Written questions by Shannon.

How many employment tribunals cases have been heard since September 2024.

Our latest published statistics for Employment Tribunals can be found using the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.Published data details the number of receipts by jurisdiction and the number of claims disposed of but does not include overall number of cases heard. Disposals by outcome for cases successful at hearing, unsuccessful at hearing and dismissed at a preliminary hearing are published in the main tables in ET_3_R.This data is currently published up to March 2025 for reform cases only. Employment Tribunals are currently undergoing a transition from paper based systems to digital systems. Only those cases received on digital systems are included in this data.

What steps she is taking to tackle smuggling in prisons.

Prisons in England and Wales have a range of specialist staff and equipment to tackle the smuggling of drugs, mobile phones, weapons and other contraband into prisons. This includes X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and other specialist equipment to alert staff to the potential presence of drugs on a range of items and materials.We are also working hard to deter, detect and disrupt drones being used to smuggle contraband into prisons. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, exploring additional legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.We are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons in this financial year. This includes around £10 million on anti-drone measures such as secure windows and improved netting at 15 prisons.

Whether she plans to review the threshold at which miscarriage of justice claimants can claim for compensation.

Individuals who have had their convictions quashed following an out of time appeal are eligible to apply for compensation through the statutory Miscarriages of Justice Application Service (MOJAS). The Law Commission is currently undertaking a review of the criminal appeals process, including the MOJAS scheme and the test for compensation. I will be considering their findings once their review is complete.

What steps she is taking to support young people after being released from prison to prevent reoffending.

Children returning to the community after serving time in custody receive personal and structural support from youth custody establishments and Youth Offending Teams to help them reintegrate, including assistance with housing and education, training, or employment.Where appropriate, Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) is used to support this transition. A new ROTL policy is being piloted at five sites, allowing eligible children to be considered and risk assessed for ROTL after five months or halfway through their sentence—whichever comes first—enabling earlier access to ROTL opportunities such as visits to potential community accommodation, education, or job placements.

How much has been spent on legal aid in the last 12 months.

Information about legal aid expenditure is published on a quarterly basis. The requested information can be accessed via this link. See tables 1.1 (Criminal Legal Aid) and 1.2 (Civil Legal Aid). These figures represent the closed case expenditure i.e. the total value of payments made to legal aid providers in relation to pieces of work that are completed within the specified period.The published data covers up to financial year 2023-24.

What steps she plans to take to tackle violence against prison staff.

We will not tolerate violence against our hardworking prison staff and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Prisoners who are violent towards staff will face the full consequences of their actions.To protect staff from serious assaults, Body Worn Video Cameras, and rigid-bar handcuffs are currently available for use by staff. Batons and PAVA (a synthetic pepper spray) are also available for use by prison officers in the adult male estate. Protective Body Armour (PBA) is worn by specialist prison staff, and by officers in cases where there is planned use of force, or where safe systems of work for the management of high-risk prisoners dictates.We have expanded security measures such as X-ray body scanners and airport-style Enhanced Gate Security to tackle the smuggling of drugs, mobile phones and other contraband which can drive violence in prisons.We are committed to removing wet shave razors, which can be used as weapons, from adult male closed prisons. Electric shavers have been rolled out in 31 priority sites and this rollout will continue in 2025/26.Those who are assessed as posing a raised risk of being violent are supported through a case management approach that is centred around the individual and addressing the underlying causes of their violence, including specific risk factors and needs, to help them manage and move away from violent behaviours.A review into whether protective body armour should be made available to frontline staff, is underway and an operational trial into Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs, commonly known as “tasers”) for specialised officers will be launched to help staff respond to high-risk incidents more effectively. The findings from this trial will inform any future decisions around the use of tasers in the prison estate.

What steps she is taking to increase sentences on hyper-prolific offenders.

