Written questions by Dinenage.

If he will consult with young women and specialist women and girls’ organisations to develop a Young Women's Strategy.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.

What plans his department has to develop a Young Women’s Strategy.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Women's Justice Board report entitled Women’s Justice Board recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.

Whether his Department is responsible for reforming the regulation of funeral directors.

The Department of Health and Social Care will lead on co-ordinating cross‑government work to raise standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased, supported by the Department of Business and Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

What steps he is taking to fund domestic abuse support programmes in i) Hampshire ii) Gosport.

The Ministry of Justice provides all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales with core grant funding for victims of all crime types, which can be used to commission restorative justice and domestic abuse services. In addition, they receive ring-fenced funding for domestic and sexual abuse services. PCCs are best placed to assess local need and commission services based on the needs of the population in the local area. Restorative justice services should be targeted to the most appropriate cases, where we have clear evidence for the benefits of that approach and should only take place when both the victim and the offender agree, and it is considered safe. The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date. We will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery. I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year. Last November, the Government announced the abolition of PCCs, the first in a series of reforms that were set out in the recent Police Reform White Paper. In light of this announcement, we are exploring changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future. We recognise the important work PCCs and Mayors do to commission vital support services for victims and witnesses, including restorative justice and domestic abuse services. Ensuring ongoing support to victims is a key priority for this Government.

What steps he is taking to fund restorative justice programmes in i) Hampshire ii) Gosport.

The Ministry of Justice provides all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales with core grant funding for victims of all crime types, which can be used to commission restorative justice and domestic abuse services. In addition, they receive ring-fenced funding for domestic and sexual abuse services. PCCs are best placed to assess local need and commission services based on the needs of the population in the local area. Restorative justice services should be targeted to the most appropriate cases, where we have clear evidence for the benefits of that approach and should only take place when both the victim and the offender agree, and it is considered safe. The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date. We will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery. I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year. Last November, the Government announced the abolition of PCCs, the first in a series of reforms that were set out in the recent Police Reform White Paper. In light of this announcement, we are exploring changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future. We recognise the important work PCCs and Mayors do to commission vital support services for victims and witnesses, including restorative justice and domestic abuse services. Ensuring ongoing support to victims is a key priority for this Government.

What conversations he has had with the Department of Health and Social Care about the Human Tissue Authority’s role in regulating the care of corpses throughout the death pathway including in funeral homes.

The Government is considering the full range of options to strengthen and improve standards to safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased, particularly in the context of a full response to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 report which will be provided by summer 2026.Our consideration has included discussions about a potential role for a relevant partner organisation such as the Human Tissue Authority.

What steps he is taking to promote the use of long-acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) in i) sentencing decisions in cases involving opioid abuse ii) prison-release pathways in Hampshire.

Treatment and clinical prescribing decisions are the responsibility of services commissioned by NHS in prisons and local authority service providers in the community.Responsibility for continuity of care for prison leavers, including access to medications and clinical care rests with prison drug and alcohol treatment providers liaising with community treatment providers.The promotion of one medicine over another is strictly regulated in England and Wales.

What assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of regulation and (b) level of trade body membership of funeral service providers contracted by local authorities for provision of services that fall outside of a local authority's obligations under Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984.

The Government recognises the urgency of concerns about the funeral sector and is committed to responding at pace to ensure that the highest standards are always upheld by funeral directors and others involved in the care of people that have died.To that end, the Government is considering the full range of options to strengthen and improve standards to safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased. In this context, an interim update on progress with our response to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 report was published by the Department for Health and Social Care on 16 December 2025 (Fuller inquiry: government interim update on phase 2 recommendations - GOV.UK), and we will provide a full response by summer 2026.

What assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Scottish Government's Burial and Cremations Department Funeral Director Code of Practice in reducing the number of funeral directors that are in breach of the law.

The Government recognises the urgency of concerns about the funeral sector and is committed to responding at pace to ensure that the highest standards are always upheld by funeral directors and others involved in the care of people that have died.To that end, the Government is considering the full range of options to strengthen and improve standards to safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased. In this context, an interim update on progress with our response to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 report was published by the Department for Health and Social Care on 16 December 2025 (Fuller inquiry: government interim update on phase 2 recommendations - GOV.UK), and we will provide a full response by summer 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16135 on Crown Prosecution Service and with reference to the The Better Case Management Revival Handbook, published in January 2023, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Crown Court consistently manages cases.

The management of case progression and listing across the criminal courts is a judicial function. As part of their systemic oversight, the senior judiciary produced (and have subsequently kept under review) a framework of guidance to drive improved performance.The Better Case Management Revival Handbook, published in January 2023, is intended to remind all criminal justice partners of the principles of Better Case Management (BCM) and to ensure the courts consistently apply them. Chief among the aims is better collaboration between prosecution and defence to drive earlier guilty pleas wherever appropriate, increase trial effectiveness, and reduce the number of hearings per Crown Court case. The Government is working closely with the judiciary and other justice partners to improve adherence to Better Case Management Principles through supporting the Criminal Court Improvement Group (CCIG), which is chaired by the Senior Presiding Judge.Among other things, we have piloted a new role in certain Crown Court offices – Case Coordinators – who are deployed exclusively to support the local judiciary in driving adherence to the BCM principles. HMCTS also provides the CCIG (and local judicial managers) with data and analytical support to help oversee and manage performance. Most recently, HMCTS has supported a judicially-led review into Crown Court listing practices, which aims to achieve broad alignment of listing approaches and increase the consistency and predictability of case management processes.Ultimately, the management of cases through the Crown Court is the responsibility of the independent judiciary.

What oversight her Department has over (a) the CPS and (b) the speed of prosecutions.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for making charging decisions and is independent of both the police and the government. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice does not have oversight over the CPS.However, whilst the listing of cases is a matter for the independent judiciary, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS have a degree of oversight of how quickly cases move through the criminal courts once received. The Crown Court has shown improvements in timeliness more recently. The latest public data shows that the number of days from a case arriving at the Crown Court to completion reduced by 25% throughout 2023, from 167 days in Q1 to 125 in Q4.Across all jurisdictions, we are working closely with partners across the justice system to improve readiness of cases for hearing at court. We have introduced Case Coordinators into ten Crown Courts to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. These principles link key initiatives to improve the way cases are processed through the system, covering areas such as robust case management, reduced but more effective hearings, and compliance with the rules and directions of the criminal court. The proof-of-concept is currently scheduled to conclude in August 2025, and the full evaluation at that point will test the business case for any further rollout.The Criminal Courts Improvement Group (CCIG), chaired by the Senior Presiding Judge, works to improve adherence to Better Case Management Principles. CCIG focuses on improving efficiency across the system and aims to improve case management principles.The Ministry of Justice publishes the CJS Delivery Data Dashboard, which includes timeliness metrics for the criminal justice system, including the average time from the police referring a case to the CPS to the CPS authorising a charge and the average time that a case takes to complete at court.