Written questions by McMurdock.

What information her Department holds on the number of times courts have cited (a) the UN Global Compact for Migration and (b) other non-binding international agreements in rulings on asylum and immigration cases in the last three years.

The Ministry of Justice does not have policies in relation to asylum and immigration, responsibility for which sits with the Home Secretary. Nor does the Ministry of Justice consider or hold any data on the number of times in which the UN Global Compact for Migration or other non-binding international agreements have been cited in court rulings.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number of times courts have cited (a) the UN Global Compact for Migration and (b) other non-binding international agreements in their rulings on asylum and immigration cases.

The Ministry of Justice does not have policies in relation to asylum and immigration, responsibility for which sits with the Home Secretary. Nor does the Ministry of Justice consider or hold any data on the number of times in which the UN Global Compact for Migration or other non-binding international agreements have been cited in court rulings.

What the average time was between application to the Employment Tribunal and hearing in each of the last three years.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold the requested information.

What proportion of violent offenders had (a) paranoid schizophrenia and (b) other mental health illnesses when convicted in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) transparency of private companies that provide public services for her department and (b) protection of their commercially sensitive data.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of the Government’s transparency obligations on public spending and routinely publishes relevant information in accordance with the legal and policy framework that governs public sector procurement. This includes publication of a contract award notice and a copy of the redacted contract (where appropriate), where the Ministry of Justice has awarded a contract to a private company to provide public services. There are specific thresholds and timescales in place which determine the publication obligations to be applied.In complying with these transparency obligations, the Ministry of Justice ensures it also follows the requirements set out under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), to establish whether there are any permitted exemptions or redactions on commercial sensitivity grounds.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the cost-effectiveness of her Department's Arm's Length Bodies.

The Ministry of Justice’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) play a critical role in the delivery of the Department’s priorities and statutory responsibilities. ALB budgets are agreed through the Department’s spending review and allocations process. Their efficiency, effectiveness and performance are scrutinised through regular, robust oversight and assurance activities, in line with the ALB Sponsorship Code of Good Practice, and through their inclusion in the Cabinet Office’s Public Bodies Review Programme.

How many people have been convicted for offences related to human trafficking since January 2020.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for human trafficking offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2024.

If she will take steps to ensure that cases involving members of the House of Lords convicted of serious crimes do not adversely impact public confidence in the criminal justice system.

All individuals, including members of the House of Lords, are held to be equal before the law. Decisions on bringing forward charges and prosecutions are for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, and the management of cases through the courts and sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary. Prosecutors have an overriding responsibility to act without fear, favour or prejudice. Therefore, any member of the House of Lords who commits a crime will face the appropriate consequences for their actions in our open and fair criminal justice system, just like any other member of the public.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requesting the Sentencing Council for England and Wales produce guidelines on the sentencing of grooming gangs.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of custodial sentences for child sexual offences in preventing reoffending.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

What discussions her Department has had with the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences in (a) reflecting the severity of the crime and (b) preventing reoffending.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

What recent estimate she has made of when the Independent Review of Sentencing will be complete.

This Sentencing Review is chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke and aims to ensure that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders. The Review launched on Tuesday 22 October 2024 and is estimated to run for six months. We therefore expect that the review will report in Spring 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences in (a) reflecting the severity of the crime and (b) preventing reoffending.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, the Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. The Lord Chancellor or the Court of Appeal can ask the Council to consider reviewing or producing guidelines in a particular area, but the Council is not required to agree to any such requests.The Council monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so. The assessment covers the operation and effect of the guideline. A report on the evaluation findings is published online. A variety of different methods of data collection and analysis may be used, as necessary: analysis of existing data on sentencing trends over time, collections of data from sentencers on factors that influence their sentencing of different offences, interviews and focus groups, analysis of Crown Court sentencing transcripts and media reports.Sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences were first published in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines were published and came into force in May 2022.

Whether her Department plans to reform sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, the Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. The Lord Chancellor or the Court of Appeal can ask the Council to consider reviewing or producing guidelines in a particular area, but the Council is not required to agree to any such requests.The Council monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so. The assessment covers the operation and effect of the guideline. A report on the evaluation findings is published online. A variety of different methods of data collection and analysis may be used, as necessary: analysis of existing data on sentencing trends over time, collections of data from sentencers on factors that influence their sentencing of different offences, interviews and focus groups, analysis of Crown Court sentencing transcripts and media reports.Sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences were first published in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines were published and came into force in May 2022.

