Written questions by McMurdock.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister sets out vision for the justice system, published on 24 February 2026, how many blitz court sittings are planned from April 2026; and what offences will be prioritised after assaults on emergency workers.

Blitz courts in London will initially focus on assault on emergency workers and will be listed at Central Criminal Court from April. A total of 500 days have been allocated for this first blitz initiative. After prioritising assaults on emergency workers, we will consider other case types including sentencing cases, breaches and trials with no civilian witnesses.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister sets out vision for the justice system, published on 24 February 2026, whether he has conducted an equality impact assessment on the expanded use of AI within courts and tribunals.

The Department and HMCTS have due regard to their obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty when developing and implementing policy and operational changes. Equality considerations are taken into account as part of the design and evaluation of service changes, and appropriate equality analysis has informed, and will continue to inform, decisions on the adoption and scaling of AI-enabled tools and services within courts and tribunals. This is undertaken on a use-case-by-use-case basis, rather than through a single blanket assessment.

What information his Department holds on the current number of court cases awaiting hearings in (a) Essex and (b) Basildon.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of open criminal cases at the Crown Court for Essex in the ‘Crown Court receipts, disposals and open cases tool’ and for the magistrates’ courts in the ‘Magistrates’ courts receipts, disposals and open cases tool’. Essex can be selected under Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB).Data is published for Basildon Crown Court in the Crown Court tool under the Crown Court filter - Criminal court statistics - GOV.UKData is not published at court level for the magistrates’ courts. The open caseload for the Basildon magistrates’ court was 1,700 as of the end of September 2025.The open caseload reflects the workload in the courts at a given time. It will never be zero, as it reflects the volume of cases that are active in the courts at a particular point, including those recently received, those close to being disposed, those which are complex and take time to complete, and those that may be awaiting further hearings.

What information his Department holds on the average length of time it takes for a court case to be processed and concluded in (a) Basildon, (b) Essex, and (c) England.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the time taken ‘at court’ in the magistrates’ courts and Crown Court for Essex in the ‘Magistrates’ courts timeliness tool’ and the ‘End-to-end timeliness tool’ (Crown Court).Magistrates ‘at court’ time refers to the number of days from first listing to completion at the magistrates’ court and for the Crown Court it refers to the time from first listing at the magistrates’ court to completion at the Crown Court.Data for the Essex Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) can be found using the ‘geographic area’ filter - Criminal court statistics - GOV.UKLCJB is the lowest geographic level of our published Accredited Official Statistics for timeliness. Our published timeliness metrics are produced at a sufficiently 'high' level to reduce the volatility and fluctuations associated with low volumes of cases i.e. using court level data. As a result, we are unable to provide timeliness data for individual courts in Basildon.The publication provides data for ‘England and Wales’ but does not contain a breakdown for England alone. When looking at data for England, the median time spent ‘at court’ across magistrates’ courts was 0 days for the year ending September 2025. This is due to the high proportion of Single Justice Procedure cases which commence and conclude on the same day. For the Crown Court, the median time spent ‘at court’ was 172 days for the same period.

What proportion of staff in his Department have (a) office-based, (b) hybrid and (c) remote-working contracts.

The Ministry of Justice does not offer remote or hybrid working contracts at the point of recruitment, with all employees having one of the Department’s offices or properties as a contractual base location.Hybrid working is an informal, non-contractual arrangement that does not involve changes to pay, terms and conditions, or one’s contractual workplace.Remote working may be agreed through a flexible working request, or as a reasonable adjustment. In some exceptional circumstances, employees have transferred into the Ministry of Justice on protected terms that include homeworking. Records of this, as well as flexible working and workplace adjustments records, are held locally and are not centrally accessible. This information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

With reference to his press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, if he will set out how the £320 million Youth Justice Services funding package will be allocated across England and Wales; and what proportion of that funding is new money.

Over the next three financial years, the Ministry of Justice will allocate £281 million for youth justice grants and a further £46 million of funding for the extension of the Turnaround grant programme.This is a continuation of funding levels from previous years but the Department has provided multi-year funding to youth justice services. This will give youth justice services the stability to retain staff, plan effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently - ultimately strengthening their ability to tackle knife possession and other offences committed by children.Funding will be allocated to Youth Justice Services across England and Wales using same distribution method that has been applied for the past 13 years. We recognise that the current method for allocating youth justice funding needs updating and later this year we will undertake a consultation about long-term funding and oversight arrangements for youth justice services.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what proportion of the £320 million funding settlement will be ringfenced for early intervention and prevention programmes.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what sanctions will be applied for children not engaging with mandatory targeted plans.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, whether children identified as victims of county lines drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within mandatory targeted plans.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

How many children were (a) convicted and (b) cautioned for knife possession in each of the last five years.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory intervention plans on reoffending rates among children convicted of knife possession.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, how compliance with mandatory targeted plans will be monitored; and what data will be collected on engagement and outcomes.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

What proportion of children remanded into custody in the last three years for carrying a knife did not receive a custodial sentence.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Youth Justice Services staffing levels to deliver mandatory targeted plans for every child found carrying a knife.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Every child caught with a knife to get tailored support, published on 11 February 2026, whether there will be a statutory basis for mandatory targeted plans for children found carrying knives.

