Written questions by Yasin.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing legal mechanisms for resolving disputes between carers and estates in cases where care-related costs were incurred based on written but non-contractual agreements.

In England and Wales, contract law is largely a matter of common law rather than statute. There is no legally specified template for a contract. However, a contract is formed when an agreement contains several key elements such as the making and acceptance of an offer, a consideration (something of value offered by both parties) and the requirement for the parties to have intent to create a legal relationship. If an agreement meets these principles, it could be considered a contract, regardless of form.Depending on the specifics of the case there are other common law routes to enforcing obligations such as unjust enrichment or an estoppel.The Government believes the existing law provides sufficient redress to enforce these obligations. These are complex issues and individuals should seek expert legal advice before pursuing these matters.

What the median waiting time was between a request for a registered intermediary and allocation in each of the last three years; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of these waiting times on the (a) wellbeing of victims and (b) the progress of their cases.

The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):YearAllocation statusDefence WitnessProsecution WitnessVictimTotal2022Matched3 (100%)733 (95.2%)7,018 (95.5%)7,754 (95.4%)Unmatched 16 (2%)179 (2.4%)195 (2.4%)Cancelled 21 (2.7%)151 (2.1%)172 (2.1%)In Progress 4 (0.1%)4 (0%)Total37707,3528,1252023Matched1 (100.0%)678 (94.4%)8,077 (94.8%)8,756 (94.8%)Unmatched 19 (2.6%)182 (2.1%)201 (2.2%)Cancelled 19 (2.6%)183 (2.1%)202 (2.2%)In Progress 2 (0.3%)79 (0.9%)81 (0.9%)Total17188,5219,2402024Matched4 (100.0%)554 (93.3%)8,789 (96.0%)9,347 (95.8%)Unmatched 10 (1.7%)130 (1.4%)140 (1.4%)Cancelled 20 (3.4%)164 (1.8%)184 (1.9%)In Progress 10 (1.7%)72 (0.8%)82 (0.8%)Total45949,1559,753Unmatched cases include those where:A Registered Intermediary (RI) could not be assigned to a case because the Witness Intermediary Team could not provide a RI within the timeframe specified by the end user,A RI initially accepted the case but then withdrew,the court agreed to adjourn a case and a new request reflecting the new trial date was generated.Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.Police Force AreaCancelled MatchedUnmatchedTotalAvon & Somerset1 (0.6%)173 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)177Bedfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Cambridgeshire2 (1.4%)139 (94.6%)6.0 (4.1%)147Cheshire5 (3.3%)145 (96.7%)0.0 (0%)150Cleveland6 (5.4%)102 (91.9%)3.0 (2.7%)111Cumbria2 (3.4%)56 (94.9%)1.0 (1.7%)59Derbyshire2 (0.7%)294 (98.0%)4.0 (1.3%)300Devon & Cornwall12 (2.5%)450 (95.3%)10.0 (2.1%)472Dorset1 (0.6%)171 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)175Durham5 (2.3%)213 (95.9%)4.0 (1.8%)222Dyfed-Powys1 (1.4%)69 (98.6%)0.0 (0%)70Essex5 (2.0%)234 (95.9%)5.0 (2.0%)244Gloucestershire3 (2.2%)129 (96.3%)2.0 (1.5%)134Greater Manchester6 (2.7%)214 (96.4%)2.0 (0.9%)222Gwent2 (1.3%)148 (95.5%)5.0 (3.2%)155Hampshire5 (1.5%)318 (96.7%)6.0 (1.8%)329Hertfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Humberside3 (1.9%)152 (98.1%)0.0 (0%)155Kent7 (1.6%)421 (96.8%)7.0 (1.6%)435Lancashire0.0 (0%)251 (99.2%)2 (0.8%)253Leicestershire3 (2.1%)137 (95.1%)4.0 (2.8%)144Lincolnshire7 (4.1%)147 (86.5%)16.0 (9.4%)170London21 (2.6%)769 (95.4%)16.0 (2.0%)806Merseyside3 (1.1%)258 (97.7%)3.0 (1.1%)264Norfolk9 (6.5%)119 (86.2%)10.0 (7.2%)138North Wales4 (2.5%)154 (95.7%)3.0 (1.9%)161North Yorkshire4 (2.0%)193 (98.0%)0.0 (0%)197Northamptonshire4 (2.6%)149 (96.1%)2.0 (1.3%)155Northumbria10 (3.0%)321 (96.1%)3.0 (0.9%)334Nottinghamshire7 (2.9%)227 (94.6%)6.0 (2.5%)240South Wales2 (0.6%)306 (96.2%)10.0 (3.1%)318South Yorkshire3 (1.0%)303 (99.0%)0.0 (0%)306Staffordshire6 (1.8%)319 (97.0%)4.0 (1.2%)329Suffolk3 (2.4%)118 (95.9%)2.0 (1.6%)123Surrey2 (1.2%)155 (96.9%)3.0 (1.9%)160Sussex8 (3.1%)246 (96.1%)2.0 (0.8%)256Thames Valley5 (2.1%)234 (96.7%)3.0 (1.2%)242Warwickshire3 (3.9%)73 (96.1%)0.0 (0%)76West Mercia7 (2.3%)285 (95.6%)6.0 (2.0%)298West Midlands13 (2.1%)602 (96.8%)7.0 (1.1%)622West Yorkshire3 (0.8%)377 (98.7%)2.0 (0.5%)382Wiltshire1 (1.2%)83 (96.5%)2.0 (2.3%)86Total198 (2%)9,386 (96.2%)169 (1.7%)9,753

