Written questions by Smart.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that emergency applications for grants of probate are processed promptly; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of staffing levels at the Probate Service on the processing time for emergency applications.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of healthcare provision in the prison estate for prisoners with neuromuscular and other progressive degenerative conditions, including the timeliness of access to (a) specialist consultants, (b) physiotherapy, (c) mobility aids and (d) reasonable adjustments to cell and wing accommodation.

Awaiting answer.

What evaluation criteria he is using to assess the impact of the Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot on people against whom orders are sought.

Domestic Abuse Protection Order Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) have been piloted in selected areas since November 2024, and are being fully evaluated, which will help to inform implementation as the orders are rolled out across England and Wales.Reoffending and revictimisation are the key criteria for the impact evaluation, which will aim to quantitatively assess whether, and how, the new orders reduce these outcomes. A complementary process evaluation will aim to examine the implementation of DAPNs and DAPOs and explore perceptions of their effectiveness across different stakeholder groups.

What plans his Department has to reform the family court system; and whether such reforms will include strengthening enforcement powers where child arrangement orders have been breached.

This Government is committed to reform of the family court to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, children and families. Central to this is the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model, which amplifies the voice of the child through a Child Impact Report, ensures a higher proportion of children are directly engaged by social workers during proceedings, and offers specialist support to victims of domestic abuse. The model is supporting the court in making safe decisions which prioritise the best interests of the child, without delay. The court has a range of powers open to it in relation to the enforcement of child arrangement orders, including the power to make an enforcement order under Section 11J of the Children Act 1989 where one party has failed to comply without reasonable excuse. The court will consider the circumstances of the breach, and the impact on the child ahead of making any decision in relation to enforcement.

What assessment he has made of the impact of waiting times at the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Chamber) on claimants’ financial wellbeing.

Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The Ministry of Justice is working to reduce the outstanding caseload across the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, which includes the Social Security and Child Support jurisdiction. This is key to reducing the waiting time for tribunal hearings.The Department continues to invest in improving tribunal capacity and productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. We expect these actions to have a positive effect, improving timeliness and overall performance in the Social Entitlement Chamber.The Ministry of Justice has not conducted assessments of the impact of tribunal waiting times on claimants but we recognise the potential negative impacts and uncertainty for individuals waiting for their appeal to be resolved.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for hearings at the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Chamber).

Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The Ministry of Justice is working to reduce the outstanding caseload across the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, which includes the Social Security and Child Support jurisdiction. This is key to reducing the waiting time for tribunal hearings.The Department continues to invest in improving tribunal capacity and productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. We expect these actions to have a positive effect, improving timeliness and overall performance in the Social Entitlement Chamber.The Ministry of Justice has not conducted assessments of the impact of tribunal waiting times on claimants but we recognise the potential negative impacts and uncertainty for individuals waiting for their appeal to be resolved.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sentences for people convicted of crimes involving breaches of trading standards.

The Ministry of Justice has made no assessment of sentencing for offending involving breaches of trading standards.Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and custodial sentences.When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

What steps his Department is taking to help (a) protect the rights and (b) support the wellbeing of victims of sexual violence when trials are (i) delayed and (ii) rescheduled.

The Government recognises the impact delays to court processes may have on victims of sexual violence. We are committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases; and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days to tackle the outstanding caseload and delays. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims.To ensure ongoing communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are also offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS has also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme.The Ministry of Justice funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses. This may include providing information about the court and its processes, facilitating explanations around any delays and accompanying the witness (if allowed by the court) into the court room when they give evidence.This year, to help support the wellbeing of sexual violence victims, we have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice Violence Against Women and Girls victims spending, maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support. This includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund grant, which directly supports specialist sexual violence services.The funded services, which include advocacy and counselling support, can be accessed at any point. This includes supporting victims to continue their criminal justice system journey if their trial has been delayed or adjourned.

How many criminal trials involving charges of sexual violence have been adjourned due to insufficient courtroom time in each of the last three years.

Data on trials that have been adjourned due to insufficient court time is not held by the Ministry of Justice. Related data regarding trial effectiveness can be found here: trials_tool.xlsx.We recognise the impact on victims when trials do not proceed as planned. The Ministry of Justice funded Witness Service provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses. This may include providing information about the court and its processes, facilitating explanations around any delays and accompanying the witness (if allowed by the court) into the court room when they give evidence. To ensure ongoing communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are also offered to all adult victims of these crimes.This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. The scale of cases entering the courts is now so great that, even with the Crown Court sitting at a historically high level, this would not be enough to make meaningful progress on reducing the outstanding caseload and bring down waiting times. It is clear that we must go further and do things differently if we are to deliver swifter justice and long-lasting change for victims.That is why the Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims. Part one of the Review has been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in bringing historical child sexual violence cases to trial.