Delivering the manifesto commitment to tackle knife possession by children will require police and Youth Justice Services to put in place more evidence-based interventions to ensure that knife possession by children is addressed swiftly, robustly and effectively. The Ministry of Justice is committing £320 million over the next 3 years to youth justice services. This multi-year certainty will give the stability to retain staff, plan more effectively with partners, and commission services more efficiently – in order to better tackle knife possession and other offence committed by children. Of the £320 million funding settlement, £46 million will be ringfenced for Turnaround – the Ministry of Justice’s youth crime early intervention and prevention programme. The Turnaround programme was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 to provide additional funding to support children on the cusp of the youth justice system, with the explicit aim of preventing future offending.The new knife possession guidance is non-statutory. Youth Justice Services (YJSs) will be required, as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding, to have due regard to the guidance.The Government will monitor compliance through:the annual plans produced by Youth Justice Services as a condition of their Ministry of Justice funding;new data requirements about Out of Court Resolutions that the Youth Justice Board has agreed to collect from YJSs from April 2026; andupcoming inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.If a child does not comply with their mandatory plans, Youth Justice Services must notify the police. The police may then charge and prosecute the child for the original offence. Engagement with interventions by Youth Justice Services can provide positive outcomes for children. Evidence from the Ministry of Justice’s Turnaround programme shows that, as of December 2024, only 7% of children who completed Turnaround interventions had offended as proven by a judicial decision or caution within 12 months of completion. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and cautions for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group in the Outcomes by Offences data and Out of Court Disposals tools, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.The Ministry of Justice publishes sentencing information following remands for a wide range of offences, including knife possession by age group, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly. The police and Youth Justice Services will conduct assessments as soon as the child comes into their contact to assess their needs. Any child who identifies as a victim of county lines or drug distribution exploitation will receive specialist support within their mandatory targeted plans.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, what steps he has taken to help ensure that changes to sentencing do not adversely impact (a) public safety and (b) offender rehabilitation.

The greatest risk to public safely is the risk of not being able to lock up dangerous offenders. Without the Sentencing Act, which received Royal Assent on 22 January, the country would have completely run out of prison places as early as June this year. This Government’s decisive action has safeguarded the police, courts, and wider criminal justice system, and avoided a potentially catastrophic breakdown of law and order.Public protection is our main priority, and many offenders will still go to prison, some for a very long time. Where offenders are on licence, in the community, we are imposing more intensive supervision, including ramped up tagging. We are also introducing new restriction zones for the most serious offenders, locking them down to a specific area.We are prioritising rehabilitation of offenders: evidence shows that short prison sentences exacerbate issues with employment, housing, and maintaining family ties, without allowing sufficient time for offenders to access effective rehabilitative services. Whereas suspended sentence orders give offenders a chance to stay in work, keep stable housing, and access support, all of which help reduce repeat offending and support rehabilitation.To support rehabilitation and managing offenders in the community, this Government is rebuilding the probation service, increasing investment by up to £700 million by 2028/29, a 45% increase.We are creating a tougher, smarter system that protects the public and supports rehabilitation.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, when the 2,900 prison spaces began construction.

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, on what date the 2,900 prison spaces were approved for construction.

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

With reference to his Department's research entitled Alcohol monitoring on licence: process and interim impact evaluation, published 30 October 2025, what assessment his Department have made of the adequacy of alcohol monitoring readings from people on Alcohol Monitoring Licence orders whose tags were later removed due to potentially incorrect fittings.

Alcohol monitoring on licence was introduced in Wales in 2021 and England in 2022 and enables probation to include an additional licence condition banning or restricting the consumption of alcohol, where a criminogenic need related to alcohol misuse is identified as an increase to risk. The alcohol monitoring on licence: process and interim impact evaluation was published on 30 October 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-monitoring-on-licence-process-and-interim-impact-evaluation. A further impact evaluation exploring reoffending will be published in due course which will measure longer-term outcomes than the existing published evaluation. The sample size is not confirmed but we expect it to be broadly similar.The process and interim impact evaluation of Alcohol Monitoring on Licence scheme was based on a sample of the overall tagged population. The process evaluation reported some instances where tag wearers experienced pain or discomfort and had the tag changed or removed. These issues did not indicate widespread concerns about the reliability of alcohol tag readings.

With reference to his Department's research entitled Alcohol monitoring on licence: process and interim impact evaluation, published 30 October 2025, whether he plans to repeat research on the impact of the Alcohol and Monitoring on Licence scheme with larger sample group sizes.

Alcohol monitoring on licence was introduced in Wales in 2021 and England in 2022 and enables probation to include an additional licence condition banning or restricting the consumption of alcohol, where a criminogenic need related to alcohol misuse is identified as an increase to risk. The alcohol monitoring on licence: process and interim impact evaluation was published on 30 October 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-monitoring-on-licence-process-and-interim-impact-evaluation. A further impact evaluation exploring reoffending will be published in due course which will measure longer-term outcomes than the existing published evaluation. The sample size is not confirmed but we expect it to be broadly similar.The process and interim impact evaluation of Alcohol Monitoring on Licence scheme was based on a sample of the overall tagged population. The process evaluation reported some instances where tag wearers experienced pain or discomfort and had the tag changed or removed. These issues did not indicate widespread concerns about the reliability of alcohol tag readings.