How many and what proportion of vulnerable (a) victims and (b) witnesses assessed as requiring a registered intermediary under the Witness Intermediary Scheme were allocated one in each of the last three years; and how many requests were (i) refused and (ii) delayed due to availability constraints.

The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):YearAllocation statusDefence WitnessProsecution WitnessVictimTotal2022Matched3 (100%)733 (95.2%)7,018 (95.5%)7,754 (95.4%)Unmatched 16 (2%)179 (2.4%)195 (2.4%)Cancelled 21 (2.7%)151 (2.1%)172 (2.1%)In Progress 4 (0.1%)4 (0%)Total37707,3528,1252023Matched1 (100.0%)678 (94.4%)8,077 (94.8%)8,756 (94.8%)Unmatched 19 (2.6%)182 (2.1%)201 (2.2%)Cancelled 19 (2.6%)183 (2.1%)202 (2.2%)In Progress 2 (0.3%)79 (0.9%)81 (0.9%)Total17188,5219,2402024Matched4 (100.0%)554 (93.3%)8,789 (96.0%)9,347 (95.8%)Unmatched 10 (1.7%)130 (1.4%)140 (1.4%)Cancelled 20 (3.4%)164 (1.8%)184 (1.9%)In Progress 10 (1.7%)72 (0.8%)82 (0.8%)Total45949,1559,753Unmatched cases include those where:A Registered Intermediary (RI) could not be assigned to a case because the Witness Intermediary Team could not provide a RI within the timeframe specified by the end user,A RI initially accepted the case but then withdrew,the court agreed to adjourn a case and a new request reflecting the new trial date was generated.Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.Police Force AreaCancelled MatchedUnmatchedTotalAvon & Somerset1 (0.6%)173 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)177Bedfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Cambridgeshire2 (1.4%)139 (94.6%)6.0 (4.1%)147Cheshire5 (3.3%)145 (96.7%)0.0 (0%)150Cleveland6 (5.4%)102 (91.9%)3.0 (2.7%)111Cumbria2 (3.4%)56 (94.9%)1.0 (1.7%)59Derbyshire2 (0.7%)294 (98.0%)4.0 (1.3%)300Devon & Cornwall12 (2.5%)450 (95.3%)10.0 (2.1%)472Dorset1 (0.6%)171 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)175Durham5 (2.3%)213 (95.9%)4.0 (1.8%)222Dyfed-Powys1 (1.4%)69 (98.6%)0.0 (0%)70Essex5 (2.0%)234 (95.9%)5.0 (2.0%)244Gloucestershire3 (2.2%)129 (96.3%)2.0 (1.5%)134Greater Manchester6 (2.7%)214 (96.4%)2.0 (0.9%)222Gwent2 (1.3%)148 (95.5%)5.0 (3.2%)155Hampshire5 (1.5%)318 (96.7%)6.0 (1.8%)329Hertfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Humberside3 (1.9%)152 (98.1%)0.0 (0%)155Kent7 (1.6%)421 (96.8%)7.0 (1.6%)435Lancashire0.0 (0%)251 (99.2%)2 (0.8%)253Leicestershire3 (2.1%)137 (95.1%)4.0 (2.8%)144Lincolnshire7 (4.1%)147 (86.5%)16.0 (9.4%)170London21 (2.6%)769 (95.4%)16.0 (2.0%)806Merseyside3 (1.1%)258 (97.7%)3.0 (1.1%)264Norfolk9 (6.5%)119 (86.2%)10.0 (7.2%)138North Wales4 (2.5%)154 (95.7%)3.0 (1.9%)161North Yorkshire4 (2.0%)193 (98.0%)0.0 (0%)197Northamptonshire4 (2.6%)149 (96.1%)2.0 (1.3%)155Northumbria10 (3.0%)321 (96.1%)3.0 (0.9%)334Nottinghamshire7 (2.9%)227 (94.6%)6.0 (2.5%)240South Wales2 (0.6%)306 (96.2%)10.0 (3.1%)318South Yorkshire3 (1.0%)303 (99.0%)0.0 (0%)306Staffordshire6 (1.8%)319 (97.0%)4.0 (1.2%)329Suffolk3 (2.4%)118 (95.9%)2.0 (1.6%)123Surrey2 (1.2%)155 (96.9%)3.0 (1.9%)160Sussex8 (3.1%)246 (96.1%)2.0 (0.8%)256Thames Valley5 (2.1%)234 (96.7%)3.0 (1.2%)242Warwickshire3 (3.9%)73 (96.1%)0.0 (0%)76West Mercia7 (2.3%)285 (95.6%)6.0 (2.0%)298West Midlands13 (2.1%)602 (96.8%)7.0 (1.1%)622West Yorkshire3 (0.8%)377 (98.7%)2.0 (0.5%)382Wiltshire1 (1.2%)83 (96.5%)2.0 (2.3%)86Total198 (2%)9,386 (96.2%)169 (1.7%)9,753

