theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to mandate the Windrush Commissioner to report regularly to (a) Parliament (b) the Home Affairs Committee. \p Seema Malhotra: The Windrush Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers, ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.

As the Windrush Commissioner is an independent role any decision on how the Commissioner engages with parliamentarians as part of their work is a matter to be raised with the Commissioner themselves. However, like other Home Office commissioners it is expected that they may be invited to give evidence to the Home Affairs Select Commitee on relevant issues.

The immediate priority is to appoint the right person into the role and ensure they engage swiftly with impacted communities to truly understand their views and concerns, and identify how the Commissioner can deliver meaningful change through their new role.

To maintain momentum, drive early progress, and refine the role based on stakeholder engagement, the Commissioner will initially operate on a non-statutory basis. It may be put on a statutory footing at a later date subject to Parliamentary approval.

A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up between the Windrush Commissioner and the Home Office on the governance arrangements between both parties in line with the approach taken for all independent public officer holders. Like other Home Office Commissioners, the Windrush Commissioner will have their own dedicated team, maintaining their independence while receiving civil service support. Further support will be provided from the re-established Windrush Unit in the Home Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas expired before the recipient left the country in each of the last ten years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: As set out in legislation, an individual is liable to removal from the UK if "the person requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it". The Home Office has not historically recorded the means by which individual becomes liable to removal, and we could only collate and verify the requested information on visa overstayers for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

The Government has already begun to deliver a major surge in the removal of people with no right to be in the UK, with over 24,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 22 March 2025.

Further data on returns activity is published quarterly and can be found on gov.uk at Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use Eastwood Hall Hotel to accommodate irregular migrants. \p Dame Angela Eagle: As a matter of longstanding policy, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.

However, if a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of any such plans.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our plans to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 34801 on Asylum: Albania, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continued reduction in the number of Albanian nationals arriving in the UK by small boat. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Small boat crossings by Albanian nationals have reduced each year since their peak in 2022. This government is committed to working with the Albanian government to further reduce these numbers, including through communications campaigns that demonstrate the dangers of these crossings, and ensuring that Albanian nationals with no right to be in the UK are returned efficiently to Albania.

We also continue to work with other international partners to target the people smugglers who exploit migrants for profit. The Home Secretary has convened an international summit focussed on Organised Immigration Crime, bringing together Interior Ministers and law enforcement experts, including from Albania, to develop our combined response to the gangs who facilitate this vile trade in human lives.
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Mr James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the total cost of providing accommodation for asylum seekers in hotels in each of the next five years; and what these costs were in each of the past five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41380, how many asylum hotels have closed between 4 July 2024 and 31 March 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer he received on the 31 March 2025 to UIN 41380.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish information on profits made by Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts providers (a) Serco, (b) Mears and (c) Clearsprings through those contracts. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The providers of the Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts are held to account on their performance against an agreed set of key performance indicators throughout the course of each contract to ensure that the taxpayer receives value for money, and that the standards of service required by the department are met.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to grant Ukraine Scheme visa holders the right to settled status after five years. \p Seema Malhotra: We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine Visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, will provide up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.

UPE is a new grant of permission; it is not an extension of a person's existing permission. An automatic extension of existing permission would mean providing further unnecessary permission, even to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allow time spent under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme to count towards the five-year qualifying period for settled status. \p Seema Malhotra: We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine Visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, will provide up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.

UPE is a new grant of permission; it is not an extension of a person's existing permission. An automatic extension of existing permission would mean providing further unnecessary permission, even to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help (a) people seeking asylum and (b) refugees to (i) develop their skills and (ii) increase their employability. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK has a long history of providing protection to those that need it and supporting refugee integration and employment. This includes work across government to ensure that mainstream services meet the needs of refugees.

Refugees granted refugee status or humanitarian protection (as well as those arriving under one of the UK’s resettlement schemes) have immediate access to the labour market, including employment support from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) work coaches in the same way as other jobseekers. Unemployed refugees are eligible for full funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning.

