Written questions by Mullan.

For what reason she has increased legal aid for immigration cases.

Legal aid for immigration cases is important to maintaining an effective immigration and asylum system. Legal aid can play a vital role in ensuring the smooth running of the courts, by providing timely advice to the individuals concerned, reducing the likelihood of delays and adjournments and helping to tackle court backlogs. Hourly rates for immigration work have not been uplifted since 1996, but, following the Review of Civil Legal Aid, and a consultation on increasing fees for those working in the housing and debt and immigration and asylum sectors, we are taking action to uplift those fees given the particularly acute pressures facing these sectors.This investment will help the Government deliver commitments to reduce the asylum backlog, end hotel use, increase returns and ensure the most vulnerable – such as victims of modern slavery and human trafficking - can navigate a complex legal system and access justice.

How many foreign nationals received legal aid in (a) 2024-2025 and (b) 2025-2026; and what the cost to the public purse was of the legal aid provided.

This information requested is not held centrally.

If she will make it her policy to utilise all court sitting days made available by the Lady Chief Justice in the (a) 2026–27, (b) 2027–28 and (c) 2028–29 financial years.

The Lord Chancellor will begin the Concordat process with the judiciary in due course, and this is how sitting days will be allocated. The Lord Chancellor has been clear she is committed to tackling the outstanding caseload, but the number of sitting days allocated is just one factor in achieving this. The Lord Chancellor must be mindful of managing the wider system capacity—the availability not just of judges to sit in the Crown court but of the lawyers, prosecutors, legal aid and defence barristers that underpin the rest of the system.

What steps her Department is taking to inform legal aid providers of the potential impact of the cyber attack on the Legal Aid Agency; and what assessment she has made of the cyber attack on the provision of legal aid services.

To reach as many potentially impacted individuals as possible, the Ministry of Justice published a notice at 08:15 on 19 May on GOV.UK. The statement provides information about the cyber-attack and directs concerned members of the public to the National Cyber Security Centre’s webpage.Further, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has set up a dedicated helpline that will be available from Tuesday 27 May for members of the public who are concerned they may have been affected by the LAA data breach. HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is working with the LAA to facilitate this by standing up an operational call centre team to handle telephone calls.In the days following the discovery, we took immediate action to inform all legal aid providers that some of their details, including financial information, may have been compromised. Further updates, including the decision to temporarily take the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) portal offline and contingency measures implemented have been provided by email and a dedicated information page relating to the cyber-attack has been set up: Legal Aid Agency cyber-security incident - GOV.UK.The cyber-attack is subject to an ongoing investigation and the LAA continues to work closely with the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre. Appropriate actions have been taken to mitigate the impact of the attack and contingency measures have been put in place to ensure those most in need of legal support and advice can continue to access the help they need during this time, as outlined on LAA’s dedicated information page.Since taking office, this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the Legal Aid Agency digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.

What steps her Department is taking to inform members of the public affected by the cyber attack on the Legal Aid Agency.

To reach as many potentially impacted individuals as possible, the Ministry of Justice published a notice at 08:15 on 19 May on GOV.UK. The statement provides information about the cyber-attack and directs concerned members of the public to the National Cyber Security Centre’s webpage.Further, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has set up a dedicated helpline that will be available from Tuesday 27 May for members of the public who are concerned they may have been affected by the LAA data breach. HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is working with the LAA to facilitate this by standing up an operational call centre team to handle telephone calls.In the days following the discovery, we took immediate action to inform all legal aid providers that some of their details, including financial information, may have been compromised. Further updates, including the decision to temporarily take the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) portal offline and contingency measures implemented have been provided by email and a dedicated information page relating to the cyber-attack has been set up: Legal Aid Agency cyber-security incident - GOV.UK.The cyber-attack is subject to an ongoing investigation and the LAA continues to work closely with the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre. Appropriate actions have been taken to mitigate the impact of the attack and contingency measures have been put in place to ensure those most in need of legal support and advice can continue to access the help they need during this time, as outlined on LAA’s dedicated information page.Since taking office, this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the Legal Aid Agency digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.

