theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance payment obligations. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is estimated to keep around 120,000 children out of poverty each year. CMS acknowledges the significant impact that missed or partial child maintenance payments can have on both children and resident parents.

Changes have been implemented to systems to identify at-risk cases allowing caseworkers to intervene at the earliest opportunity where a partial payment is made and before payments stop.

The CMS has taken steps to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance obligations. These powers allow the CMS to instruct an employer to deduct maintenance directly from the paying parent's wages, take money directly from a paying parent’s bank or building society account. If the paying parent is on certain benefits, deductions can be made at source.

CMS can also apply to the courts for a Liability Order which legally means the debt is legally recognised, allowing CMS to take further enforcement actions such as:

As part of a broader strategy, to ensure consistent financial support for children, the government is reforming the system to eliminate Direct Pay and expand the Collect and Pay service to improve compliance and reduce financial hardship for resident parents and children.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the (a) methodology and (b) benchmarks used to determine hourly rates for self-employed job coaches under the Access to Work scheme; and whether these are shared with the providers affected. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The hourly rates for payment were developed following research into wages paid to support workers, including job coaches, based on live job listings and a job listing aggregation website. The hourly rates are used as a guide and if a customer is unable to secure a job coach within the published hourly rates then case managers have discretion to award an appropriate rate.

The rates can be viewed in the Access to Work staff guide which is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-staff-guide/access-to-work-staff-guide
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in Sutton Coldfield constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The information requested is published and available at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

The estimated unemployment levels can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Jun 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant Westminster constituency from the menu, and the Variable set to “Unemployment rate - aged 16+” from the “Key variables” list.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the West Midlands. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The ONS publish headline indicators for the West Midlands here: HI05 Regional labour market: headline indicators for the West Midlands - Office for National Statistics
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to provide targeted support for small employers to help meet the cost of day-one Statutory Sick Pay. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most. The Government believes that removing the waiting period is essential to ensure employees feel better able to take the time they need to recover from short term illness, without struggling in work and often spreading infectious diseases such as influenza.

The government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the changes to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay in the Employment Rights Bill, which was published on 21 October 2024. This includes the impacts on small businesses. The additional cost to business of the SSP reforms is around £15 per employee. The government intends to conduct a post-implementation review of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation.

Previous SSP rebate schemes that were available to employers, such as the Percentage Threshold Scheme were seen as complex, expensive to administer, underused by small businesses and did not encourage employers to support their employees during sickness absence.

The Department for Business and Trade provides a range of offers that SMEs may wish to access.  They include the Business Support Service, Gov.uk, the network of 41 local Growth Hubs across England, and the Help to Grow: Management scheme to help improve leadership and management capabilities. The recently launched Business Growth Service (BGS) makes it easier for businesses across the UK to get the advice and support they need to grow and thrive.
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Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among (a) employers and (b) workers of the risks of silica exposure. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH), which requires employers to protect workers’ health by preventing exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator for workplace health and safety, is carrying out a range of activities to tackle the risks of silicosis from work that can generate RCS. HSE has delivered several national inspection campaigns and has engaged with trade associations, material suppliers and manufacturers of products about legal responsibilities for ensuring adequate controls are in place when processing stone products.

Guidance for employers, workers, managers and supervisors is available on HSE’s website and the Government’s Workright website setting out how workers can be protected from exposure to RCS. In response to specific concerns about risks of working with engineered stone an information leaflet, launched jointly with the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) and the Stone Federation, targets those in control of such work promoting risk awareness, required control measures and sources of further information. HSE also worked with the British Occupational Hygiene Society, the WFF and Safety Remotely to launch a free online training tool to help anyone working in the kitchen worktop industry.

An information leaflet was launched on HSE’s website in October 2025 specifically to raise awareness amongst workers, including translations in Polish, Punjabi and Arabic.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve information sharing between (a) the Child Maintenance Service, (b) HM Revenue and Customs and (c) his Department to help enable accurate income assessments. \p Andrew Western: The CMS maintains the accuracy of child maintenance calculations by using verified income information from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and benefit systems.

