Written questions by Glindon.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Prisoner Escort and Custody Services contractors who have escorted prisoners to court late and were attributable to trials being delayed.

HMPPS holds regular contract management boards and strategic partnership boards with Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers to review performance, including any instances where late arrival at court has been attributed to supplier actions. These discussions are informed by assured Court Exception Report data from courts and focus on identifying root causes, agreeing corrective actions and applying contractual levers where appropriate. To strengthen system wide oversight, a Prisoner Delivery Oversight Board has been established, chaired by Lord Timpson and Minister Sackman, with representation from key Criminal Justice System partners, and will meet quarterly. Evidence from recent performance reporting shows consistent levels of PECS Supplier delivery to court, with supplier attributable delays remaining low relative to overall court production volumes. In 2025, overall criminal justice system delivery to court was on time in 98.19% of cases; PECS suppliers met contractual expectations by delivering prisoners to court on time in 99.91% of cases. PECS supplier attributable delays represent a small proportion of overall court delays, which are approximately 8% as a whole. The Department continually assesses the effectiveness of service credits within PECS contracts as part of its performance management framework. Service credits are applied where outcomes fall below contractual standards and act as an incentive to maintain high levels of punctuality and operational performance. Where performance concerns arise, service credits are accompanied by improvement plans and closer operational scrutiny to drive sustained improvement rather than relying on financial levers alone.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of service credits in contractual arrangements with Prisoner Escort and Custody Services suppliers on the punctuality of prisoner arrivals in court.

HMPPS holds regular contract management boards and strategic partnership boards with Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers to review performance, including any instances where late arrival at court has been attributed to supplier actions. These discussions are informed by assured Court Exception Report data from courts and focus on identifying root causes, agreeing corrective actions and applying contractual levers where appropriate. To strengthen system wide oversight, a Prisoner Delivery Oversight Board has been established, chaired by Lord Timpson and Minister Sackman, with representation from key Criminal Justice System partners, and will meet quarterly. Evidence from recent performance reporting shows consistent levels of PECS Supplier delivery to court, with supplier attributable delays remaining low relative to overall court production volumes. In 2025, overall criminal justice system delivery to court was on time in 98.19% of cases; PECS suppliers met contractual expectations by delivering prisoners to court on time in 99.91% of cases. PECS supplier attributable delays represent a small proportion of overall court delays, which are approximately 8% as a whole. The Department continually assesses the effectiveness of service credits within PECS contracts as part of its performance management framework. Service credits are applied where outcomes fall below contractual standards and act as an incentive to maintain high levels of punctuality and operational performance. Where performance concerns arise, service credits are accompanied by improvement plans and closer operational scrutiny to drive sustained improvement rather than relying on financial levers alone.

What steps he is taking to ensure that private prosecutions are not misused for vexatious purposes.

The Government recognises that vexatious private prosecutions are a serious problem. There are established mechanisms for dealing with vexatious applications. In deciding whether to issue a summons for an individual or organisation to bring a private prosecution, magistrates will review whether the application is vexatious and will decline the application if it is. Defendants who wish to challenge the grant of a summons for a private prosecution against them can do so by requesting a judicial review of the decision or applying to the High Court to quash the summons.Fairness and transparency are the cornerstones of our justice system and there is a clear need to set consistent standards amongst private prosecutors. We think there is scope to do more to ensure such high standards.That is why the Government launched a consultation into the regulation of private prosecutors which closed earlier this year. We will set out next steps shortly.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of safeguards to prevent the misuse of private prosecutions for vexatious purposes.

The Government recognises that vexatious private prosecutions are a serious problem. There are established mechanisms for dealing with vexatious applications. In deciding whether to issue a summons for an individual or organisation to bring a private prosecution, magistrates will review whether the application is vexatious and will decline the application if it is. Defendants who wish to challenge the grant of a summons for a private prosecution against them can do so by requesting a judicial review of the decision or applying to the High Court to quash the summons.Fairness and transparency are the cornerstones of our justice system and there is a clear need to set consistent standards amongst private prosecutors. We think there is scope to do more to ensure such high standards.That is why the Government launched a consultation into the regulation of private prosecutors which closed earlier this year. We will set out next steps shortly.

What recent discussions she has had with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman on its planned timetable to publish the report on its special investigation into Medomsley Detention Centre.

I have the deepest sympathy for victims and survivors of abuse suffered at Medomsley Detention Centre. The previous Government, after years of campaigning by victims and survivors, commissioned the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) in October 2023 to undertake a thorough review of the abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre between 1961 and 1987. The investigation commenced in November 2023 and looked into what the authorities knew about the abuse over this period, if there were opportunities for them to take action or intervene, and what action they took.The PPO has now concluded the evidence-gathering phase of the investigation, and we expect the PPO to publish the final report later this year.I continue to be grateful to the PPO for their expertise and independence in conducting a rigorous investigation and I hope this will help us to understand how such horrific events were able to take place.

How many households received a possession proceedings order after receiving a Section 21 notice in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) North Tyneside in 2024; and what proportion of those households had to pay court costs.

The information requested is not held. The Ministry of Justice publishes data about possession proceedings at: Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK.

What steps she is taking to introduce specialist rape courts at every Crown Court.

We know that, due to the complexity of the cases, victims of rape can wait longer than victims of other offence types for their case to complete in court. We remain committed to delivering our manifesto commitment, where we set out that we will fast-track rape cases, with specialist courts.The fast-tracking of rape cases has dependencies with, and impacts on, the rest of the criminal justice system, including the wider Crown Court caseload and the capacity of the rape and serious sexual offences specialist legal workforce. We are carefully considering how best to deliver this. We plan to work closely with the judiciary and will be able to say more in due course.We are committed to supporting victims of rape throughout their journeys through the criminal justice system, including at court. Section 28 has helped victims and witnesses avoid the stress of giving evidence live at trial and improve their evidence, by enabling cross-examination to take place at a separate hearing in advance of the trial. Trauma informed training has now been rolled out at three Crown Courts, to over 400 staff who come into contact with victims at court. We have also been running a one-year pilot through which victims of rape and other sexual offences can request transcripts of the Crown Court sentencing remarks in their case, for free, which will end in May 2025.We will go further, and as part of our landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, we are also introducing specialist rape and sexual offence teams in every police force and rolling out free, independent legal advocates for victims of adult rape, to advise them at any point from the moment they report.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring parity of access to public funds for (a) domestic and (b) overseas applicants for child arrangement orders.

Court and tribunal fees do not vary depending on whether the applicant resides in England and Wales or overseas. The Help with Fees remission scheme is available for those who are less able to reasonably afford a court or tribunal fee. Providing that the application is made in English or Welsh, and the applicants’ income is in pound sterling, eligibility for a full or partial fee remission is not affected by whether the applicant resides in England and Wales or overseas. The only exception relates to proceedings taking place in the Immigration & Asylum chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, for which only in-country applicants can apply for Help with Fees. Similarly, access to legal aid is determined by the jurisdiction of the court (i.e. whether the relevant proceedings are before a court in England and Wales), rather than where an applicant is residing. In private family proceedings, legal aid is available for matters such as child arrangement orders, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if you are a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Legal aid is also available for child arrangements orders sought as protection measures for children. Funding is subject to providing the required evidence and passing the means and merits tests.