theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including specific measures to improve the safety of women runners in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. \p Jess Phillips: This Government has been clear that the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable, and we are treating it as the national emergency that it is.

Everyone should both be and feel safe whilst going about their day-to-day lives – and we recognise the particular vulnerability that women runners may feel. We are working across Government to use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence to keep all women safe.

We will go further than before to deliver a transformative approach to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy, which we aim to publish shortly. This will be underpinned by an analytical sprint and Theory of Change to ensure that our approach is informed by the best available evidence.
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing independent modern slavery advocates for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking. \p Jess Phillips: The Government recognises the role of Independent Modern Slavery Advocates (IMSAs) in empowering victims of exploitation. IMSAs can play an important role in helping victims understand their rights and navigate complex systems.

Under the Home Office funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), adult victims are provided with a dedicated support worker who also offers tailored assistance across social, legal, psychological and health domains. The support will continue under the new Support for Victims of Modern Slavery (SVMS) contract, when the MSVCC ends in 2027.

In developing the SVMS contract, we have engaged extensively with frontline practitioners and individuals with lived experience. We assessed the merits of different support models, to inform enhancements to the training, partnership working, and access to specialist resources for support workers, ensuring that they are well equipped to meet the complex and evolving needs of victims and to support a smooth transition from contracted support to wider services.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she is providing for the rehabilitation of injured police officers. \p Sarah Jones: This Government greatly values the service and sacrifices made by our police officers and it is vital that they receive the right support when injured in the line of duty.

The Government is committed to supporting the mental and physical health and wellbeing of those who work in policing through the Police Covenant and has provided ongoing funding for the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS ensures police officers and staff have access to the health and wellbeing support they need. This includes measures to ensure that all forces meet national standards for occupational health provision and that they continually develop and improve upon those standards. The wellbeing service has also developed an evidenced-based trauma support model which is now available to forces.

It is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers to effectively manage their workforce, ensuring the appropriate health and wellbeing provisions are in place for their officers and staff.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on ensuring that police (a) officers and (b) staff receive (i) mental health and (ii) self-harm prevention support. \p Sarah Jones: This Government is committed to supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of all our police and are working closely with police leaders to ensure this.

This includes providing ongoing funding to the National Police Wellbeing Service, which provides evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces. This helps Chief Constables in their duty to ensure the wellbeing of their workforce. In particular, the Service is helping forces to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.

A National Action Plan for Suicide Prevention and Postvention in policing has been launched, which aims to reduce rates among the police workforce as well as enhancing data recording. The plan, which includes ensuring adequate training for the police workforce, emphasises a supportive environment that promotes mental health and combats stigma to ensure that those affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts can access appropriate and timely support.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings Ministers in her Department have had with the Police Federation since 4 July 2024; and when she plans to meet the Police Federation. \p Sarah Jones: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

As part of Government transparency they are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk

The Police Act 1996 establishes the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) as the representative body for police officers in the federated ranks in England and Wales.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of seasonal visitor surges on levels of (a) shop theft and (b) antisocial behaviour in rural and coastal constituencies. \p Sarah Jones: This Government recognises the great harm and misery that anti-social behaviour (ASB) and shop theft causes our communities, including during seasonal visitor peaks in coastal and rural areas.That is why tackling anti-social behaviour and shop theft are top priorities for this Government, and at the heart of our Safer Streets Mission.

We are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police tackle retail crime. We are supporting the implementation of the new ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together’ strategy, published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.

As part of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, every police force in England and Wales now has a dedicated lead officer for ASB, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.

And we are legislating through the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen powers available to the police to tackle ASB and shop theft.​ This includes new Respect Orders to tackle persistent adult ASB offenders, powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, repealing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence and introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to reduce the cost of the firearms licence application fee. \p Sarah Jones: Increased firearms licensing fees were introduced on 5 February 2025, enabling full cost recovery for police forces and fulfilling a manifesto commitment.

Firearms licensing fees were last updated in 2015 and had fallen significantly below the cost of delivering the service. We will keep the level of fees under close review.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to prevent the illegal use of off-road bikes. \p Sarah Jones: Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles, including off-road bikes on common land without lawful authority, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.

The Government has recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.

These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the number of civilian staff on (a) police forces and (b) warranted police officers. \p Sarah Jones: The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. An effective, well-supported police service is central to achieving this.