What the registered intermediary allocation (a) rates and (b) waiting times are in each (i) police force area and (ii) Crown Court circuits; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all vulnerable victims have access to intermediaries.

The table below sets out the proportion of requests for a registered intermediary that were successfully matched, as well as those that could not be matched, were cancelled by the police or CPS, or where matching was still in progress at the end of the calendar year. This is broken down for victims, prosecution witnesses and defence witnesses for the calendar years 2022-2024 (the most recent years for which published data is available through the Witness Intermediary Scheme annual report):YearAllocation statusDefence WitnessProsecution WitnessVictimTotal2022Matched3 (100%)733 (95.2%)7,018 (95.5%)7,754 (95.4%)Unmatched 16 (2%)179 (2.4%)195 (2.4%)Cancelled 21 (2.7%)151 (2.1%)172 (2.1%)In Progress 4 (0.1%)4 (0%)Total37707,3528,1252023Matched1 (100.0%)678 (94.4%)8,077 (94.8%)8,756 (94.8%)Unmatched 19 (2.6%)182 (2.1%)201 (2.2%)Cancelled 19 (2.6%)183 (2.1%)202 (2.2%)In Progress 2 (0.3%)79 (0.9%)81 (0.9%)Total17188,5219,2402024Matched4 (100.0%)554 (93.3%)8,789 (96.0%)9,347 (95.8%)Unmatched 10 (1.7%)130 (1.4%)140 (1.4%)Cancelled 20 (3.4%)164 (1.8%)184 (1.9%)In Progress 10 (1.7%)72 (0.8%)82 (0.8%)Total45949,1559,753Unmatched cases include those where:A Registered Intermediary (RI) could not be assigned to a case because the Witness Intermediary Team could not provide a RI within the timeframe specified by the end user,A RI initially accepted the case but then withdrew,the court agreed to adjourn a case and a new request reflecting the new trial date was generated.Therefore, not all unmatched requests indicate that the individual did not have a RI for their case.The National Crime Agency, who administer the Witness Intermediary Scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice does not collect waiting times between the making of a request for a Registered Intermediary, so no data is available on the number of cases that were delayed due to capacity constraints.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the waiting time between the request for a registered intermediary and matching of the intermediary. The allocation of a Registered Intermediary in each case will be dependent on a number of requirements including the availability of the witness and the investigation officer as well the availability and skillset of the registered intermediary. Where a case is flagged as urgent, the National Crime Agency will endeavour to prioritise the case, including seeking registered intermediary support out of hours or at the weekend.The Ministry of Justice recruits and trains Registered Intermediaries on an ongoing basis to meet growing demand. These are informed by annual gap analyses to ascertain where demand is growing. In the 3 years to 2024, we have recruited 88 additional RIs to the Scheme.The table below sets out the rate at which requests for a Registered Intermediary (from both the police and CPS) in each police force area were matched in 2024. We do not