Written questions by Mullan.

What steps she is taking to support prisoner transport services in ensuring prisoners are able to get to court in time for their trial.

The Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS), which is part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS), provides Ministers with regular updates on performance against delivery targets. Over the 12 months to February 2025, PECS contractual monthly performance has been over 99.8%. It is recognised that there are many factors that can lead to trials being delayed, and that the efficient running of the criminal justice system requires a whole-system approach. In addition to initiatives to improve outcomes at local level, HMPPS works with criminal justice partners through its Strategic Partnership Board, which includes representatives from His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service and the police, as well as the contractors which deliver PECS services, to ensure that prisoners get to court on time, and that courts are prepared for their arrival.

If she will make an assessment of the reasons for which the number of cases that have been declared ineffective as a result of poor case preparation has increased since 2021; and what steps she is taking to help support the sector in reducing this.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

How many and what proportion of trials overran in 2024.

Official Statistics (Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly) show that in 2024, of the 31,158 trials in the Crown Courts, 665 trials were ineffective due to witness unavailability and 1,637 trials were ineffective due to defendant unavailability. These figures should be interpreted with caution, as they encompass instances of illness, situations where Prisoner Escort and Custody Services lack capacity and cases involving misinformed defendants. Data on trials that have overran is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The judiciary, supported by the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS, is committed to driving down the ineffective trial rate. Since 2023 trends have been improving, and the proportion of ineffective trials in Crown Courts has reduced from 27% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. To improve court case efficiencies, the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS are currently testing a newly formed “Case Coordinator” role in Crown Courts as a proof-of-concept. The role is designed to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. Case Coordinators are a dedicated senior case progression resource, handling cases from receipt through to disposal with a strong focus on early case management and trials. Case Coordinators work with the CPS, defence, and other relevant parties to help ensure timetables are kept, responsibilities and judicial orders are abided by, and parties are prepared for hearings and trials. The ambition is that the Case Coordinator role will lead to fewer ineffective hearings and trials, fewer cracked trials, and overall, less wasted court time. The impact of role will be evaluated in Autumn 2025, once the pilot has concluded. We welcome this progress, but further work is needed to reduce ineffective trials. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Phase 2 of the review will consider the efficiency and timeliness of processes of the criminal courts through charge to conviction or acquittal.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the impartiality of its review into the impact of smartphones on teenagers.

In December 2024, DSIT launched a feasibility study on methods and data to research the impact of smartphones and social media on children. DSIT awarded the contract through an impartial tender process, which required all bids to declare any conflicts of interest. The winning bid was submitted by a consortium of academics with extensive published, peer-reviewed research on the topic, from nine of the UK’s leading universities. Following scientific best practice, the research team pre-published the details of their evidence synthesis, which is available here: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42025641338.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle the shortfall in clinical psychologists; and whether he plans to provide additional funding for clinical psychology training places in the next financial year.

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.Clinical psychologists are an essential component of the NHS workforce. NHS England’s workforce growth commitment has included significant investment to double the number of NHS commissioned Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training places since 2019/20 to just under 1,100 places in 2024. It is expected this level of commissions will be sustained in the 2025/26 financial year.However, we know that the NHS has been facing workforce shortages for a number of years and, while there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.We are working with NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment alongside the refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10 Year Plan, specifically: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.

What assessment he has made of when the NHS will be able to meet the target of 92% of people waiting for elective mental health treatment waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to their first treatment.

The overall elective waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over six million people waiting. We are committed to putting patients first, making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.As set out in the Government’s Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes those patients waiting for mental health services where a referral is made to a medical consultant-led mental health service. The majority of National Health Service mental health care is outside the scope of the elective waiting list and the referral to treatment 18-week constitutional standard.We know that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on hospitals.The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 includes objectives to increase the number of children and young people accessing services to achieve the national ambition for 345,000 additional children and young people aged zero to 25 years old compared to 2019, and to reduce 12 hour accident and emergency waits. We will also ensure every young person has access to a mental health professional at school, and will set up Young Futures hubs in communities, offering open access mental health services for young people.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2025 to Question 28573 on Brain: Tumours, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including grading in the national cancer plan to help improve (a) treatment and (b) outcomes for brain tumour patients.