Police staff, alongside warranted officers, play a vital role in delivering an effective police service to communities across England and Wales. As at 31 March 2025, there were 81,996 full-time equivalent (FTE) police staff and designated officers employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. This was an increase of 1,080 (FTE) compared with 31 March 2024.

We are committed to giving forces the resources they need to keep the public safe. The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement – a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding.

It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour from (a) illegally modified and (b) off-road bikes in the Northumbria Police area. \p Sarah Jones: Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including off-road and illegally modified e-bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.

The Government has recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.

These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spousal visa applicants were exempted from the standard income threshold because their partner in the UK was receiving disability benefits in the last 12 months. \p Mike Tapp: Data on the number of spousal visa applications which have been exempted from the standard income threshold does not form part of our data sets and is not published.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

A range of processing data including case outcomes on spousal visa applications, can be found at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK and Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking discussions with her Irish counterpart on establishing an all-island work visa for the island of Ireland. \p Mike Tapp: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which is underpinned by our joint commitment to protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.

However, the operation of the CTA has never required the UK and Ireland to have entirely harmonised immigration arrangements and UK immigration policy is determined for the benefit of the UK.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of partnering with customs to monitor the importation of nitrous oxide. \p Mike Tapp: Border Force works closely with law enforcement and our partners across the world to share intelligence in order to protect the public. We have seen a record level of drug seizures in FY2024, demonstrating police and Border Force are working relentlessly to stop illegal drugs from coming into the country and keep them off our streets.

Nitrous Oxide is a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It is an offence for a person to import or export nitrous oxide if they intend to wrongfully inhale it or if they know, or are reckless as to whether, it is likely to be wrongfully inhaled by some other person. “Wrongful inhalation” means inhalation other than for medical or dental purposes, and which is not accidental inhalation of nitrous oxide which has been released into the atmosphere (such as in industrial processes).

Data on seizures of nitrous oxide and other controlled drugs at the UK border are published at:
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportation orders have been declared invalid in each of the last ten years. \p Alex Norris: The information you have requested regarding the revocation of deportation orders is not available from published statistics.

A deportation order requires an individual to leave the United Kingdom. It also prohibits them from re-entering the country for as long as it is in force and invalidates any leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom given to them before the Order is made or while it is in force.

The Home Office only deports those with no legal right to remain in the UK, including foreign national offenders. Individuals are only deported to their country of origin when the Home Office and, where applicable, the Courts deem it is safe to do so.

A person who is subject to a deportation order can apply to the Home Office for revocation of the order. Such an application must be made from outside of the UK after the person has been deported. Revocation of a Deportation Order does not entitle the person concerned to re-enter the United Kingdom; it renders them eligible to apply for admission under the Immigration Rules.
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Rosie Duffield:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the post-decision move on period on levels of homelessness in Canterbury. \p Alex Norris: From 1 September 2025, the Home Office has taken the decision to pause the 56 day move on period pilot for single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision, with the exception of individuals who are pregnant, over the age of 65 or have a known/evidence disability, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act. All families and single adults that fall within the exception criteria granted asylum will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December. We are committed to providing all our partners with appropriate notice of any further changes to the Move On period through our regular engagement forums and in writing

We closely monitor the impact of all our policies, including the move on period, on the number and occupancy of asylum hotels, the overall costs of the asylum accommodation estate, the wider effect on local communities, and any pressures placed on local authorities and public amenities. We remain committed to working closely with our partners to identify improvements and make efficiencies in supporting newly recognised refugees move on from asylum accommodation. We are committed to keeping our partners informed through regular engagement.
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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her priorities are to tackle illegal immigration; and how these differ from her immediate predecessor. \p Alex Norris: As the Home Secretary has set out, she will do whatever it takes to secure our borders; working to restore order to the asylum system, ensuring that the rules are properly respected and enforced, and working upstream to tackle those facilitating illegal migration.

The now embedded Border Security Command (BSC) is leading the national response to preventing small boats crossing the English Channel. The BSC work closely with the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, and overseas counterparts in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Iraq. This collaborative approach has already led to widely publicised raids, arrests, and new bilateral agreements that will further strengthen enforcement and intelligence-sharing over the coming months.