What comparative assessment her Department has made between the sentencing for child sexual offences in the UK and sentencing in other Western nations.

The criminal law in England and Wales provides a range of offences to deal with the scourge of child sexual abuse and provides robust penalties that reflect the seriousness of this offending. Child sexual offences generally carry high maximum penalties; for example, the offences of rape of a child under 13 and assault of a child under 13 by penetration both carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own sexual offences. The sentencing framework across international jurisdictions varies widely.The Government has delivered on a manifesto commitment to bring sentencing up to date by launching an Independent Review of Sentencing chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Sentencing Review will be guided by the evidence on what works to keep the public safe from harm and rehabilitate offenders. This includes looking at evidence from the criminal justice system in England and Wales as well as other jurisdictions in the UK, and internationally.

What proportion of convictions for child sexual offences resulted in custodial sentences in (a) 2024, (b) 2014, (b) 2004 and (d) 1994.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the sentencing outcomes of criminal offences in England and Wales between the year ending June 2010 and year ending June 2024, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.Although child sex offences are not a defined category within the tool, you can filter offences using the HO Offence codes listed in the attachment linked above.The proportion of convictions for child sexual offences resulted in custodial sentences is listed below. A list of specific offences that comprise the data below can be found in the accompanying attachment. We advise caution when comparing the 1994 data with more recent data included in the time series. This is due to differences in the way child sexual offences were defined.Year Proportion1994 48%2004 65%2014 72%2024 (January-June) 59% The average length of sentences for child sexual offences is as follows:Year Average Custodial Sentence Length (Months) 1994 23.62004 40.22014 66.12024 (January-June) 75.3

Whether her Department has consulted victims' groups and charities on potential reforms to sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, the Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. The Lord Chancellor or the Court of Appeal can ask the Council to consider reviewing or producing guidelines in a particular area, but the Council is not required to agree to any such requests.The Council monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so. The assessment covers the operation and effect of the guideline. A report on the evaluation findings is published online. A variety of different methods of data collection and analysis may be used, as necessary: analysis of existing data on sentencing trends over time, collections of data from sentencers on factors that influence their sentencing of different offences, interviews and focus groups, analysis of Crown Court sentencing transcripts and media reports.Sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences were first published in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines were published and came into force in May 2022.

What the average length of sentences for child sexual offences was in (a) 1994, (b) 2004, (c) 2014 and (d) 2024.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the sentencing outcomes of criminal offences in England and Wales between the year ending June 2010 and year ending June 2024, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.Although child sex offences are not a defined category within the tool, you can filter offences using the HO Offence codes listed in the attachment linked above.The proportion of convictions for child sexual offences resulted in custodial sentences is listed below. A list of specific offences that comprise the data below can be found in the accompanying attachment. We advise caution when comparing the 1994 data with more recent data included in the time series. This is due to differences in the way child sexual offences were defined.Year Proportion1994 48%2004 65%2014 72%2024 (January-June) 59% The average length of sentences for child sexual offences is as follows:Year Average Custodial Sentence Length (Months) 1994 23.62004 40.22014 66.12024 (January-June) 75.3

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of work to reintegrate prisoners released via the early release scheme.

The government inherited a prisons system in crisis and was forced to change the release point for standard determinate sentences in order to avert disaster and total gridlock of the criminal justice system.Once released, offenders are subject to the same set of strict licence conditions that would apply had they been released at a 50% automatic release point, and are liable to recall to prison if they do not comply with these conditions or are judged by probation practitioners to be a risk to public safety.There is robust and varied support available informed by an assessment of individual needs, to ensure effective resettlement into the community. This includes Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards in every resettlement prison.

How many people were prosecuted for TV licence evasion in England in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including TV licence evasion up to and including 2023 in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.This can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and Convictions’ tab and using the HO code filter to select the HO offence code ‘19101 – Television licence evasion’ in the Outcomes by Offence Tool.Data covering the 2024 calendar year is planned for publication in May 2025.