This Government takes prolific offending extremely seriously, which is why we have asked the independent Sentencing Review to consider how sentences could be reformed to address prolific offending, reduce reoffending, cut crime and ultimately make our streets safer.Sentencing in individual cases is determined by the court based on the seriousness of the offence: the harm caused (or intended) by the offence and the culpability of the offender. In determining the seriousness of an offence, the court must consider aggravating and mitigating factors.Previous convictions are a statutory aggravating factor and Sentencing Guidelines are clear that sentencers must consider the nature and relevance of previous convictions, and the time elapsed, including:Any trends in offending behaviour, including escalation in seriousness.The offender’s likelihood to engage in a community sentence.Any underlying need driving offending, which might be better addressed via a community sentence or might tip an offence over the custodial threshold.For more serious prolific offending, we are clear that custody has a crucial role to play as a robust backstop, within the maximum penalties set out in statute.

What steps she is taking to ensure that people released under early-release schemes are prepared to return to society.

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions, such as curfews and exclusion zones, and face being returned to prison if they break the rules.There is robust and varied preparation work that probation undertakes following a detailed assessment of individual needs, to ensure an effective resettlement into the community. This includes support with finding work, with Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards in every resettlement prison.Release planning may also include temporary accommodation for those at risk of homelessness, with a transitional accommodation service which provides prison leavers at risk of homelessness and who are supervised by probation with up to 12 weeks of accommodation.

What steps she is taking to improve relationships between courts and local police.

Close working between partners is vital to the smooth running of the Criminal Justice System. At a local level, the 41 Local Criminal Justice Boards across England and Wales bring together partners from across the Criminal Justice System, including courts and local police. We support these boards in a number of ways, including through the provision of guidance and facilitating engagement between boards.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing stab vests to prison officers.

HM Prison & Probation Service has commissioned a review to establish whether it is necessary for our brave and hard-working prison officers to wear Protective Body Armour (PBA) either routinely or when working in high-risk environments within the prison estate in England and Wales. This review will inform any future decision on the use of PBA in the prison estate in England and Wales and will report in early June.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of overcrowding in prisons.

This Government inherited a prisons system in crisis and took immediate action to ensure it did not collapse. However, SDS40 was not a long term solution and we are once again at over 99% capacity. Recently, we only had 732 places left across the whole of the adult male estate.Figures and analysis relating to the level of crowding in prisons is published annually in the HMPPS Digest.This document states that in the 12-months to March 2024, the crowding rate at establishments across England and Wales was 23.6%, up from 22.9% in the previous 12-month period. Table 2, accompanying the Digest, provides a time series of crowding information back to 1999. The 2024/25 Digest will be published on 31 July 2025.

What steps her Department is taking to help promote support groups that provide training for employment for former prisoners.

We are committed to breaking the cycle of re-offending, by better supporting prisons to link with employers and the voluntary sector to get more people with convictions into work. We know that finding employment after release reduces the chances of re-offending significantly - by up to nine percentage points. HM Prison & Probation Service, through its Creating Future Opportunities programme, offers tailored support for ex-offenders to secure employment, training and education opportunities, so that they are able to make a positive new start on release. This includes promoting the use of voluntary and community sector enterprise (VCSE) organisations as contributors to this work. Employment Advisory Board members also have the opportunity link up with offenders after release, to interview and potentially recruit offenders. In addition, Clinks, the national infrastructure charity dedicated to supporting voluntary organisations working with people in the criminal justice system, has been awarded a further four years of grant funding to support small and medium VCSE organisations in the criminal justice system. This includes many of our delivery partners in prisons and probation who provide ex-offenders with training and employment support.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of smuggling prosecutions.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions by individual year for a wide range of 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.Smuggling offences together with their HO offence code can be identified using the Offence Group Classification which is available in the above link. The number of prosecutions together with annual trends for offences related to smuggling can then be accessed by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and Convictions tab, using the “HO Offence code” filter and selecting the relevant HO offence code.