There are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, at any grade. The Government has invested in new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients including those with brain tumours. However, we do not expect to consider the grading of brain tumours as part of the National Cancer Plan.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on allocations for the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

The government has allocated £670 million in Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding in the financial year 2025 to 2026. BSIP funding is allocated directly to local transport authorities in England.On 18 December 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an additional £515 million in support for local authorities (including combined authorities) in England to mitigate the additional impact of the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions on their budgets, including their transport budgets. More information can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-explanatory-note-on-the-employer-national-insurance-contribution-grant-2025-to-2026.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of excluding measures of grading in brain tumour diagnosis on his targets for cancer diagnosis set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

The target for earlier cancer diagnosis is to diagnose more cancers at stages 1 and 2, because when cancer is diagnosed earlier, there are more potential treatment options and the likelihood of successful treatment is higher. The grading of brain tumours is not directly comparable to the staging of cancers because brain tumours at grade 1 and grade 2 are not considered cancerous. Only brain tumours at grades 3 and 4 are classed as cancerous.The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

Whether she has had discussions with the Prime Minister through (a) WhatsApp messages, (b) text messages, (c) email, (d) written correspondence and (e) verbal exchanges on (i) the potential impact of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on compensation liabilities for individuals interned during the 1970s and (ii) negotiations with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, and it applies to your question.

How many delays there have been in fitting sobriety tags longer than (a) one, (b) seven, (c) 14 and (d) 28 days in each of the last 12 months.

The table below illustrates the proportional duration of fitting alcohol orders by month of order start date, from November 2023 to October 2024. This includes both AAMR tag and AML tag.Up until May 2024, the electronic monitoring service was delivered by Capita. Serco took on the service on 1 May 2024. Provider performance was poor either side of the transfer and there has been a backlog of visits under Serco.Ministers have been clear that Serco’s performance has been unacceptable and contractual penalties have been levied against them as a result.Frequency Distribution of Durations of Tag Fit Time for Alcohol Tags by Month (November 2023 – October 2024) Days Date 1 day or less 2 to 7 days 8 to 14 days 15 to 28 days 28 days+ Nov 2314%48%16%12%9% Dec 2321%39%11%11%18% Jan 2416%37%8%14%25% Feb 2425%35%8%14%19% Mar 2419%33%12%22%14% Apr 2422%35%10%14%19% May 2413%26%10%25%25% Jun 2413%34%17%19%17% Jul 2422%42%15%14%8% Aug 2423%39%13%14%10% Sep 2421%32%16%19%11% Oct 2429%42%15%14%1% Proportion 20% 36% 13% 16% 15% NotesThese figures are drawn from administrative data systems provided by contractors. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent.These figures exclude those who had not had a tag fitted at the point the underlying files were generated. An individual subject to an AM order may not have a tag fitted for a number of reasons, including being recalled.The tag fit time has been derived by subtracting the first date the data appears as tagged on the caseload file, as compared to the order start date. Where AMS is notified late of an order, the difference between the order start date and the date the tag is fitted is not an accurate reflection of contractor performance.Data provided for the period November 2023 to October 2024 as this represents the latest available data.Monitored individuals are unique individuals with a live EM order and with an alcohol device (AAMR or AML) fitted.Alcohol monitoring cannot be used for those under 18.

Whether the police national computer retains nominal records for non-resident people.

Non-resident individuals may have nominal records created on the Police National Computer where information suggests that they may pose a risk to UK residents.Changes to the residency status of a person are not routinely considered as a factor in the ongoing retention of their nominal record.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19427 on the Police National Computer, what proportion of PNC records relate to dead people.

The data could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What the (a) recall and (b) reoffending rates are for offenders who have been released under the SDS40 scheme since September 2024.

The number of people who have been recalled or have reoffended following release under the early release measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of P...

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, how many visits for tag installation for SDS40 releases did not result in the offender being tagged.

1,889 prisoners were released on day one of tranche 1 and 1,223 were released on day one of tranche 2 of SDS40 releases. All visits for the installation of tags for these offenders were completed by 4 November.To provide the number of people who did not h...

How many offenders released under the standard determinate sentence (SDS40) release scheme have re-offended since September 2024; and how many were not tagged when re-offending despite it being a condition of the

The number of people who have reoffended following release under the early release measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official S...

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, for what reason all SDS40 releases were not tagged before leaving prison.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse, and as a result was forced to introduce the emergency SDS40 scheme which allows some individuals to be released 40% of the way through their custodial sentence rather than at 50...

How many and what proportion of offenders released from prison under the standard determinate sentence (SDS40) release scheme were (a) released in error and (b) subsequently recalled since September 2024.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse and was therefore forced on 10 September 2024, to take the unavoidable step to move certain release points from 50% to 40%, with an initial tranche of eligible offenders released...

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question HL2063 on Prisoners' Release: Electronic Tagging, how many SDS40 prisoners requiring electronic tags were released without those tags; and what the average n

1,889 prisoners were released on day one of tranche 1 and 1,223 were released on day one of tranche 2 of SDS40 releases. All visits for the installation of tags for these offenders were completed by 4 November.To provide the number of people who did not h...

When she plans to publish the impact evaluation for the acquisitive crime project.

We will publish the first impact evaluation of the Acquisitive Crime project next year. This will evaluate the effectiveness of compulsory, global positioning system (GPS) location monitoring at deterring burglars, robbers and thieves from reoffending and...