In addition, through the Skilled Worker visa, the UK has labour mobility initiatives for refugees and displaced people to take up employment in the UK. We are currently reviewing labour mobility initiatives for refugees and displaced people to ensure we are learning from what works to increase employability and outcomes.

We continue to provide local authorities with a core tariff to support the integration of those who arrive through the UK’s Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy. We work across Government to ensure these services meet the needs of refugees and continue to keep our policies under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she considered the potential merits of consulting the Windrush scandal's (a) victims and (b) victims' representatives in determining the role specification of the Windrush Commissioner. \p Seema Malhotra: The Windrush Commissioner will be a public appointee, operating independently of the Home Office to serve as an advocate and trusted voice for victims, families and impacted communities affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal. They will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.

We have actively engaged and listened to stakeholders’ views on the key responsibilities of this position, ensuring their reflections informed the role specification. On appointment, it is anticipated that the Commissioner will also engage with impacted groups to understand their viewpoint and identify how they can deliver meaningful change through this new role.

The recruitment process is being conducted in line with Cabinet Office principles and guidelines, with two independent panel members included on the Advisory Assessment Panel to ensure transparency and fairness.

Like other Home Office Commissioners, the Windrush Commissioner also will have dedicated funding to recruit and build their team, while also receiving civil service support from the re-established Windrush Unit in the Home Office. A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up between the Windrush Commissioner and the Home Office on the governance arrangements between both parties in line with the approach taken for all independent public officer holders.

To maintain momentum, drive early progress, and refine the role based on stakeholder engagement, the Commissioner will initially operate on a non-statutory basis. It may be put on a statutory footing at a later date subject to Parliamentary approval.

The Windrush Commissioner will also assure delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme to provide advice to Ministers on the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives and provide assurance that the needs of Windrush communities are met.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what diversity, equality and inclusion targets her Department has for staff recruitment. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to my response to his previous PQ 40631.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in rural towns and villages. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

​The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, sets out how we will reduce ASB. Every police force across England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer for ASB, working with communities, including rural towns and villages, to develop a local ASB action plan.

We are delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, putting 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities – including rural communities - so residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced tougher powers to tackle repeat offending, including the new Respect Order to tackle the most persistent ASB offenders. Breach of a Respect Order will be a criminal offence and courts will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to (a) pavement licences and (b) take-away pints on regulatory costs for businesses. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 27 Feb on the lapse of the easement on takeaway pints.

A new impact assessment relating to the lapse of the easement was not required as no new policy or legislation has been introduced.

The pavement licensing regime, owned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is separate to the regime regulating the sale and supply of alcohol. The pavement licensing regime has not been impacted by the lapse of the aforementioned easement.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding has been allocated to community safety initiatives in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Funding of £627.4 million has been allocated to Thames Valley Police in 2025-25, an increase of up to £40.8 million when compared to the 2024-25 funding settlement.

It is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, or Mayoral equivalents, to make decisions on how they use their funding and deploy their resources using their knowledge of local need.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent people under 18 years old from committing anti-social behaviour. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to intervene early and ensure this cohort is identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating more opportunities for young people in their communities.

Prevention Partnerships will identify children and young people who are vulnerable to being drawn into crime and violence such as knife crime and ASB and divert them by offering them suitable support in a more systematic way.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, sets out our plan to reduce ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every police force across England and Wales working with communities to develop a local ASB action plan. We are also delivering on our commitment to bring back and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional officers are visibly out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make our streets safer.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the offence of assaulting a retail worker to wholesale workers operating in business-to-business premises. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with ever greater numbers of offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers as part of their crime. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have therefore introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and committee stage started on 27 March.

As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include wholesale workers operating in business-to-business premises, but it does include wholesale workers operating in premises that provide retail sales to the public. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).

That said, the purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any proposed amendments and supporting evidence.
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent the export of stolen vehicles by organised criminal groups. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police – taking a national approach – to ensure our response is as strong as it can be, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime.