The department legally relies on data from HMRC and its own benefits data to assess 90% of people’s earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HMRC for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends. The review will also consider the treatment of unearned income and assets within the automatic calculation.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Unearned income and assets can still be captured through the current variation process up until any changes are introduced.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for MP caseworker teams contacting his Department's correspondence email address. \p Andrew Western: The Department treats correspondence from Members of Parliament as a high priority. We are committed to improving response times and have taken steps to enhance the timeliness of replies to MP emails sent to the Department’s correspondence address.

Over the past six months, we have seen a significant increase in the volume of correspondence. To address this, the Ministerial Correspondence Team is deploying additional resource, streamlining processes and improving systems.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on integrated occupational-health pathways. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate routinely works across Departments and health systems to develop cross cutting initiatives such as Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme and WorkWell.

The Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies (England), embeds Employment Advisors within the Talking Therapies service, enabling the provision of integrated therapeutic treatment and employment support to patients regardless of their work or benefit status.

The Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme (IPSPC), is a Supported Employment model aimed at supporting disabled people and those with health conditions. IPSPC supports people who are out of work and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work.

The WorkWell pilot is a new way to deliver integrated work and health support that is designed by Integrated Care Boards in partnership with local government, Jobcentre Plus and community groups. These partnerships have had flexibility to design their WorkWell service according to their local needs, building on existing assets and resources, creating opportunities to integrate provision and pathways across places. Sites went live from October 2024 in 15 areas in England and provide low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Multidisciplinary teams provide support to participants that can include employer liaison, work and health coaching, physiotherapy, and mental health services.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of domestic violence victims are considered in reforms to the welfare system. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Pathways to Work Green Paper consulted on how DWP could improve safeguarding processes. Domestic violence, along with all other safeguarding needs, is included in this. The department has set up a multidisciplinary team with an expert safeguarding advisor and is in the processes of completing a full review. We have engaged with experts and stakeholders through a consultation and round tables and will update the house in due course.

DWP is fully committed to the prevention of abuse and ensuring that victims/survivors get the support they need when they need it. DWP Jobcentres are a safe space with Domestic Abuse trained Work Coaches who provide support to victims/survivors of domestic abuse, for example assisting with new Universal Credit claims, work-related easements, special provisions for temporary accommodation, same day advances, and signposting to expert third-party services.

All DWP policies related to domestic abuse are relevant to any victim/survivor, irrespective of sex, gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality, or background.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 5 November 2025 on Keep Britain Working Review: Government Response, HCWS1020, whether the Vanguard phase will include involvement with representative trade unions. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Following publication of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review report on 5 November, we welcome his findings and recommendations. Employers have a vital role, and we are committed to working alongside employees and employers to 'Keep Britain Working’, reforming the system and shifting our focus from welfare to work, skills, and opportunities.

Trade Unions fed into the review throughout and we plan to continue engagement with them and other representative groups through the implementation of the Vanguard Phase.

We are pleased that Sir Charlie has agreed to continue this work in partnership with DWP, DBT and DHSC. We are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work. Over 70 businesses and 6 regions, giving access to their employer networks, have already expressed an interest to be involved and support the next stage of the review.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 85514 on Social Security Benefits: Children, what those levers are. \p Dame Diana Johnson: As outlined in the response by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disability to Question UIN 85514 on 31 October 2025, we will be publishing our Child Poverty Strategy in the Autumn.

The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the barriers to employment faced by autistic people with (a) higher education qualifications and (b) professional experience in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including autistic individuals with higher education qualifications and professional experience.

In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism. In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate.

The panel has reviewed the formal evidence base in relation to workplace barriers neurodivergent people in getting into or remaining in employment, or in developing their careers. The panel has built on the work of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which reported to the previous government, and which provided useful insights on the employment barriers faced by autistic people.

We have now received a final version of the Panel’s report, which we will consider alongside the work of the major independent review on healthy and inclusive workplaces, Keep Britain Working.

Furthermore, we know that whilst there are common and consistent barriers faced by disabled people and people with health conditions, including neurodivergent people, we also know that each individual will face a unique combination of these barriers that go beyond the barriers typically associated with their condition.