This Government is focused on delivering meaningful change for victims of child sexual violence. In April, we published our plan for responding to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s (IICSA) recommendations.In line with recommendations from IICSA, the Government has announced the removal of the three-year limitation period for personal injury claims brought by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in respect of their abuse. This reform also provides express protection for the right to a fair trial, with the burden falling on defendants to show that a fair trial is not possible. This change is intended to reduce the trauma survivors face when seeking justice and ensure that more cases can proceed without unnecessary procedural barriers. This reform is part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently being considered in Parliament.We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases; and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence. We will respond to the recommendations in the Independent Review of Criminal Courts in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trials being repeatedly adjourned on the mental health of victims of sexual violence.

The Government recognises the impact delays to court processes may have on victims of sexual violence. We are committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases; and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days to tackle the outstanding caseload and delays. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims.To ensure ongoing communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are also offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS has also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme.The Ministry of Justice funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses. This may include providing information about the court and its processes, facilitating explanations around any delays and accompanying the witness (if allowed by the court) into the court room when they give evidence.This year, to help support the wellbeing of sexual violence victims, we have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice Violence Against Women and Girls victims spending, maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support. This includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund grant, which directly supports specialist sexual violence services.The funded services, which include advocacy and counselling support, can be accessed at any point. This includes supporting victims to continue their criminal justice system journey if their trial has been delayed or adjourned.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in the (a) processing and (b) hearing of cases at the First-Tier Tribunal.

This Government inherited a broken justice system with record and rising court backlogs. We are determined to reverse these trends in this Parliament. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity by:Increasing capacity. The Lord Chancellor announced on 5 March 2025 a record investment of £2.5 billion across all court and tribunals, both civil and criminal, in 2025/26. This will allow HMCTS to increase the number of sitting days available to the tribunals to close to maximum capacity and continue a substantial judicial recruitment programme which is already underway. We have continued investment this year in the recruitment of up to 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. This includes recruitment targeted at First-tier Tribunal chambers with the greatest business need.Smarter case management. The Government is encouraging the greater use of technology to speed up the start to end process from receipt of appeal applications to their disposal. For example, in the Employment Tribunals, HMCTS has introduced a new digital case-management system, legal-officer triage, remote-hearing technology and a “virtual region” to hear appeal applications more efficiently. We are also investing in expanding our mediation offering to resolve cases before they reach the Tribunal, such as in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal where we have expanded the remit of Judicial Alternative Dispute Resolution.We expect these actions to have a positive effect on timeliness performance.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of judges to help reduce the backlog of court cases.

We are continuing to invest in high volume, regular judicial recruitment of around 1000 judges and tribunal members each year.

What steps she plans to take to tackle the backlog of court cases involving violence against women and girls.

The judiciary prioritises cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which includes victims of violence against women and girls.We have increased Crown Court funding, bringing courts to their highest capacity in almost a decade.We look forward to Sir Brian Leveson’s recommendations on once in a generation court reform, due in late Spring.

With reference to the oral answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 11 March 2025 to Question 903119 on Female Offenders, whether that specialised training is available to all staff.

The Foundation training programme for all new prison officers includes learning in relation to suicide and self-harm.  For officers working in the female estate, there is an additional week of Foundation training which gives officers an understanding of the potential for increased risk factors for women in custody in relation to self-harm and suicide. There is additional Suicide and Self Harm training that deals specifically with suicide prevention across the custodial estate, the target audience of which is all staff across HM Prison & Probation Service.

If she will undertake a review of sentencing guidelines for causing serious injury by careless driving.

The Sentencing Guideline for the offence of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving was published by the Sentencing Council in June 2022 and came into force in July 2023.The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, it 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 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.

Whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure individuals subject to a community order are able to complete their unpaid work in a neighbouring local authority area.