This Government is committed to working domestically, applying the full range of disruption tactics, and with partners internationally to disrupt organised crime groups upstream.

We provided £250,000 funding in the financial year 2024-25 to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad. This included additional staff and specialist equipment.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them.

Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles; this includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.
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Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans that access to each of the Extended Area Services masts located in Ceredigion Preseli constituency will be shared with mobile network operators. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We can confirm that four EAS masts have already been activated for the Shared Rural Network (SRN) and are delivering new 4G mobile coverage from all four mobile network operators across Ceredigion Preseli.

We continue to work with Building Digital UK (BDUK) and the operators to activate the remaining five masts for the SRN. BDUK officials have informed me that the Hon. Member has signed up for the next BDUK MP drop-in session and they would be happy to update him further on SRN EAS progress in Ceredigion Preseli then.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional police officers have been recruited under the Police Uplift Programme in Thames Valley Police. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Table U2 of the data tables accompanying the final ‘Police Officer Uplift’ release, covering the position as at 31 March 2023, provides a breakdown of additional officers recruited through the Police Uplift Programme by month since October 2019. These data can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b6d5d30ea2cb000d15e560/police-officer-uplift-final-position-as-at-march-2023-tables-260723.ods. Data are provided on a headcount basis and broken down by Police Force Area.

During the Police Uplift Programme, Thames Valley recruited 784 additional police officers attributable to the Police Uplift Programme. This was against an allocation to recruit 609 additional police officers for the three-year programme.

Reporting on the size and composition of the police workforce continues on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of recent trends in levels of rural crime rates in Buckinghamshire in the last five years. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimates, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), on the proportion of adults who had been a victim of crime. This is broken down by whether the household was located in a rural or urban location. The latest data can be found here:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesannualtrendanddemographictables/current

Data is not available for county areas such as Buckinghamshire.

This Government is determined to tackle rural crime and is committed to safeguarding rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing, and stronger laws to prevent farm theft.

We are taking a new approach by working closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to develop the next iteration of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, to ensure the government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

This new financial year the Home Office will be providing the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to implement the public service pensions remedy for retired firefighters. \p Dame Diana Johnson: While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the firefighters’ pension scheme regulations, the firefighters’ pension scheme is locally administered by each individual Fire and Rescue Authority. The regulations governing the McCloud remedy for the firefighters’ pension schemes were made in July 2023.

The Home Office continues to work with the fire sector to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.

As the designated scheme manager, it is for each Fire and Rescue Authority to determine their administrative timetable, in accordance with the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022, including when remedy payments will be distributed.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider transferring responsibility for the misuse of drugs to the Department of Health and Social Care. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Responsibility for drug policy is shared across a number of departments and both the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care have important roles to play in setting policy to tackle drug use and to reduce drug-related crime and drug health harms. The Home Office is the lead department for the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and associated drug legislation, working with other departments as appropriate where changes in the law are required.

Illicit drug use affects the whole of society, and this Government is taking a collective response which will help our key missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and contribute to opportunities and growth through reducing crime and saving lives.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40502 on Police: West Midlands, how many of those officers she expects the West Midlands force to recruit in each of the four years of that plan. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government has committed to restoring neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes putting thousands more police personnel on the beat in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country. Every part of the country will benefit from this pledge, including the West Midlands.

Further details of the delivery of this programme, including areas the impact on individual areas, will be published in due course.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help (a) identify and (b) promote new ways for (i) bars and (ii)venues to prevent spiking. \p Jess Phillips: Spiking is an appalling crime that undermines the people's right to feel safe when they are simply enjoying a night out.

The Government is currently delivering a range of measures to tackle this vile practice, specifically targeted at raising awareness, identifying perpetrators, and gathering evidence. They include:

The Home Office works closely with the hospitality and third sectors, as well as law enforcement to ensure that we are delivering measures on spiking which make it more difficult to carry out in the first place, that venues and the emergency services are proving the best possible response, and that victims are listened to and feel supported.