DWP research asked disabled people and people with health conditions who were not currently in work the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a series of eighteen statements about the barriers to finding work. Barriers were grouped as health, confidence and skills, employer/workplace, and DWP/benefit related barriers. Overall, 87% of customers agreed with one or more of the statements, and on average customers agreed with six of the eighteen. The research found those cognitive/neurodevelopmental conditions saw interviews as a significant barrier, along with distance and travel barriers leading to disorientation when in new or unfamiliar places.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the impact of 53 week rent-years on rent payment schedules for Universal Credit claimants; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that payments adequately match claimants’ renting costs. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Universal Credit always converts weekly amounts to monthly sums using 52 weeks. The legitimacy of this approach was confirmed by the High Court having been tested via a judicial review.

Every five or six years, weekly tenants may have a rent charging year containing 53 charging days. This will not apply in all cases and some claimants will not have a 53-week charging year during the life of their benefit claim.

Most people in work are paid monthly, as is Universal Credit, and they budget for their outgoings on a monthly basis. Weekly rental liabilities do not map directly onto a monthly cycle and this creates budgeting complexities for tenants. They will be required to make only four payments of rent in some months but five payments in others even though their monthly income remains constant. This problem exists in all rent charging years for those with a weekly liability, not just those with 53 Mondays.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that child maintenance arrears owed under previous Child Maintenance Service schemes are recovered effectively. \p Andrew Western: The main focus of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is to collect money owed to children who will benefit today, thereby preventing the build-up of arrears under CMS. Arrears owed under previous Child Support schemes are at least 12 years old. It is a key principle that unpaid child maintenance should be paid immediately.

Powers were introduced in 2018 that enabled the CMS to close the remaining cases on the Child Support Agency (CSA) following the collection or write-off of historic arrears.

Closing the CSA was a key element of the child maintenance reforms. It means that all cases are now managed on a single, more efficient and effective system.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of Access to Work reassessments conducted in (a) 2022-2023, (b) 2024-2025 and (c) the financial year 2025-26 to date which resulted in (i) a reduction in funding, (ii) an increase in funding and (iii) no change in funding for the individual. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions does not record the outcomes of Access to Work reassessments in a way that allows for data extraction. This exercise would incur disproportionate cost.

Access to Work has not been substantially changed since its introduction in 1994. There is a strong case for updating the role it plays in making work accessible for disabled people. We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds data on the (a) number and (b) proportion of Access to Work applications terminated in each financial year from 2022-2023 to 2025-26 to date by (i) stage of the claim and (ii) reason for termination. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions does not terminate Access to Work applications. Instead, applications may not be approved following assessment.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds data on (a) the number and (b) the proportion of Access to Work awards terminated within (i) six months and (ii) a year of reassessment for each of the financial years from 2022-2023 to 2025-26 to date. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions does not record award terminations in a way that allows for data extraction. This process would incur disproportionate cost.

Access to Work has not been substantially changed since its introduction in 1994. There is a strong case for updating the role it plays in making work accessible for disabled people. We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including older people in receipt of Attendance Allowance who have significant mobility needs and who are not eligible to claim Personal Independence Payment due to having reached State Pension age in the Motability Scheme. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.

Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids.
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 20 October to Question 78358, whether the 1,000 redeployed Pathways to Work advisers are part of the existing work coach data referenced in that Answer. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Answer of 20 October to Question 78358 did include the 1,000 redeployed Pathways to Work advisers.
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Ann Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to review the criteria used to determine the State Pension age to reflect regional inequalities in healthy life expectancy. \p Torsten Bell: The Government launched the third Government Review of State Pension age on 21 July.

This Review will consider a wide range of evidence including the latest ONS life expectancy and healthy life expectancy projections, findings from the Government Actuary on adult life in retirement, and an independent report led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, which will consider which facts are most relevant in setting State Pension age.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have not been released after the completion of their sentence and have continued to remain in custody in error since 5 July 2024. \p Jake Richards: Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies.

The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is therefore not fully Quality Assured and does not meet the standard required for public consumption.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85901 on Prisoners' Release, for what reason he did not state how many of the 262 prisoners released in error in 2024-25 were returned to custody. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice is taking robust action to prevent release inaccuracies. Releases inaccuracy has been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies.