How many and what proportion of trials overran in 2024.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

What steps she is taking to support prisoner transport services in ensuring prisoners are able to get to court in time for their trial.

The Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS), which is part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS), provides Ministers with regular updates on performance against delivery targets. Over the 12 months to February 2025, PECS contractual monthly performance has been over 99.8%. It is recognised that there are many factors that can lead to trials being delayed, and that the efficient running of the criminal justice system requires a whole-system approach. In addition to initiatives to improve outcomes at local level, HMPPS works with criminal justice partners through its Strategic Partnership Board, which includes representatives from His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service and the police, as well as the contractors which deliver PECS services, to ensure that prisoners get to court on time, and that courts are prepared for their arrival.

What steps she is taking to reduce the frequency of ineffective trials that occur as a result of (a) witness and (b) defendant unavailability.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

How many trials were deemed ineffective because of (a) witness and (b) defendant unavailability in 2024.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

If she will make an assessment of the reasons for which the number of cases that have been declared ineffective as a result of poor case preparation has increased since 2021; and what steps she is taking to help support the sector in reducing this.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

How many delays there have been in fitting sobriety tags longer than (a) one, (b) seven, (c) 14 and (d) 28 days in each of the last 12 months.

The table below illustrates the proportional duration of fitting alcohol orders by month of order start date, from November 2023 to October 2024. This includes both AAMR tag and AML tag.Up until May 2024, the electronic monitoring service was delivered by Capita. Serco took on the service on 1 May 2024. Provider performance was poor either side of the transfer and there has been a backlog of visits under Serco.Ministers have been clear that Serco’s performance has been unacceptable and contractual penalties have been levied against them as a result.Frequency Distribution of Durations of Tag Fit Time for Alcohol Tags by Month (November 2023 – October 2024) Days Date 1 day or less 2 to 7 days 8 to 14 days 15 to 28 days 28 days+ Nov 2314%48%16%12%9% Dec 2321%39%11%11%18% Jan 2416%37%8%14%25% Feb 2425%35%8%14%19% Mar 2419%33%12%22%14% Apr 2422%35%10%14%19% May 2413%26%10%25%25% Jun 2413%34%17%19%17% Jul 2422%42%15%14%8% Aug 2423%39%13%14%10% Sep 2421%32%16%19%11% Oct 2429%42%15%14%1% Proportion 20% 36% 13% 16% 15% NotesThese figures are drawn from administrative data systems provided by contractors. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent.These figures exclude those who had not had a tag fitted at the point the underlying files were generated. An individual subject to an AM order may not have a tag fitted for a number of reasons, including being recalled.The tag fit time has been derived by subtracting the first date the data appears as tagged on the caseload file, as compared to the order start date. Where AMS is notified late of an order, the difference between the order start date and the date the tag is fitted is not an accurate reflection of contractor performance.Data provided for the period November 2023 to October 2024 as this represents the latest available data.Monitored individuals are unique individuals with a live EM order and with an alcohol device (AAMR or AML) fitted.Alcohol monitoring cannot be used for those under 18.

What the (a) recall and (b) reoffending rates are for offenders who have been released under the SDS40 scheme since September 2024.

The number of people who have been recalled or have reoffended following release under the early release measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.General reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.General recall statistics are published regularly on a quarterly basis. The most recent statistics are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, how many visits for tag installation for SDS40 releases did not result in the offender being tagged.

1,889 prisoners were released on day one of tranche 1 and 1,223 were released on day one of tranche 2 of SDS40 releases. All visits for the installation of tags for these offenders were completed by 4 November.To provide the number of people who did not have a tag fitted following release under the early release measure (SDS40) may give an indication of the number of people released under SDS40 to date, which forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication.In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.