A wide range of spiking training, resources, support and advice options are available across a number of organisations, many of whom are referenced on the Government's spiking web pages or within our training package.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Employment Tribunal claims were submitted in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those were resolved within six months. \p Sarah Sackman: The number of Employment Tribunal claims submitted in each of the last 5 years can be found on www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of cases submitted in the last 5 years that were resolved within 6 months, but we do hold data on the number of disposals and the number of sitting days used. Sitting day data has been published in the quarterly Tribunal statistics up to the period 2023/24. The disposal rate can be acquired by dividing the number of disposed cases by the number of sitting days. For the Employment Tribunal, the disposal rate for 2023/24 is therefore 0.99 disposals per sitting day; and for EAT for the same period, is 0.89 disposals per sitting day.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sitting days were lost in employment tribunals due to (a) judicial and (b) administrative staff shortages in the last 12 months. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on sitting days lost in employment tribunals due to (a) judicial and (b) administrative shortages in the past 12 months.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of Employment Tribunal cases are withdrawn or settled before hearing due to delays in the listing process; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact on business productivity. \p Sarah Sackman: Settlements and withdrawals from legal proceedings may take place for a variety of reasons which are unconnected to delays in the court process. HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold separate data on reasons for settlements or withdrawals. Moreover, listing is exclusively a judicial function.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Employment Tribunal cases had been outstanding for more than 12 months in the latest period for which data is available. \p Sarah Sackman: A case may be outstanding for many reasons, often driven by the behaviour and choices of the parties. HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of outstanding cases for more than 12 months.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of court hearing records that were (a) lost and (b) not recorded in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) 5 years. \p Sarah Sackman: Data on information on audio recording failures is not collated or held centrally. Hearings across the Crown Court, Family Court, County Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal, as a matter of routine, are digitally audio recorded, among other things so as to facilitate the provision of written transcripts where, requested or required. Operational courtroom checks are undertaken daily to assure the technology used is working correctly.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support prison officers working in HMP Drake Hall in Stafford. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HMP Drake Hall provides early days support for new Officers to ensure they are well informed pre-start date. The New Colleague Mentor supports staff in their first year along with an assigned mentor in addition to their Line Manager.

Line Mangers support staff through the Staff Wellbeing Offer, with referrals to Occupational Health and workplace adjustments passports if required. Staff Support networks are promoted to all staff. Onsite Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners and Care Team members are available. Staff are also able to access the Mental Health Allies service and Employee Assistance Programme.

Furthermore, Officers are allocated to training to support working with women and have touchpoint meetings with their Line Managers to aid their development and wellbeing. They have the opportunity to take part in various development schemes to help their career progression.

I recognise that prison officers work in difficult environments every day and I want to thank all prison officers for the important job they do in keeping the public safe.

The previous Government left our hardworking staff to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. I know that a well-staffed and skilled HM Prison Service is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes and we are determined to improve their safety at work and ensure they get a fair pay reward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_78

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of employment tribunal delays on access to justice for (a) claimants and (b) respondents. \p Sarah Sackman: We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals following the inheritance from the previous Government. We are determined to cut delays and ensure timely access to justice for all.

The Lord Chancellor announced on 05 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation the tribunal is able to sit.

Following a recruitment drive, in 2024 we recruited 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023. Further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026.

HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days.

We are continuing to monitor demand in the Employment Tribunals and are working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_79

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase awareness of legal aid services for people entering the asylum process. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt and immigration & asylum legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.