To ensure we restore order to the asylum system, we are committed to meaningful reform of our current immigration system and processes. We will legislate to reform our approach to the application of Article 8 in the immigration system. Alongside this we will also pursue international reform, working closely with our partners in the Council of Europe. These reforms will restore the correct balance between individual rights and the wider public interest of controlling migration.
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Ian Lavery:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to educate communities on the rise of far right extremism. \p Dan Jarvis: This Government takes extremism seriously and has been clear that we will tackle far right extremism head on. We make no apology for that. We are committed to ensuring we have the required tools and powers needed to address this issue. Efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.

We work closely with frontline partners to tackle harmful ideologies, providing guidance and training on the threat from all extremist ideologies and how to spot the signs of radicalisation.

Civil Society Organisations are vital partners in the delivery of targeted Prevent project work. They support local partners in building resilience to radicalisation and supporting early intervention within communities, including countering extreme right-wing narratives.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. \p Dan Jarvis: The Computer Misuse Act (CMA), which criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems and data, plays a vital role in ensuring that the UK has the right legislative framework to allow us to tackle cyber harms.

The Government is committed to ensuring the CMA remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality. That is why we are undertaking a review of the act, which is currently ongoing. As part of the review, we are scoping several proposals to update the act and give law enforcement enhanced tools and powers to effectively investigate and prosecute cyber criminality.

We will provide an update in due course once proposals are finalised.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission a judge-led public inquiry into the surveillance of journalists in Northern Ireland by MI5. \p Dan Jarvis: MI5’s use of covert investigatory powers is subject to strong safeguards under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and their related statutory Codes of Practice.

Robust independent oversight of these powers is provided by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. This includes specific additional protections in respect of journalistic material and sources, as well as material subject to legal privilege.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is an independent judicial body that provides the right of redress to anyone who believes they have been the victim of unlawful action by a public authority using covert techniques.

For this reason, it is not necessary to conduct a public inquiry into the surveillance of journalists in Northern Ireland by MI5.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of maintaining the five year qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain for visa holders in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Alex Norris: The Government’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including settlement.

This will include an expansion of the Points-Based System that will increase the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. However, through the expansion of the Points-Based System, individuals will also have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on settlement.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider designating the Cartel of the Suns as a Terrorist Organisation. \p Dan Jarvis: While the UK Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is no conflict of interest when allocating contracts for asylum accommodation. \p Alex Norris: All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.
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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the countries with which the Government is conducting negotiations for the return of illegal migrants. started. \p Alex Norris: Listing the countries with which the Government is conducting negotiations relating to the return of illegal migrants, either to their country of origin or a country through which they travelled to the UK, would be unhelpful in fostering and building on relations which are vital in supporting the tackling of illegal migration and targeting the gangs that prey on the vulnerable.

Bilateral returns agreements are one of many tools that facilitate returns and support international returns co-operation.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many houses in multiple occupation are currently being funded by the Home Office to house migrants, broken down by local authority area. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office does not publish detailed information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons. Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. The data can broken down by local authority rather than by constituency.

Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

The Home Office, and its accommodation providers, take into account a range of issues when considering the suitability for dispersed accommodation. Local authorities are consulted on bedspaces before they are procured.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Government procurement rules are adhered to in the issuing of contracts to provide asylum accommodation; and what steps he is taking to ensure that perceived breaches can be reported. \p Alex Norris: All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator for supporting producers with (a) non-compliant and (b) missing written milk purchase contracts under the regulations. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) is responsible for enforcing regulations developed under the Agriculture Act 2020 'Fair Dealing' powers (section 29). Regulations introduced using these powers promote fair contractual dealing and contribute to a more equitable relationship between producers and purchasers. To date, the powers have been used to create the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 (FDOM24) and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025 (FDOP25).

The ASCA can investigate relevant complaints around compliance with these regulations, including ensuring parties agree a written contract as mandated by the FDOMM24. The ASCA also aims to be a convener across supply chains, working with producers and purchasers to improve business relationships and behaviours around contracts.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of wild bird and mammal surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza on UK coastlines; and whether she plans to increase funding for carcass testing in 2025–26. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) avian influenza national reference laboratory carries out year-round surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dead wild birds and influenza of avian origin in wild mammals. Including surveillance in marine mammals in coordination with APHA’s Diseases of Wildlife Scheme (DoWS) and the UK Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme. The results of which can be viewed on APHA’s interactive map and data dashboard. The thresholds for collection for wild birds for HPAI surveillance and case definition for influenza of avian origin in mammals are regularly reviewed, together with the need for additional targeted surveillance at discrete locations or in specific populations, including coastal locations to align with the sensitivity of surveillance required.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Northumbrian Water on sewage from storm overflows in the Ouseburn. \p Emma Hardy: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including water companies, on many issues related to the water sector including sewage pollution.