A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is therefore not fully Quality Assured and does not meet the standard required for public consumption.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released to accommodation in each local authority area in each year since 2015. \p Jake Richards: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. While data on prisoners released into accommodation is held centrally, that is not broken down by Local Authority.

Performance statistics on housing and accommodation outcomes for people supervised by the Probation Service are published annually. These are broken down by probation region and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been detained beyond their sentence since 1 April 2025; and whether he has made an estimate of the amount of compensation to be paid out in those cases. \p Jake Richards: Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.

The data requested comes from internal management information and is not fully quality assured. We are therefore unable to answer this question within cost limits.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many whole life orders were handed down by courts in England and Wales in each year between 2021 and 2025. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice publishes Accredited Official Statistics on sentencing outcomes including life sentences, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

These data are based on the Court Proceedings Database. However, it is not possible to separately identify life sentences that carry a whole life order. This information may be held within court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been wrongly released from HM Prisons since July 2024 were still at large on 1 November 2025. \p Jake Richards: As the Deputy Prime Minister set out in his statement on 11 November, on that day we were aware of three releases in error from prison where the offenders were at large. We were also investigating a further case of a potential release in error on 3 November of a person who may have still been at large.

Lord Timpson in his statement on 13 November confirmed that the potential case was indeed a release in error and the individual was swiftly returned to policy custody on the same day and returned to prison the following morning and that one of the three releases in error has now been classified as a lawful release.

These are operational matters; the position changes quickly. We will not offer further running commentary on Releases in Error; further breakdowns will be published in the normal way through our regular statistics and Dame Lynne Owens will be looking at data and transparency as part of her independent investigation.
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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 8 of the Independent Monitoring Board's report entitled Annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/YOI Downview, published on 3 September 2025, when he plans to respond to the questions on the main areas for development. \p Jake Richards: My noble friend Lord Timpson wrote to the Chair of the IMB on 27 October 2025, setting out the Ministry of Justice’s response to the report. It can be accessed at: Downview 2024-25 annual report - ministerial response - Independent Monitoring Boards.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when new prisons in (a) Buckinghamshire, (b) Lancashire and (c) Leicestershire were first announced by his Department. \p Jake Richards: Plans to build a potential new prison in Buckinghamshire were first announced by the Ministry of Justice in December 2020. Plans to build potential new prisons in Lancashire and Leicestershire were first announced by the Department in June 2021.

This Government will now deliver those prisons as part of our 10-Year Capacity Strategy, under which we aim to deliver 14,000 additional prison places by 2031, with the expectation that they will become operational by 2032. We are currently on track to do so, having already delivered c.2,600 since taking office, including 1,500 places through the new prison HMP Millsike, which opened earlier this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of using Splink to reduce the number of prisoner released in error. \p Jake Richards: Splink, a probabilistic data-linking tool, is being used to deduplicate and connect records across multiple Ministry of Justice datasets. The Core Person Record service, which links data from courts, prisons and probation, leverages Splink to improve data accuracy for real-time operational decision-making. Early testing indicates this service improves the accuracy and timeliness of person-level information available to staff. We have not yet evaluated its effectiveness on reducing prisoners release in error and agree there is potential to see an indirect impact by reducing identity confusion and ensuring warrants, licence conditions and other information is always associated with the correct individual. We will continue to explore further applications of Splink to strengthen processes, such as preventing erroneous prison releases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_157

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when was the Core Person Record service (a) proposed, (b) developed and (c) launched in pilot form. \p Jake Richards: The Core Person Record service was proposed in April 2023.

The service started development in October 2023 and was launched in pilot form in June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_158

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the vacancy rate is for prison officers; and what assessment he has made of the regional disparity in demand for prison officers. \p Jake Richards: HMPPS publishes the difference between Staff in Post and Target Staffing Figures at establishment and national level in the quarterly HMPPS Workforce statistics (Table 4 of the Prison and Probation Officer Recruitment Annex: HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab). The June 2025 HMPPS Workforce quarterly statistics are the latest currently available. The September 2025 HMPPS Workforce quarterly statistics are due to be published on 20 November.

