and for recruitment the focus should be on speed, drastically shortening the period between applicants expressing interest and joining.

To achieve this, Defence will offer novel ways of entry into the Armed Forces that attract more people from a wider range of backgrounds. The Army and Navy are developing short term employment opportunities - “gap year” schemes - for young men and women across a variety of exciting roles that will upskill, provide apprenticeships, and a flavour of life in the Armed Forces.

Full plans will be announced in due course now that we have published the SDR, but we have already introduced several initiatives to improve recruitment including pay increases for new recruits and existing personnel, the scrapping of outdated medical policies, the implementation of a direct-entry cyber pathway and the setting of ambitions to make conditional offers of employment and provisional training start dates in much shorter time. All of these have achieved results; year on year there are now increased applications to the Armed Forces, increased inflow by 19% – including exceeded recruitment targets by the Royal Navy – and at the same time we have reduced outflow by 7%.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what approvals process is required by the Military Aviation Authority for the use of (a) reconnaissance and (b) kinetic drones on UK military bases. \p Luke Pollard: The process for Military Aviation Authority (MAA) approvals of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Uncrewed Air System (UAS) [1] activity is detailed in Regulatory Article 1600 with amplification within the UAS Manual available on the www.gov.uk website. The approvals process is proportionate to the operating intent and level of risk to life posed. The approval is a one-off process for a MOD organisation to operate a type of UAS i.e. a licence to operate and not an approval per flight. The majority of MOD UAS used for airborne reconnaissance on MOD bases are small ‘Open category’ UAS requiring submission of a limited safety checklist for MAA approval. The MAA guarantees a response within 60 days, but over 90% of applications are processed in under 30 days and those with higher priority processed in under 24 hours. The agile approach adopted by the MAA has been welcomed. Approvals for weaponised ‘kinetic drones’ is necessarily more complex. Approval timelines are dependent on the technical maturity of the system, risk to life posed, location of use and safety mitigations in place, to ensure an appropriate level of safety to military users and the UK population.

[1] MAA Regulations are transitioning to the term ‘Uncrewed Air System’ rather than ‘drone’ or ‘Remotely Piloted Air System’ in order to align with nomenclature of ICAO and NATO nations.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based. \p Al Carns: A total of 45 Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Servants have been permitted international remote working since the temporary concession was introduced in 2021. The vast majority were to accompany their partners/spouses who work in the Armed Forces and are posted abroad to NATO countries. This figure does not include MOD Civil Servants who are posted overseas on Government business.

MOD Civil Servants are not normally allowed to work remotely overseas, unless they have been exceptionally approved for a temporary concession. The criteria for the temporary concession includes accompanying their spouse/civil partner/unmarried cohabiting partner who is a member of the Armed Forces who has been formally posted overseas, or exceptional personal/domestic reasons.
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Danny Kruger:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service and (b) service family accommodation properties there are in East Wiltshire, by property type. \p Al Carns: There are 313 permanent Single Living Accommodation Blocks across 17 Ministry of Defence Establishments in East Wiltshire. These consist of 10,577 rooms of which 10,465 are single en-suite and 112 are multi-occupancy with shared ablutions.

There are 4,753 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in East Wiltshire, the table below shows the total split by Property Type:

Type

Bedrooms/Rank

SFA Total

Type 1

4+ bedrooms (Officer SFA)

4

Type 2

4+ bedrooms (Officer SFA)

20

Type 3

4 bedrooms (Officer SFA)

161

Type 4

4 bedrooms (Officer SFA)

304

Type 5

3 bedrooms (Officer SFA)

365

B Type

2 bedrooms (Other Rank SFA)

772

C Type

3 bedrooms (Other Rank SFA)

2583

D Type

4 bedrooms (Other Rank SFA)

537

DS Type

4+ bedrooms (Other Rank SFA)

7
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Danny Kruger:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many homes his Department owns in East Wiltshire constituency; and how many of those (a) have Ministry of Defence tenants, (b) have private tenants and (c) are vacant. \p Al Carns: As of 4 July 2025, there are 4,739 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in East Wiltshire that are owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Of the 4,739 SFA properties:

a) 3,717 SFA are occupied by Service families.

b) 317 SFA are sublet to private tenants.

c) 705 SFA are vacant. 307 of these are available to be occupied (177 have been allocated to Service families to move into) and 398 are classed as void unavailable and therefore currently unavailable to be occupied.