This Government has put in place the building blocks to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Water (Special Measures) Act introduced independent monitoring of every sewerage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. This matches the pre-existing duty for storm overflows and create an unprecedented level of transparency. This will meet the Government commitment to ensure monitoring of every outlet.

The Independent Water Commission has examined how to strengthen the regulation and delivery of water services to better support long-term water security, sustainable growth, and environmental protection. The Former Secretary of State provided an Oral Statement to Parliament in response to the final report.

As Part of Price Review 24, which runs from 2025-2030, Northumbrian Water will be investing £1.1 billion to reduce the use of storm overflows by delivering on 159 spill reduction schemes. Northumbrian Water across 2025-2030 will undertake multiple site specific investigations in respect of the effects of intermittent discharges in respect of Environment Act objectives.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on (a) the management of foot and mouth disease and (b) recent restrictions on (i) meat and (ii) dairy imports. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Defra and the European Commission regularly exchange information in relation to (a) the management of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the European Union in 2025 and (b) the import restrictions on meat and dairy products that we put in place to protect UK farmers. This information includes details of surveillance, testing, movements of animals and goods, and other outbreak controls.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to Written Question 74702 on Sustainable Farming Incentive. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Question 74702 was answered on 22 September 2025.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to answer Question 74602 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Question 74602 was answered on 15 September 2025
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that Councils have effective supply chains in place to enable them to provide a weekly food waste collection service to all households by 31 March 2026. \p Mary Creagh: We are aware of concerns about delivery timelines and pressure on supply chains for vehicles and containers. We are engaging with key stakeholders across the sector and welcome input to help us understand the challenges and ensure successful delivery.

Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to scope interventions to address bottlenecks in supply chains. For instance, WRAP recently published procurement guidance for food waste: Weekly food waste implementation supplementary procurement guidance | WRAP.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what meetings (a) she and (b) her Ministers have had with the (i) Albanian, (ii) Polish, (iii) Romanian, (iv) Irish and (v) Jamaican Government to discuss increasing the number of foreign national offenders returned from UK prisons in the last six months. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Increasing the numbers of foreign national offender returns from our prisons is a priority for this Government. We are working with international partners to achieve this.

In the last six months, Ministers from the Ministry of Justice have met with Polish and Romanian counterparts to discuss cooperation on prisoner transfers in the context of our bilateral criminal justice cooperation.

Since 05 July, there have been 1,557 Early Removal Scheme returns for foreign national offenders, which is a 26% increase compared to 1,231 in the same period 12 months prior.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_2

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any offenders who were convicted of actual bodily harm have been released early from prison since 5 July 2024. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Sentences for serious violent offences, such as ABH, of 4 years or more are excluded from SDS40. Shorter ABH sentences are eligible for release under SDS40. This was also the case for ECSL under the previous Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_3

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal mechanisms available to victims of (a) coercive control and (b) other abuse when family courts do not enforce child custody arrangements. \p Alex Davies-Jones: A Child Arrangement Order may be made by the family court to specify whom a child should live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with.

If the court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangement Order, the court has a range of powers available, they can: issue fines, enforcement (and suspended enforcement) orders, and orders for compensation for financial loss, and ultimately to commit an individual to prison, as well as varying the Child Arrangements Order to include a more defined order or a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements.

The Department operates a fee system in which those who engage with courts and tribunals are asked to fund some of the cost of administration, where they can afford to do so. This aligns with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidelines, which recommends that fees are charged at a level to recover the full cost of their underpinning service.

The Department recognises that the Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure access to justice for all those seeking support from a court or tribunal. The Help with Fees scheme offers partial and full remissions to those who cannot afford to pay a court or tribunal fee. Some fees, including those payable for applications relating to child arrangements, are intentionally set below their underpinning cost to further protect access to justice.

Legal aid is available for private family matters, including an enforcement order following the breach of a child arrangements order if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. This funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_4

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which (a) legal authority and (b) procedural rules permit judges to withhold notes from employment tribunal hearings. \p Sarah Sackman: The provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 2018 do not apply to information gathered and personal data processed in proceedings before the courts and tribunals. Together these exemptions protect judicial independence and judicial proceedings, allowing the courts and tribunals to maintain judicial control over access to information in proceedings, ensuring that access to information is provided through existing access and discovery regimes.

