Written questions by Mullan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2025 to Question 28573 on Brain: Tumours, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including grading in the national cancer plan to help improve (a) treatment and (b) outcomes for brain tumour patients.

There are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, at any grade. The Government has invested in new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients including those with brain tumours. However, we do not expect to consider the grading of brain tumours as part of the National Cancer Plan.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on allocations for the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

The government has allocated £670 million in Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding in the financial year 2025 to 2026. BSIP funding is allocated directly to local transport authorities in England.On 18 December 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an additional £515 million in support for local authorities (including combined authorities) in England to mitigate the additional impact of the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions on their budgets, including their transport budgets. More information can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-explanatory-note-on-the-employer-national-insurance-contribution-grant-2025-to-2026.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of excluding measures of grading in brain tumour diagnosis on his targets for cancer diagnosis set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

The target for earlier cancer diagnosis is to diagnose more cancers at stages 1 and 2, because when cancer is diagnosed earlier, there are more potential treatment options and the likelihood of successful treatment is higher. The grading of brain tumours is not directly comparable to the staging of cancers because brain tumours at grade 1 and grade 2 are not considered cancerous. Only brain tumours at grades 3 and 4 are classed as cancerous.The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

Whether she has had discussions with the Prime Minister through (a) WhatsApp messages, (b) text messages, (c) email, (d) written correspondence and (e) verbal exchanges on (i) the potential impact of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on compensation liabilities for individuals interned during the 1970s and (ii) negotiations with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, and it applies to your question.

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.

Whether the police national computer retains nominal records for non-resident people.

Non-resident individuals may have nominal records created on the Police National Computer where information suggests that they may pose a risk to UK residents.Changes to the residency status of a person are not routinely considered as a factor in the ongoing retention of their nominal record.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19427 on the Police National Computer, what proportion of PNC records relate to dead people.

The data could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Whether the Police National Computer retains nominal records for deceased people.

The Police National Computer (PNC) provides police and law enforcement agencies with access to centralised information about individuals, property and vehicles.A Nominal record is retained until at least 100 years after a Nominal’s birth, regardless of the date of death. This is to facilitate criminal investigations that might start or conclude after the death of a Nominal.The data retention practices on the PNC are governed by:1. The Police Information and Records Management Code of Practice2. The Code of Practice for the Police National Computer (PNC) and the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS)

On what date she signed the concordat on court sitting days.

The former Lord Chancellor reached an agreement with the judiciary on the Concordat in June 2024. The former Lord Chancellor sent the initial Concordat proposal to the Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of the Tribunals on 5th June. The Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of the Tribunals responded on 12th June, and the former Lord Chancellor sent a final letter of response, concluding the process, on 28th June 2024.Since then, the current Lord Chancellor increased the allocation by an additional 500 Crown Court sitting days in September, and on 17 December announced further funding for up to an additional 2,000 Crown Court days, bringing the Crown Court allocation to up to 2,500 days beyond that originally agreed through the Concordat. This brings the total to 108,500, the highest level since financial year 2015/16.

How many and what proportion of offenders with convictions related to alcohol use have been subject to an alcohol monitoring tag (a) on release from prison and (b) as part of a community sentence in each year since its introduction.

The number of individuals subject to an alcohol monitoring tag on release from prison and as part of a community sentence can be found here: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Annual Publication, March 2024 - GOV.UK.We are unable to produce data on the proportion of offenders with convictions related to alcohol use have been subject to an alcohol monitoring tag.

What assessment she has made of the potential barriers to successful prosecution using information from the Acquisitive Crime GPS tagging programme.

The effectiveness of the acquisitive crime project is currently subject to robust evaluation and conclusions will be made available following the publication of the upcoming process and impact evaluations. It is not possible to provide any information prior to the impact evaluation being published.