The MOD is currently undertaking an extensive review of its entire estate, including how the department will make best use of the properties that have been reacquired from Annington, and which homes and locations can most benefit from investment to be brought back online, refurbished, and renovated for the use of Service families.
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Danny Kruger:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which companies have been awarded contracts for the (a) provision, (b) maintenance and (c) refurbishment of service family accommodation properties in East Wiltshire constituency; and if he will publish details of the nature and scope of those contracts. \p Al Carns: No contracts have been awarded for the provision of Service Family Accommodation properties in the East Wiltshire constituency as the Ministry of Defence has not purchased any new properties.

VIVO Defence Services under the Regional Accommodation Maintenance Services Contract for the South West have the responsibility for maintenance and refurbishment of Service Family Accommodation properties in the East Wiltshire constituency.

Details on the nature and scope of the contract as awarded can be found in Contracts Finder at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/fc5d2d7a-0a36-49ca-bc84-33ebc0265ad4?origin=SearchResults&p=4
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63964 on India: F-35 Aircraft, how many personnel have been required to recover the F-35B from India; and what the cost to the public purse was for removing the wings and flying the plane back to the UK as cargo. \p Luke Pollard: An engineering team of less than ten personnel has deployed from the UK with a spares package. We are developing options for recovering the aircraft with Air-to-Air refuelling support once the repairs are complete. All flights will be taken from the annual budgeted flying hours for the respective fleets and therefore come at no additional cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_271

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice uses the term international remote working (IRW) to describe working remotely outside the UK. IRW is defined as when an employee wants to undertake the full responsibilities of their role remotely from abroad, for a short-term and fixed period. Employees may request to work their full responsibilities from abroad in exceptional circumstances e.g. supporting a family member overseas who needs urgent and immediate help, for a maximum of 30 calendar days in a rolling 12-month period.

On 3 July 2025, the Ministry of Justice had 11 employees who had permission to work remotely outside the UK. These are for the following countries:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_272

Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the effectiveness of the right to be forgotten in the Data Protection Act 2018, in the context of people acquitted of crimes. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of the provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018 in respect of people acquitted of crimes. The ‘right to be forgotten’ is not an absolute right and whether there is a need for an organisation to retain data about a person’s acquittal is likely to be context specific.

Organisations in the UK that process personal data must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). Oversight and enforcement of these data protection laws, including the ‘right to be forgotten’, is carried out independently of the government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO, as the UK’s independent data protection regulator, provides comprehensive guidance on its website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_273

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders are currently released on license. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Data about the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNO) on post-release supervision is published regularly as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly bulletin, with figures included under table 6.9 of the Probation chapter. The series, which includes data from the 31 March 2024, can be accessed via https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly
wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_274
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_274

Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female ex-offenders found employment within six months of release in the West Midlands in the latest period for which data is available. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The latest data available (April 2023-March 2024) shows that 13.0% of females and 21.8% of males in the West Midlands region were employed six months after release from custody, a gap of 8.8 percentage points. This represents 30 females and 715 males from sample sizes of 230 and 3,280 respectively.

We know that women face additional barriers to employment, including greater prevalence of trauma, substance misuse issues and being more likely to be a primary carer for children. In recognition of these additional challenges, New Futures Network, the prison service’s specialist employment team, has a dedicated employment broker for the women’s prison estate.

In addition, an expert in education and employment for women with convictions has been appointed to the cross-government Partnership Delivery Group, which supports our recently established Women’s Justice Board. The Board will set the vision for and deliver on our ambition to have fewer women in custody.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_275

Sir Mark Hendrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions for manslaughter there have been in (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Liverpool in cases involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for manslaughter by Police Force Area in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. The latest data is available up to December 2024. This can be downloaded at the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

However, it is not possible to provide the number of convictions for manslaughter involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor, as this information is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings Database.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_276

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing Enhanced Combination Orders for more offences. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Enhanced Combination Orders are a disposal available in Northern Ireland. They are not available in England and Wales. Justice is devolved to Northern Ireland.