How many and what proportion of offenders released from prison under the standard determinate sentence (SDS40) release scheme were (a) released in error and (b) subsequently recalled since September 2024.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse and was therefore forced on 10 September 2024, to take the unavoidable step to move certain release points from 50% to 40%, with an initial tranche of eligible offenders released on this date, and a second tranche released on 22 October 2024.There was an issue with a repealed Breach of Restraining Order offence which meant that some offenders were released in error in the first tranche because they were incorrectly sentenced. This affected 37 offenders and this specific cohort were all returned to custody. All prisoners in custody with this offence recorded against them were reviewed to ensure there were no further releases in error.The number of people who have been recalled following release under the emergency measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of these statistical reports.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, for what reason all SDS40 releases were not tagged before leaving prison.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse, and as a result was forced to introduce the emergency SDS40 scheme which allows some individuals to be released 40% of the way through their custodial sentence rather than at 50%. Anyone released under SDS40 is subject to strict licence conditions, which can include electronic monitoring or curfews, and face being recalled to prison should they breach these conditions. Serco had a backlog of visits to install tags and we were clear that their performance is currently below acceptable levels. We are having regular meetings to hold them to account and already imposing financial penalties given their performance to date and won’t hesitate to trigger relevant contractual penalties if they do not improve. Serco has prioritised the SDS40 releases requiring electronic monitoring and performance on the tranche 2 caseload was much improved. As of Monday 4 November, all visits to install tags for SDS40 cases had been completed. Where a tag was not fitted, a non-compliance notification was set to Probation to consider enforcement action.

How many offenders released under the standard determinate sentence (SDS40) release scheme have re-offended since September 2024; and how many were not tagged when re-offending despite it being a condition of their SDS40 release.

The number of people who have reoffended following release under the early release measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.General reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.Our initial operational insights suggested there was not a significant change to the use and application of recall since the implementation of the SDS change, however we will continue to monitor this. Serco prioritised the SDS40 releases requiring electronic monitoring and performance on the tranche 2 caseload was much improved.As of 4 November, all visits to install tags for SDS40 Tranche 2 cases had been completed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, how many SDS40 prisoners requiring electronic tags were released without those tags; and what the average number of days was before those prisoners were fitted with tags.

1,889 prisoners were released on day one of tranche 1 and 1,223 were released on day one of tranche 2 of SDS40 releases. All visits for the installation of tags for these offenders were completed by 4 November.To provide the number of people who did not have a tag fitted following release under the early release measure (SDS40) may give an indication of the number of people released under SDS40 to date, which forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication.In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.

How many and what proportion of prisoners are on remand for (a) summary, (b) either way and (c) indictable offences, by (i) the date of custody and (ii) offence type.

The requested information has been provided in the attached data table. To note that the ‘date of custody’ represented in this data is ‘30 September 2024’ (i.e. the individuals were in the remand prison population on this date) - this is in line with the most recent published prison population data available in the department’s offender management statistics.

When she plans to publish the impact evaluation for the acquisitive crime project.

We will publish the first impact evaluation of the Acquisitive Crime project next year. This will evaluate the effectiveness of compulsory, global positioning system (GPS) location monitoring at deterring burglars, robbers and thieves from reoffending and supporting police investigation and prosecutions.

What estimate she has made of (a) the total number and (b) the percentage of prisoners on remand of the total prison population in each of the next five years.

The Ministry of Justice published prison population projections for 2024-2029 on 5 December 2024, which are available here: Prison Population Projections: 2024 to 2029 - GOV.UK.These include the number of people projected to be remanded into custody from September 2025 to September 2028. Under the central scenario, the projected total number and percentage of prisoners on remand over this period is as follows:DateTotalRemandPercentageSep-2486,96617,66220%Sep-2589,10019,30022%Sep-2693,50020,20022%Sep-2797,30020,80021%Sep-2899,80021,30021%The prison population projections are published annually and projections for after September 2028 will be available in subsequent publications.