hold data on waiting times for intermediaries. We also do not hold data broken down by Crown Court circuit.Police Force AreaCancelled MatchedUnmatchedTotalAvon & Somerset1 (0.6%)173 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)177Bedfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Cambridgeshire2 (1.4%)139 (94.6%)6.0 (4.1%)147Cheshire5 (3.3%)145 (96.7%)0.0 (0%)150Cleveland6 (5.4%)102 (91.9%)3.0 (2.7%)111Cumbria2 (3.4%)56 (94.9%)1.0 (1.7%)59Derbyshire2 (0.7%)294 (98.0%)4.0 (1.3%)300Devon & Cornwall12 (2.5%)450 (95.3%)10.0 (2.1%)472Dorset1 (0.6%)171 (97.7%)3.0 (1.7%)175Durham5 (2.3%)213 (95.9%)4.0 (1.8%)222Dyfed-Powys1 (1.4%)69 (98.6%)0.0 (0%)70Essex5 (2.0%)234 (95.9%)5.0 (2.0%)244Gloucestershire3 (2.2%)129 (96.3%)2.0 (1.5%)134Greater Manchester6 (2.7%)214 (96.4%)2.0 (0.9%)222Gwent2 (1.3%)148 (95.5%)5.0 (3.2%)155Hampshire5 (1.5%)318 (96.7%)6.0 (1.8%)329Hertfordshire1 (1.5%)66 (97.1%)1.0 (1.5%)68Humberside3 (1.9%)152 (98.1%)0.0 (0%)155Kent7 (1.6%)421 (96.8%)7.0 (1.6%)435Lancashire0.0 (0%)251 (99.2%)2 (0.8%)253Leicestershire3 (2.1%)137 (95.1%)4.0 (2.8%)144Lincolnshire7 (4.1%)147 (86.5%)16.0 (9.4%)170London21 (2.6%)769 (95.4%)16.0 (2.0%)806Merseyside3 (1.1%)258 (97.7%)3.0 (1.1%)264Norfolk9 (6.5%)119 (86.2%)10.0 (7.2%)138North Wales4 (2.5%)154 (95.7%)3.0 (1.9%)161North Yorkshire4 (2.0%)193 (98.0%)0.0 (0%)197Northamptonshire4 (2.6%)149 (96.1%)2.0 (1.3%)155Northumbria10 (3.0%)321 (96.1%)3.0 (0.9%)334Nottinghamshire7 (2.9%)227 (94.6%)6.0 (2.5%)240South Wales2 (0.6%)306 (96.2%)10.0 (3.1%)318South Yorkshire3 (1.0%)303 (99.0%)0.0 (0%)306Staffordshire6 (1.8%)319 (97.0%)4.0 (1.2%)329Suffolk3 (2.4%)118 (95.9%)2.0 (1.6%)123Surrey2 (1.2%)155 (96.9%)3.0 (1.9%)160Sussex8 (3.1%)246 (96.1%)2.0 (0.8%)256Thames Valley5 (2.1%)234 (96.7%)3.0 (1.2%)242Warwickshire3 (3.9%)73 (96.1%)0.0 (0%)76West Mercia7 (2.3%)285 (95.6%)6.0 (2.0%)298West Midlands13 (2.1%)602 (96.8%)7.0 (1.1%)622West Yorkshire3 (0.8%)377 (98.7%)2.0 (0.5%)382Wiltshire1 (1.2%)83 (96.5%)2.0 (2.3%)86Total198 (2%)9,386 (96.2%)169 (1.7%)9,753

How many people were convicted last year for simple possession of controlled drugs; and how many of those had a recorded drug dependency.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences including drug possession offences in England and Wales within the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice does not contain details of a recorded drug dependency for offenders who received a conviction.Police have the powers needed to divert individuals who commit low-level drug possession offences away from a criminal charge towards consequences that may include a requirement to attend drug educational courses and support, or treatment where needed, to help people make better, safer choices in the future.Diverting those who use illegal drugs into interventions such as drug treatment services is key to reducing drug misuse, drug related crimes and reoffending. We support the use of Out of Court Resolution (OOCR) powers to ensure that individuals who commit low-level drug possession offences are given the opportunity to change their behaviour by diverting them to meaningful and appropriate interventions.