In England and Wales, as part of a community order, the Sentencing Framework gives courts the flexibility to choose and balance a range of requirements such as unpaid work and treatment, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any rehabilitative needs which may otherwise increase the likelihood of reoffending.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to resolve ongoing issues with accessing the legal aid portal. \p Sarah Sackman: This is an unprecedented event involving sophisticated organised crime. Every effort is being made to restore systems following the criminal attack on our services. The Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital services have been taken offline to negate the threat and prevent further exposure of legal aid providers and users. We will not reopen the system until the appropriate steps have been taken to enable us to do so. We have been able to return some to internal use, enabling an improved ability to support criminal legal aid applications and payments.

The Government are committed to ensuring that operational delivery of legal aid continues. We have put in place contingency plans to ensure that those most in need of legal support can continue to access the help that they need and that those providing vital legal services can be confident they will continue to receive payments whilst systems are offline.

Emergency legislation came into force on 27 June enabling the LAA to implement enhanced business continuity arrangements, including increased delegation of decision making to legal aid providers. These enhanced measures are designed to support legal aid providers and prevent a significant case backlog while contingency measures are in place.

The recent data breach is the result of serious criminal activity, but it was enabled by the fragility of the LAA’s IT systems as a result of the long years of underinvestment under the last Conservative Government. By contrast, since taking power this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the Legal Aid Agency digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_278

Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of people who abscond abroad before (i) trial and (ii) sentencing in the most recent period for which data is available; and how many and what proportion of these people were (A) dual and (B) foreign nationals. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on the numbers of people who abscond abroad before trial and sentencing or absconding abroad by dual/foreign nationals. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_279

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much her Department spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Obtaining this data would require manually reviewing and reclassifying purchases made across multiple systems and procurement channels. Given the broad range of equipment types and purposes — particularly across a large and complex estate such as the Ministry of Justice — this process would be highly resource-intensive and result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_280

Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) foreign and (b) dual national offenders were (i) tried and (ii) sentenced in absentia in the last 12 months. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on trials, convictions and sentencing outcomes at criminal courts in England and Wales (latest data to December 2024), available from the Criminal Justice Statistics page.

However, it is not possible to provide the number of people sentenced in their absence, as this is not held. Nor is it possible to provide data on the nationality of convicted defendants who were sentenced in their absence, as this information is not collected. This information may be held in court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_281

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisons have rats: and what steps she taking to tackle this. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has specialist contractors to tackle any rodent activity, when it occurs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_282

Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) violent offenders and (b) people convicted of grievous bodily harm resulting in life-changing injuries are not inappropriately released early under existing early release schemes; and what review mechanisms are in place to assess whether the charge classification accurately reflects the severity of the offending behaviour in such cases. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This Government was left an unconscionable inheritance with the prison system days from collapse. To prevent the risk of gridlock across the Criminal Justice System, we had no choice but to take decisive actions to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

We changed the release point for certain standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40% (‘SDS40’) and increased the maximum Home Detention Curfew period from 6 months to 12 months. Both of these policies have extensive exclusion criteria, including sexual offences irrespective of sentence length and certain serious violent offences.

Harm caused is one of the two core factors always taken into account when sentencing. The Crown Prosecution Service is responsible for bringing the right charge in all serious cases and there are established mechanisms for appealing unduly lenient sentences.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to expand access to community-based rehabilitation services. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Probation Service will receive up to £700 million more by 2028/29, a 45 percent increase on current spending. It will see tens of thousands more offenders tagged, monitored and rehabilitated. We are currently in the process of re-procuring our commissioned rehabilitative services contracts. Our new contracts will improve on our current offering with expanded and improved consistency of service availability in both custody and community. However, decisions on the future scale of accessibility to these services will be determined by departmental funding allocation decisions following the Spending Review.