Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What proportion of people who appeal against sentence and conviction from the magistrates court are unrepresented.

Awaiting answer.

What proportion of hearings of appeals against conviction from the magistrates' court involve A) complainants in general and B) vulnerable complainants.

Awaiting answer.

If he will provide a date as to when his Department will respond to the consultation into regulation and oversight of private prosecutions in the Criminal Justice System which closed in May 2025.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment has been made of the specific impact of extending fixed-term recall periods from 28 to 56 days on (a) pregnant women, (b) mothers of young children, and (c) women recalled for minor administrative licence breaches; and whether a gender-specific impact assessment of this provision has been published.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the European Committee of Social Rights on the UK’s compliance with the European Social Charter in relation to prison officers.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether his Department plans to review the prohibition on prison officers taking industrial action.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

If he will undertake a review of the legal management of divorce proceedings; and if he will make it his policy to reform interim financial arrangements to ensure neither party is financially disadvantaged or placed in financial difficulty prior to the final settlement.

The Government has no plans to undertake a further review of divorce law in respect of the way in which marriages are dissolved. This is because significant reforms were introduced by the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (“DDSA”) 2020, which came into force on 6 April 2022. These reforms established a system of no-fault divorce, enabled joint applications and strengthened protections for respondents, including by making provision to delay the final order where financial disadvantage may arise before the settlement becomes final.The law governing financial remedies on divorce enables parties to apply to the court for the division of assets. This legislation also allows applications for interim maintenance orders (known as “maintenance pending suit”) once a divorce application has been made. These orders can meet immediate needs, in so far as the court thinks reasonable, before a financial settlement is reached.The Law Commission conducted a review of the law relating to financial remedies on divorce in December 2024. The Government will be considering issues raised by the Law Commission, including issues relating to vulnerable individuals, in its upcoming consultation on Cohabitation and Financial Remedies.

If he will publish the dates of all meetings with the campaign group Hillsborough Law Now, or Pete Weatherby KC, since Sunday 18 January 2026.

Ministers value a close and collaborative working relationship with Hillsborough Law Now and Pete Weatherby KC and have engaged continuously since 18 January through phone calls, messages and official meetings including on 19 January and 6 March.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in the provision of prison education on future reoffending rates.

The Ministry of Justice remains firmly committed to reducing reoffending by ensuring that prisoners can access high‑quality education, skills training and work opportunities. Rising delivery costs have impacted the level of provision that can be commissioned through the Core Education contracts, but this is one part of a much broader offer designed to support rehabilitation. Prisoners continue to benefit from a wide range of educational opportunities, including digitally enabled in‑cell learning, locally commissioned programmes, library services, higher‑level study, vocational qualifications, apprenticeships and work in prison industries. Governors retain the flexibility to commission provision that best meets the needs of their population. We will monitor delivery and outcomes through contract management and a full evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service.

What plans he has for the Magistrates Court building in Chichester.

There are currently no plans to reopen the former Chichester Magistrates’ Court. The building has been closed since 2017 and is now in very poor condition. With the neighbouring Chichester Combined Court having transitioned from a Nightingale court to the permanent estate, HMCTS is now reviewing options for the future of the former Magistrates’ Court site, including its disposal.

Whether he will consider reopening the Magistrates Court in Chichester.

There are currently no plans to reopen the former Chichester Magistrates’ Court. The building has been closed since 2017 and is now in very poor condition. With the neighbouring Chichester Combined Court having transitioned from a Nightingale court to the permanent estate, HMCTS is now reviewing options for the future of the former Magistrates’ Court site, including its disposal.

What estimate he has made of the percentage of the cases awaiting a Crown Court trial that have a potential sentence of up to three years imprisonment and that would go before a Judge-only court under his proposed court reforms.

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Whether his Department has information on the median age of cases that have yet to elect mode of trial.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly. The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

What estimate he has made of the percentage of cases in the overall Crown Court backlog are either way cases that would be no longer eligible for jury trial under the government’s proposed reforms.

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

What assessment he has made of the percentage of the current Crown Court backlog would be sent for judge alone trials under the government’s proposed court reforms.

As is usual practice, detailed impact assessments will be provided alongside the necessary legislation for these reforms. The Government will bring forward this legislation when parliamentary time allows.

What assessment he has made of the current number of either-way cases in the present Crown Court backlog that have yet to elect mode of trial.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly. The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

What assessment he has made of the proportion of cases in the backlog are still pending the decision of the defendant to elect mode of trial.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information about cases in the open caseload at both the magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court. This includes breakdowns of volumes and durations as part of the Crown Court open caseload published as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: Criminal court statistics quarterly. The Ministry of Justice does not publish data relating to the progression of cases or mode of trial in the open caseload.

Whether he plans to bring forward legislation to reverse the PACCAR judgement within the current Parliament.

We intend to introduce legislation to mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment as soon as parliamentary time allows. The new legislation will clarify that Litigation Funding Agreements are not Damages Based Agreements. The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all.We will outline next steps in due course.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the criteria for parental involvement in decision-making for young people who lack mental capacity after becoming 18 years of age.

Anyone who wishes to make decisions for a person who lacks the mental capacity to do so for themselves must have the legal authority to act. The provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 reflect that principle and provide safeguards to protect the interests of persons who lack mental capacity.Parents are often unaware they need legal authority to make decisions once their child reaches 18, when legal parental responsibility ends. The Government acknowledges this lack of awareness and in relation to property and finance has produced a toolkit ‘Making Financial decisions for young people who lack capacity’ to raise awareness: Making financial decisions for young people who lack capacity: A toolkit for parents and carers - GOV.UK.Parents and carers can still be involved in decisions regarding the young person. Section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, outlines the principles for making decisions in a person’s best interests for whom they care and confirms that the decision maker should consult with anyone engaged in caring for the person as well as close family and friends.

If he will make it her policy to seek an agreement with the US Government on measures to minimise delays in UK probate cases where the deceased held assets in the US.

Applications for probate for the estate of an individual who died domiciled in England and Wales will normally be dealt with by reference to domestic laws.Where an estate involves foreign assets, the onus is on personal representatives to assess which laws would apply in an individual case, and whether probate would be required in other jurisdictions to administer a cross-border estate.Where it is necessary, private international law rules may need to be exercised to determine which law of succession should apply to the assets applies. These rules are well established and there are no plans to seek an international agreement with individual states.