Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Whether he met President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria during his visit to the UK on 31 March 2026.

The Secretary of State for Justice did not meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria during his visit to the UK on 31 March 2026.

What is the rate of recidivism for hare coursing in the most recent period for which reporting is available.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What discussions the Deputy Prime Minister has had with the President of the Maldives since 1 January 2026.

The Deputy Prime Minister has not held discussions with the President of the Maldives since 1 January 2026.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2024 to question 122048 on Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders, what proportion of those recalls were attributed to the introduction of the a) Fixed-Term Recall Statutory Instrument (FTR-SI) and the b) Standard Determinate Sentences 40% (SDS40).

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) on licence recalls.Further breakdowns of this information are not held by the Ministry of Justice.

In which probation regions is the Domestic Abuse Perpetrators on Licence pilot currently live.

The Domestic Abuse Perpetrators on Licence (DAPOL) pilot is currently live in eight probation regions: East Midlands; West Midlands; London; Kent, Surrey and Sussex; East of England; South West; South Central; and Wales.The Electronic Monitoring for Acquisitive Crime (AC) scheme is currently live in the following 19 police force areas in England and Wales: Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, City of London, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Kent, the Metropolitan Police area, North Wales, Nottinghamshire, Sussex and West Midlands.

In which police force areas is the Acquisitive Crime scheme currently live.

The Domestic Abuse Perpetrators on Licence (DAPOL) pilot is currently live in eight probation regions: East Midlands; West Midlands; London; Kent, Surrey and Sussex; East of England; South West; South Central; and Wales.The Electronic Monitoring for Acquisitive Crime (AC) scheme is currently live in the following 19 police force areas in England and Wales: Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, City of London, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Kent, the Metropolitan Police area, North Wales, Nottinghamshire, Sussex and West Midlands.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Leyhill.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansion at HMP Erlestoke.Although the sites at HMP Leyhill, HMP Ford and HMP Standford Hill were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Ford.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansion at HMP Erlestoke.Although the sites at HMP Leyhill, HMP Ford and HMP Standford Hill were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

What the reasons were for trends in the level of licence recalls between July and September (a) 2025 and (b) 2024.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) on licence recalls.As per the OMSQ statistics, the level of recalls in the last five quarters are likely associated with the introduction of (a) Fixed-Term Recall Statutory Instrument (FTR-SI) in April 2024 and (b) Standard Determinate Sentences 40% (SDS40) in September 2024.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Erlestoke.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansion at HMP Erlestoke.Although the sites at HMP Leyhill, HMP Ford and HMP Standford Hill were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Standford Hill.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansion at HMP Erlestoke.Although the sites at HMP Leyhill, HMP Ford and HMP Standford Hill were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Guys Marsh.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP The Verne.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Warren Hill.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at the planned new prison in Buckinghamshire.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Kirklevington Grange.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

How many offenders released on licence since 5 July 2024 and recalled to custody had not been returned to custody by the end of December 2025.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Once an offender’s licence has been revoked, it falls to the Police to apprehend the offender and return them to prison custody.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Liverpool.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 117955 on Prisons: Unmanned Air Systems, when will selected industry partners have developed proof-of-concept systems.

Industry partners are expected to complete their proof-of-concept systems by mid-summer 2026.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Prescoed.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.