Written questions by Griffiths.

How many applications for judicial review relating to NHS service reconfiguration decisions in England were lodged in each year since 2015; and in how many of those cases permission to proceed was granted.

Data on the number of judicial review applications relating to NHS service reconfiguration decisions in England — and the number in which permission to proceed was granted— is included within the official Judicial Review statistics published on the Civil Justice Statistics webpage: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK. These statistics are presented in broad categories and do not separately identify cases concerning NHS service reconfiguration.

What funding has been allocated to the employment tribunal system in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that funding has been spent on digital case management systems.

£M22/2323/2424/25Employment Tribunals67.874.977.7 The table above gives the total allocated budget for the Employment Tribunals in the years shown in £m. This includes all staff costs, judicial salaries and fees, and other direct costs from the operation of the tribunals and the specific IT systems relating to Employment Tribunals, though excludes wider overheads such as the costs of buildings and other general IT systems.It is not possible to identify separately the full running cost of the Employment Tribunals digital case management systems, as all maintenance, development and analysis work is carried out by HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s centrally-managed digital and data teams.

What recent representations she has received from legal professional bodies on the performance of employment tribunals.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with legal professional bodies to discuss a range of matters about the justice system. To address the demands the Employment Tribunals are facing, their capacity is being increased. Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and 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. HM Courts & Tribunals Service 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. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit. We do recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on 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 to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

When she plans to provide and Answer to Question 25500 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025.

A substantive answer was given to PQ 25499. PQ 25500 was a duplicate question and as such was withdrawn by Table Office on Wednesday 22 January.

Whether her Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

The Ministry of Justice has comprehensive people policies in place to protect staff from unfair dismissal. These policies set out a clear, fair and legally compliant process for dealing with conduct, attendance, performance and failed probation related dismissals. These policies are applicable to Ministry of Justice staff from day one of employment.All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

How many letters her Department has sent informing postmasters and former postmasters that their conviction has been rescinded under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024.

I refer the honourable Member to the GOV.UK page where the Ministry of Justice publishes monthly management information on the progress of the Post Office Convictions casework team. This page can be found at: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024: Quashed convictions management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As of the 29 November, the Department had assessed 875 individual cases and had written to 526 individuals or their appropriate contacts to inform them that they had one or more convictions quashed by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024. A further update will be published in mid-January. I would actively encourage anyone who believes they have a conviction in scope of the legislation and has not heard from my department to register for the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme on GOV.UK so their case can be considered.