With respect to the Employment Tribunal, access to audio recordings and transcription of recordings is governed by the Practice Direction: Recording of Employment Tribunal hearings and the transcription of recordings. This includes details of how and the circumstances in which a party may be able to access audio-recordings, request a transcript of proceedings, or obtain a Judge’s notes of a hearing.

The Practice Direction: Recording of Employment Tribunal hearings and the transcription of recordings, can be found at: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PD-recording-and-transcription-final.pdf.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_5

Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people tried under joint enterprise are successfully convicted. \p Sarah Sackman: Joint enterprise is not a specific criminal offence. It is a common law doctrine which can apply in situations where two or more individuals have a common purpose to commit a criminal offence. No data is therefore available on either the average sentence or the number of individuals convicted of a criminal offence which may have been prosecuted, and resulted in a conviction, as part of a joint enterprise.

The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for specific criminal offences, and the data on the average sentence for those offences, in any given year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_6

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to support those accused of serious offences and unable to afford private representation. \p Sarah Sackman: Criminal legal aid, where needed, is essential for those accused of a crime to defend themselves and to uphold their right to a fair trial.

The scope of legal aid is set out under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). For criminal proceedings at the magistrates’ court, legal aid is available, subject to the 'interests of justice' test and the financial eligibility means test. Nearly all defendants appearing before the Crown Court are eligible for legal aid, although some may be required to pay an income contribution towards their legal aid costs. If convicted, a defendant may be liable to pay any outstanding legal aid costs through capital contributions.

In December 2024, this Government announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system. This is in addition to the £24 million increase we announced in November 2024 for criminal solicitors, in response to the Crime Lower consultation.

This is a significant investment to reflect the valuable and tough work that is undertaken by those who work in the criminal justice system, helping them to make sure justice is served.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_7

Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her policy to publish a victim’s charter. \p Alex Davies-Jones: In England and Wales, we have the Victims’ Code rather than a Victim Charter. The Victims’ Code sets out the services and minimum standard for these services that must be provided to victims of crime by service providers. It first came into force in 2005 following the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, and has been updated several times since then, most recently in April 2021.

The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 requires a new Victims’ Code to be issued, which we will consult on this year as part of our commitment to ensure that victims of crime have the information and support they need.
wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_8

Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff her Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice hold no contracts with Palantir for the provision of goods or services, including contracts for seconded staff. As such, the Department has no staff on secondment from Palantir.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_9

Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Ministry of Justice staff are able to attend an office location without needing to book a desk. This includes our Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies. This approach does not apply to non-operational staff based in the operational estate, which has separate access conditions and processes, due to the security requirements of these sites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_10

Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence are informed of their rights to access pre-trial therapeutic support. \p Alex Davies-Jones: We are clear that there is no need for victims to delay therapy before, during or after any potential trial on account of an ongoing police investigation or prosecution.

The Victims’ Code provides that victims have the right to access support to help them to cope, and as far as possible, recover from being a victim of crime. Local support services are provided by Police and Crime Commissioners, and relevant support offers could include therapy and counselling.

Victims can access this support at any time, whether or not they have reported a crime, and during the criminal justice process or at any time after it. The Crown Prosecution Service’s pre-trial therapy guidance is also clear that therapy should not be delayed for any reason connected with a criminal investigation or prosecution. This guidance sets out clearly that it is for the victim to make decisions about therapy with their therapist.

To help make sure victims know about their rights under the Victims’ Code, the police will communicate these to victims when a crime is reported. To help raise wider awareness, we have launched the Understand Your Rights Victims’ Code campaign.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who complete the Professional Qualification in Probation then receive one of their preferred work placements as a qualified Probation Officer. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The allocation of trainee Probation Officers (PQIPs) into their first Probation Officer role as a Newly Qualified Officer is completed locally by the Probation Region. We do not hold data on this centrally to share. PQIPs are asked to identify three Probation Delivery Unit preferences and to note any personal circumstances that they would like to be considered. Whilst allocations must be completed in accordance with business need, individual preferences are always considered and as far as possible are granted. Any allocations will always take into account existing policy such as travel and subsistence.

As of Spring 2025, a new, automated system will be used to manage Newly Qualified Officer allocations which will improve efficiency of the process.