Target Staffing level is the number of staff required to run an optimal regime in each prison. This level is greater than the minimum number of staff required for a prison to operate safely, and includes allowances for staff taking leave, being off sick or being on training. Target Staffing Figures are set on a site-specific basis and vary in size, contributing to varying demand for prison officers by site and across regions nationally.

We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced which is fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons. Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all sites where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need.

We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate, including at a regional level, and look to provide short-term tactical support where possible. Where establishments feel that their staffing levels will affect stability or regime, there are a number of ways they can maximise the use of their own resource and seek support from other establishments in the short term, through processes managed nationally at Agency level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_159

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to use technology to improve (a) prison management and (b) prisoner monitoring. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice is committed to developing modern digital platforms and processes to improve prison management and prisoner monitoring. The Ministry of Justice is continuing to deploy Digital Prison Service (DPS) which will provide a new set of digital services to manage and record data on offenders, which will replace the legacy system NOMIS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_160

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of probation services in preventing reoffending. \p Jake Richards: Probation services play a vital role in reducing reoffending, with a range of evidence to support this including:

Probation supports rehabilitation through close monitoring and management of offenders’ risk, supporting access to treatment, education, and employment, and through specialised programmes and services, including:
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_161
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_161

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most recent figures are for reoffending rates within 12 months of release. \p Jake Richards: The latest quarterly reoffending statistics (October to December 2023 cohort) show that, among adults released from custody, 41.1% reoffended within 12 months—down from 48.8% for the same quarter in 2013.

We are committed to tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions and services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes access to education & employment opportunities, stable accommodation, and substance misuse treatment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_162

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average age of the prison estate is; and how many prisons are rated as being in (a) poor and (b) very poor condition. \p Jake Richards: The average age of a currently operating prison in England and Wales is c. 82 years. In reality, there have been more recent additions/replacements to many existing establishments. Information on the condition of establishments, and how they are rated, is available at: Prison Estate Conditions Survey Programme Summary Information - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_163

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of violent crime in prisons. \p Jake Richards: HMPPS works closely with a range of law enforcement and local authority partners, and the Crown Prosecution Service to tackle the issues of violent crime in prison.

The Ministry of Justice, in close collaboration with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), work jointly to address and reduce violent crime within custodial settings. These steps are aligned with the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement (CiPRA), which establishes clear protocols for the referral of onward investigation, and prosecution of serious offences committed in prison environments. Under this agreement, all serious assaults, sexual offences, and incidents involving conveyance or escapes are referred to the police within strict timelines (immediately for life-threatening incidents and within seven days for other serious offences). This ensures that serious criminal acts are addressed through the justice system rather than solely through internal disciplinary measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_164

Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of current prisoners would be included in the earned progression model and eligible for release after completing (a) half of their sentence instead of two thirds and (b) one third of their sentence instead of half on (i) the day immediately after the Sentencing Bill is brought into force and (ii) each of the next 27 subsequent days, broken down by offence. \p Jake Richards: Around 17,000 prisoners are entirely excluded from the release point changes being brought forward in the Sentencing Bill. We are working across agencies to prepare and plan for implementation of the changes, and this Government is committed to ensuring that measures impacting sentencing and release are introduced safely, transparently and in a way that protects the public.

This information is not held as release volumes for current prisoners will depend on whether they are subject to any ongoing criminal investigations or charges and therefore any additional sentences handed down by the Courts, and whether they are given added days for bad behaviour.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_165
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_165

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2025 to Question 86469 Ministry of Justice: Social Media, if he will publish a breakdown of all non-commercially sensitive information on (a) influencers paid and (b) amount paid to each influencer in the last five financial years. \p Jake Richards: Given the nature of working with influencers, there are sensitivities surrounding all aspects of this expenditure. Sharing any information could compromise commercial interests, as the Department has engaged with only 10 influencers where it has enhanced our communications. All influencer activity is subject to strict Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure that we achieve an appropriate balance between effectiveness and value for money for taxpayers.

The Ministry of Justice uses social media influencers to help deliver its communications and operational priorities. This includes activity to support recruitment campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and magistrates, ensuring that frontline services are effectively staffed to maintain public safety and deliver swift access to justice. Our digital comms team are also increasingly collaborating with content creators/influencers to help reach new audiences with justice content on a no-cost basis.