Written questions by Stainbank.

How many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agents Regulations 2014 have had their certificates (a) cancelled and (b) suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 in each of year between 2020 and 2024.

The Ministry of Justice does not routinely publish operational data on how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agent Regulations 2014 have had their certificates cancelled or suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 of the Regulations. The public register of certificated enforcement agents is updated to reflect the cancellation of a certificate, but it does not record the reason for the cancellation.In 2024, the average processing time for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court was 27.62 days. This figure reflects the time taken from submission of an application to the granting of a certificate.

Whether he has considered establishing a cross-Governmental oversight body to monitor Departmental compliance with the legal aid elements of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

The Bill expands the scope of legal aid, allowing bereaved families to access legal help and advocacy for inquests whenever a public authority is an Interested Person without means testing. By bringing advocacy into scope, the Bill removes the requirement for families to navigate the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) process to access representation at these inquests. The legal aid provisions will be enshrined in law and administered by the Legal Aid Agency. Therefore, a cross-government oversight body to monitor compliance has not been considered during the Bill’s development.

What the average waiting time was for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court in the latest period for which data is available.

The Ministry of Justice does not routinely publish operational data on how many enforcement agents certificated under the Certification of Enforcement Agent Regulations 2014 have had their certificates cancelled or suspended by a judge under Regulation 11 of the Regulations. The public register of certificated enforcement agents is updated to reflect the cancellation of a certificate, but it does not record the reason for the cancellation.In 2024, the average processing time for certification of potential enforcement agents at the County Court was 27.62 days. This figure reflects the time taken from submission of an application to the granting of a certificate.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of giving the Enforcement Conduct Board the power to (a) grant and (b) revoke EC2 certificates, in the context of its forthcoming response to the Regulation of the debt enforcement sector consultation.

The Government is committed to strengthening the regulation of enforcement firms and agents who use the Taking Control of Goods procedure in England and Wales. On 9 June 2025, we launched a consultation on proposals to introduce an independent statutory regulator for enforcement firms, when parliamentary time allows. The consultation also asked whether a regulator should have a role in certificating enforcement agents. The consultation closed on 21 July 2025. We will publish the Government’s response in due course.

When his Department plans to publish a response to the Regulation of the debt enforcement sector consultation.

The Government is committed to strengthening the regulation of enforcement firms and agents who use the Taking Control of Goods procedure in England and Wales. On 9 June 2025, we launched a consultation on proposals to introduce an independent statutory regulator for enforcement firms, when parliamentary time allows. The consultation also asked whether a regulator should have a role in certificating enforcement agents. The consultation closed on 21 July 2025. We will publish the Government’s response in due course.

How many inquests following deaths at work are in progress in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy in England and Wales but does not collate real-time data on inquests in progress across the jurisdiction. Annual Coroner Statistics for England and Wales are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2024. These include information on inquests opened and completed, but this is not broken down by setting. The Ministry of Justice is not responsible for the coroner jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, which is instead overseen by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for Justice.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to commence Fatal Accident Inquests.

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

How many Fatal Accident Inquests are in progress.

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources allocated to Coroners' Courts for Fatal Accident Inquests.

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

What the average length of time is for the conclusion of a Fatal Accident Inquest.

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

What steps her Department is taking to improve support for bereaved families during Fatal Accident Inquests.

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.