Whether his Department has received representations concerning allegations of misleading or inaccurate citation of case law in a recent Employment Tribunal judgment; and what processes exist for referring such allegations to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.

In the event that the Ministry of Justice receives a complaint about the handling or outcome of a particular case the correspondent would be advised to seek advice regarding any right of appeal and, if the complaint is about the conduct of a member of the judiciary, provided with information about the relevant complaints process. This is because the judiciary are entirely independent and must be free to decide the outcome of cases without fear of interference from Government or its administration.Decisions of the Employment Tribunal can be appealed on a point of law to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.Complaints about the conduct of an Employment Judge sitting in England must be made to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office: https://www.complaints.judicialconduct.gov.uk/For an Employment Judge sitting wholly or mainly in Scotland, complaints must be made to the President of the Employment Tribunal (Scotland): https://www.complaints.judicialconduct.gov.uk/rulesandregulations/Employment%20Tribunal%20(Scotland)%20%E2%80%93%20Making%20a%20complaint%20of%20Judicial%20Misconduct%20about%20an%20Employment%20Judge

What steps her Department is taking to protect the (a) safety, (b) dignity and (c) privacy of transgender people participating in the criminal justice process.

Agencies across the criminal justice system are governed by the provisions of the Equality Act (2010), so must ensure that transgender people’s rights under the Act are protected. The Victims’ Code (2020) sets out the minimum level of service that all victims of crime should receive from criminal justice agencies, including the right to be treated with respect, dignity, sensitivity, compassion and courtesy and to have their privacy respected in accordance with the relevant privacy and data protection laws. This sits alongside a robust risk assessment framework to ensure the safety and security of all remanded defendants and prisoners.

What guidance has been provided to court staff on the treatment of (a) trans and (b) non-binary people, following the update to the Equal Treatment Bench Book.

No guidance has been provided to court staff on the treatment of (a) trans and (b) non-binary people, following the update to the Equal Treatment Bench Book. HMCTS is waiting for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to publish their updated statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations to support service providers. This follows the UK Supreme Court Ruling on definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010.

If she will take steps to help ensure that transgender people giving evidence in court proceedings can access facilities without being required to disclose their gender identity.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service is waiting for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to publish their updated statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations to support service providers. This follows the UK Supreme Court Ruling on definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010.

What progress her Department has made toward publishing the results of the urgent review into the presumption of parental involvement.

The previous Government announced the Review into the Presumption of Parental Involvement in November 2020, following the recommendation of the Harm Panel Report. Research into the courts’ application of the presumption was commissioned and carried out, however the outcome of the Review was not published before the 2024 general election was announced.The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all children and families involved in the family courts. Ministers are considering the evidence gathered and the Government's response will be published in due course.

What steps she is taking to reduce the backlog in the administration of family court orders.

The HMCTS Reform Programme has introduced several new digital services within the Family Courts, enhancing and automating the administration of family court orders. These services encompass Divorce, Financial Remedy, and Public Law Proceedings. Additionally, HMCTS has transitioned much of the administration of these services to the newly established Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. Centralising work to national centres has allowed for better management of work fluctuations across the various services; improved data collection on HMCTS performance and identification of areas for enhancement; and more effective alignment of working patterns to meet demand. Currently, HMCTS is piloting a new digital service for private law proceedings, aiming to replicate the administrative improvements seen in other family services. This service is scheduled to be implemented across England and Wales by the end of 2025. Whilst this new service is being piloted, HMCTS continues to prioritise the orders wating to be administered according to their urgency and are using specialist order production teams to target delay at specific local court courts.

Whether her Department plans to take steps to help ensure the parents and guardians of disabled children are able to access (a) Child Trust Funds and (b) Junior ISAs.

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund or a Junior ISA. On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the ‘Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit’, explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an application to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on GOV.UK. We understand that concerns remain, and the Ministry of Justice is exploring what further can be done to help improve access to matured Child Trust Funds.