Community Payback allows offenders to pay recompense to the communities they have harmed by completing between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid work. The work primarily takes place in the local area to where the offender resides. This allows for reduced travel time to projects and for the offender to make reparation to their local community. There are certain circumstances when this arrangement deviates. Where are compelling reasons relating to local placement such as links to local gangs and employment considerations, steps can be taken to change the project to another local authority area.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the impact of the administration of (a) SSB Law and (b) other firms on the finances of claimants whose legal cases were disrupted; and whether her Department is taking steps to provide (i) redress and (ii) other support for affected people.

The legal profession in England and Wales together with its regulators, operate independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). Given the sector’s independence, the Ministry of Justice cannot intervene in individual cases or investigations.The Government understands the distress and financial uncertainty caused to both individuals and families by the collapse of SSB Law and similar firms. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as the body responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors, as well as most law firms in England and Wales, has now completed its investigation into the collapse of SSB Law and has given disciplinary notices to several individuals. The SRA is also progressing its investigation into Pure Legal and the solicitors involved, and aims to make decisions before the summer regarding this disciplinary process. The SRA published an update on this issue on 25 February, which is available on their website: SRA | Cavity wall insulation claims handled by SSB Group (SSB) and Pure Legal Limited (Pure Legal) | Solicitors Regulation Authority.I recently met with the SRA to ensure that lessons are learned from the SSB Law firm collapse and urged regulators to respond more proactively to these issues. It is crucial that steps are taken to prevent this type of situation from happening again.As the oversight regulator, the LSB is also conducting an independent review into the SRA’s regulatory action in the lead-up to SSB Law’s collapse. It is right for the Department to wait until these ongoing investigations are complete and to review the findings, before considering any next steps in this area.The Department is aware that some individuals involved in these claims have received unexpected demands for legal costs. Former clients of SSB Law have options for redress available to them, and they may be able to seek redress through making a negligence claim on SSB’s insurance.The SRA has published a warning notice to law firms, especially those engaged in high volume claims work, about prohibited marketing practices, such as cold calling. Alongside the warning notice, the SRA also published a no win no fee guide to help inform consumer choices: SRA | No win, no fee agreements: A guide to navigating them | Solicitors Regulation Authority.While these no win no fee agreements play a vital role in access to justice, we recognise the concerns raised about their operation. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with regulators to assess the potential need for further consumer protections.

Whether her Department is taking steps to support people who have been left personally liable for legal costs following the collapse of no-win-no-fee law firms.

The legal profession in England and Wales together with its regulators, operate independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). Given the sector’s independence, the Ministry of Justice cannot intervene in individual cases or investigations.The Government understands the distress and financial uncertainty caused to both individuals and families by the collapse of SSB Law and similar firms. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as the body responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors, as well as most law firms in England and Wales, has now completed its investigation into the collapse of SSB Law and has given disciplinary notices to several individuals. The SRA is also progressing its investigation into Pure Legal and the solicitors involved, and aims to make decisions before the summer regarding this disciplinary process. The SRA published an update on this issue on 25 February, which is available on their website: SRA | Cavity wall insulation claims handled by SSB Group (SSB) and Pure Legal Limited (Pure Legal) | Solicitors Regulation Authority.I recently met with the SRA to ensure that lessons are learned from the SSB Law firm collapse and urged regulators to respond more proactively to these issues. It is crucial that steps are taken to prevent this type of situation from happening again.As the oversight regulator, the LSB is also conducting an independent review into the SRA’s regulatory action in the lead-up to SSB Law’s collapse. It is right for the Department to wait until these ongoing investigations are complete and to review the findings, before considering any next steps in this area.The Department is aware that some individuals involved in these claims have received unexpected demands for legal costs. Former clients of SSB Law have options for redress available to them, and they may be able to seek redress through making a negligence claim on SSB’s insurance.The SRA has published a warning notice to law firms, especially those engaged in high volume claims work, about prohibited marketing practices, such as cold calling. Alongside the warning notice, the SRA also published a no win no fee guide to help inform consumer choices: SRA | No win, no fee agreements: A guide to navigating them | Solicitors Regulation Authority.While these no win no fee agreements play a vital role in access to justice, we recognise the concerns raised about their operation. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with regulators to assess the potential need for further consumer protections.

What steps her Department is taking to advocate reform of the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction to better protect victims of domestic violence.

The UK supports the work of the Hague Conference on Private International Law on their multilateral Conventions, including the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention, and works with other States Party to that Convention to improve its operation. The UK is taking a leading role in working with the Hague Conference to consider the impact of allegations and evidence of domestic abuse in judicial decision-making under the 1980 Hague Convention.