Migrant Help will signpost users to the Legal Aid Agency. Legal aid applicants can use the ‘Find a legal aid adviser’ search tool on GOV.UK to access a list of legal aid solicitors near them: Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator (justice.gov.uk). They can also contact the Civil Legal Advice Helpline, who will provide contact details for legal aid providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the average cost to the public purse of administering an Employment Tribunal claim. \p Sarah Sackman: The estimated operational cost of disposing of a case within the Employment Tribunal was estimated at £2,522 per case in 23-24, the last full financial year for which figures are available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_81

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many judicial vacancies there were in the Employment Tribunal system on 31 March 2025; and what steps she is taking to fill those vacancies. \p Sarah Sackman: We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements are determined by business need and judicial departures.

Recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Tribunal judges commenced in March 2025. 50 new fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024, and recruitment will commence for a further 50 in early 2026. Additionally, recruitment is planned in 2025 for two regional leadership judges and 150 non-legal tribunal members.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of legally recognising humanist wedding ceremonies. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government is aware that humanists have long been campaigning to conduct legally binding weddings. We are grateful for the contributions that humanists make to our society.

The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings raises a number of issues around weddings law. Given marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, it is right that as a new Government we take the time to carefully consider this report before we set out our position in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 40749 on Human Trafficking: Children, what steps she is taking to improve the accuracy of recording the number of child victims of human trafficking. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice publishes criminal court outcomes against offences as defined in legislation, including offences where the age of victims is recorded only if that is part of the specific offence wording.

The Department does not capture or hold the information on victim age within court record management system more generally, because there is no operational business need to do so.

Information on victim age may be held and recorded earlier in the criminal justice process by partners such as the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_84

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27891 on Detention and Training Orders: Children, how many and what proportion of the children identified as having SEND (a) had and (b) did not have (i) an EHC plan and (ii) other special needs support. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Children’s special educational needs are assessed when entering custody, and are regularly reviewed.

To obtain the information requested, it would be necessary to undertake a detailed review of individual records, which could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many private law cases where child sexual abuse was alleged to have been perpetrated by a parent was that parent granted residence in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The requested information is not recorded centrally. The relevant data could only be obtained by an analysis of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_87

Mr Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding from the Victims Surcharge has been allocated to charities in the West Midlands in the last three years. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice Victim and Witness budget funds a variety of support services, both at a national and local level, which offer practical, emotional and therapeutic support to help victims cope and move forward in the aftermath of crime. This includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including West Midlands OPCC, and the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF), which funds local sexual violence support organisations.

The Victim Surcharge is not a standalone funding stream and instead provides a contribution to the overall Ministry of Justice Victim and Witness budget described above. Therefore, we are unable to say how much funding to the West Midlands area was specifically allocated from the Surcharge.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_88

Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to involve young people in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency in the development of the National Youth Strategy. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Secretary of State was pleased to announce the new National Youth Strategy, stating the Department’s commitment to delivering a strategy by and for young people through the most ambitious listening exercise in a generation. We have launched our nation-wide survey, with over 10,000 responses to date, and are holding events across all regions with young people and the youth sector. Our Youth and Expert Advisory Groups are now established and guiding us in our development. We will publish the strategy in the summer, with an interim report in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_89

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27307 on Tourism: Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increased local authority spending to promote UK tourism on (a) economic growth and (b) tax revenue. \p Chris Bryant: Increased investment to promote UK tourism can, if well targeted, lead to an increase in economic growth, tax revenue and local prosperity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_90

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to (a) strengthen and (b) enforce regulations on gambling advertising. \p Stephanie Peacock: There are a range of robust rules in place through the Advertising Codes enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to ensure that gambling advertising and marketing, wherever it appears, is socially responsible and does not exacerbate harm. The ASA continually reviews the best available evidence to ensure rules are effective and updates protections as required.

As the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission is further strengthening protections to improve customer control over the marketing they receive and the tightening rules on the design of incentives such as free bets. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_91

Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support access to leisure facilities in South Shropshire constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government recognises that leisure facilities are important to communities up and down the country.

The ongoing responsibility for public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level. Local Authorities work in partnership with operators who manage leisure services. The Government and Sport England continue to work closely with Local Authorities to monitor pressures in the sector and provide advice and guidance.