How many prosecutions has there been for illegal drug possession in the last 12 months.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions for illegal drug possession, latest data is available to June 2024 in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2024.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme allows anyone to request that Law Officers consider referring certain serious sentences to the Court of Appeal if they believe the sentences are unduly lenient.Between 2019 and 2024, the number of sentences reviewed by the Law Officers have increased. In 2019, the Law Officers reviewed 577 requests, increasing to 831 in 2024, with a steady referral rate to the Court of Appeal. These increases are likely due to both greater awareness of the scheme and the expansion of offences covered by it.The Law Commission is currently undertaking a review of the laws governing criminal appeals. Last month, they launched a public consultation which invites views on a range of reforms to the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. The consultation is open to all and runs until 30 May: Criminal Appeals Consultation Paper - Law Commission.The Government will carefully consider the recommendations made in the Law Commission final report in due course.

What steps she is taking to support pregnant women in prison.

There are now dedicated Pregnancy and Mother and Baby Liaison Officers in all women’s prisons, as well as mandatory multidisciplinary care planning for pregnant women. We have introduced additional training for prison staff on the care of pregnant women, and are piloting the introduction of social workers in women’s prisons to support pregnant women and mothers.The Lord Chancellor has launched the Women’s Justice Board to address the distinctive needs of women in the criminal justice system, with the aim of reducing the number of women in prison. While there will always be some women, including some who are pregnant, who need to be in custody, we must ensure they are given the best possible chance to address the causes of their offending, so that they are able to contribute positively to society.

If she will take steps to increase penalties for repeat offenders for crimes against women.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. Violence against women and girls is a term which encapsulates a wide range of behaviours and offences including domestic abuse, so-called honour-based abuse and sexual offences, many of which carry high maximum penalties, including life imprisonment. It does not relate to any single offence.Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused, and any aggravating and mitigating factors.Section 65 of Sentencing Act 2020 provides a statutory aggravating factor, that a court must ‘treat each previous conviction as an aggravating factor if (in the case of that conviction) the court considers that it can reasonably be so treated having regard’. Judges must consider the appropriate level of any sentence uplift justified by the factor, as part of considering the full circumstances of the case.The Government is of course dedicated to ensuring that the harm caused by this form of offending is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework. Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. The Independent Sentencing Review has been asked to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.

What discussions she has had with her Northern Irish counterpart on substance abuse in prisons.

The Lord Chancellor has not yet had discussions with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive. Justice in Northern Ireland is devolved, and therefore a matter for the Executive – although we are always interested to learn from the insights and experiences of devolved governments.

How many people who are currently in prison for drug offences are under 21 years of age.

As of 31 December 2024 (latest available published data snapshot), there were 463 people in prison in England and Wales under 21 years of age with an associated (alleged or proven) drug offence. This is based on the total prison population, and includes those held on remand (both unconvicted, and convicted unsentenced), sentenced and non-criminals. It also includes those held in Young Offenders' Institutions (YOIs).For those whose offending is driven by a drug problem, we work with health partners to divert them into treatment in the community where appropriate. This includes working to increase the use and strengthen the quality of Drug Rehabilitation Requirements as part of community sentences, which aim to tackle the root causes of offending behaviour through structured treatment and regular testing. Where a prison sentence is appropriate, we focus on supporting people into treatment, and ensuring their environment supports recovery – 81 prisons have an Incentivised Substance-Free Living unit, which provide a dedicated, supportive environment for any prisoner who wants to live drug-free in prison, with regular drug testing and incentives.Recognising the distinct needs of young adults, HMPPS have developed a Young Adults Custodial strategy to ensure there is a consistent approach amongst prisons to understand this group and support staff in working with them, to better respond to the needs of the cohort.

How many convictions there have been for hate crime in the last 12 months.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a large range of 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. Convictions for selected racial and religiously aggravated crimes can be identified by filtering on the HO offence code. Other offences contained within the Outcomes by Offences data tool may be related to hate crimes, including different strands of hate crimes, but are not identifiable from data held centrally. Crown Prosecution Service performance data which includes convictions data pertaining to hate crime flagged offences is available here: CPS data summary Quarter 2 2024-2025 | The Crown Prosecution Service. The published offence-level data reflects the offence wording as set out in legislation. The published volumes will not include all racially or religiously motivated offences. In addition, other aggravating factors which contribute to the commissioning of an offence are not identifiable from the published Ministry of Justice convictions data.