Written questions by Anderson.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of judicial penalties for domestic abuse.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. Although domestic abuse is not a standalone offence, it is a context within which a wide range of criminal offences may be committed, which courts will take into account. We recognise the importance of consistently identifying domestic abuse offenders at every stage of the system. That is why we are moving at pace to implement a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing in criminal cases, delivering on a recommendation made in the Independent Sentencing Review.This domestic abuse identifier will enable police, prisons and probation to more consistently identify domestic abuse offenders. This will mean improved support for victims, whether the domestic abuse perpetrator is in the community or in prison.

How much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.

We are unable to separate advertising and marketing spend. Total spend with our media buying agency Omnigov and TMP for the last three financial years is as follows:22/23 23/24 24/25 £3,120,675£12,609,151£8,975,058 The Ministry of Justice advertising spend is published yearly within our Annual Report and Accounts. Attached are the reports that cover the three previous financial years.2022/23 – Annual Report and Accounts2023/24 – Annual Report and Accounts2024/25 – Annual Report and Accounts The Ministry of Justice uses advertising to support the Department in delivering its key priorities. These priorities include campaigns that ensure victims of crime are aware of, and able to access the support services available to them, as well as our recruitment campaigns that support filling our operationally critical front line roles in the Prison and Probation Service, and Magistrates roles.

How many people have been convicted of spiking in each of the last five years.

Incidents of spiking may be prosecuted under various criminal offences. These offences encompass a broad spectrum of criminal behaviours, not all of which constitute spiking.The Ministry of Justice does not currently collate statistics which show the number of individuals who are charged and subsequently prosecuted and convicted of offences which relate to incidents of spiking. The Government is, however, considering options to improve the way spiking crimes are recorded and collated with the aim of capturing better data to help advise preventative strategies for spiking where needed.

How many prisoners released through the Early Release Scheme have since reoffended.

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics We have also published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK

Whether his Department currently has an English proficiency requirement for prison officers.

The prison officer recruitment process assesses English language proficiency at multiple stages, without requiring a separate English test or formal qualifications such as GCSEs at the point of application. The process for recruiting prison officers across all Public Sector Prisons is the same for all applicants, both UK and non-UK nationals, with candidates appointed based on merit, in line with the fair and open Civil Service recruitment principles.Once candidates have passed the application and online test stages, they are assessed via His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service’s centralised Online Assessment Centre (OAC), which is conducted by trained human assessors who evaluate candidates in real time. Candidates undertake a written assessment, role-play exercises and a structured interview, all designed to assess whether they possess the written and spoken communication skills required for the prison officer role.The centralised OAC process upholds consistent standards across all applicants and cannot be bypassed through automated or multiple-choice responses alone. This approach ensures that any difficulties in understanding instructions or in expressing responses clearly are identified and reflected in the assessment outcome. The assessment process also includes fitness and medical checks, which are applied to the same standard for all candidates, regardless of nationality.We continuously evaluate our assessment process for all stages of prison officer recruitment to ensure best practice and integrate improvements appropriately as new tools and methodologies become available. Future changes to the assessment process will continue to assess a candidate’s English proficiency against the communication skills required for the prison officer role and will remain aligned with professional attainment levels used across comparable professions.

What proportion of the prison population do not have (a) English and (b) another native UK languages as a first language in each of the last five years; and what languages such prisoners did speak as a first language.

The information requested is not centrally recorded.Collecting it would involve a search of the records of each prisoner in England and Wales over the last five years. It could not, therefore, be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

What data his Department holds on the total cost of (a) translation and (b) interpretation services in the court system for each of the last five years.

The information requested can be found in the tables below.Translation:FY TranslationFY21-22£ 51,231.54FY22-23£ 113,487.07FY23-24£ 140,829.23FY24-25£ 126,433.75FY25-26£ 78,995.19Total £ 510,976.78 Interpreting:FYInterpretingFY21/22£ 22,225,742.45FY22/23£ 27,362,968.49FY23/24£ 31,022,423.14FY24/25£ 32,390,150.55FY25/26£ 20,517,115.66Total £ 133,518,400.29 The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users whom English is not their first language. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.

What data his Department holds on the number of prison officers who do not have English as a first language.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What data his Department holds on the number of interpreters used in the court system in each of the last fives years; and what languages these interpreters were for.

The Ministry of Justice uses interpreting and translation services provided under contract.The information requested is not held centrally.

What data his Department holds on the total cost of (a) translation and (b) interpretation services in the prison system for each of the last five years.

The requested information has been provided in the tables below.Translation:FYTranslationFY21-22£ 83,462.46FY22-23£ 137,213.31FY23-24£ 280,071.34FY24-25£ 328,526.54FY25-26£ 142,303.32Total £ 971,576.97 Interpreting:FY InterpretingFY21/22£ 133,776.35FY22/23£ 125,495.41FY23/24£ 163,546.08FY24/25£ 161,212.42FY25/26£ 105,987.79Total £ 690,018.05 The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users whom English is not their first language. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of foreign nationals in prison.

The number of foreign national offenders in prison is published as part of the Offender Management Quarterly statistics series. The series can be accessed with the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly.Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. Where appropriate, the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making people convicted of murder ineligible for transfer to open prisons.

Public protection is the Government’s foremost priority when considering any progression within the custodial estate.There are no current plans to restrict those convicted of murder from being held in open prison conditions, as long as it safe to do so.A prisoner serving a mandatory life sentence for murder is eligible to be considered for a move to an open prison only if within three years of completing the minimum term (tariff) set by the Court at the point of sentence. Further, other than in exceptional circumstances, a life sentence prisoner will be approved for transfer to open conditions only in response to a recommendation made by the Parole Board, following a rigorous risk assessment. Even where the Parole Board makes such a recommendation, the Secretary of State is not bound by it and conducts his own risk assessment before approving the recommendation and so authorising transfer. If, following transfer, the prisoner shows signs of increased risk, s/he will be returned to closed conditions.Following a long period of incarceration in closed conditions, a period in open conditions may provide important evidence for the purposes of the Parole Board’s determination of whether the prisoner may be safely released into the community on life licence. It also helps to acquaint the prisoner with life outside of prison, which might have changed substantially during the period of imprisonment. This Government remains committed to supporting the progression of prisoners serving life or other indeterminate sentences by supporting them to reduce their risk to a level where the Parole Board determines they may be safely released, subject to a robust risk management plan.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making prisoners ineligible for parole until after they have served their minimum term in prison.

Prisoners may only be considered for release by the Parole Board once their minimum term has been served; this is known as the parole eligibility date (or tariff expiry date for indeterminate sentences). This statutory safeguard guarantees that no prisoner will be released prior to serving the minimum period of custody established by the court. Release before this point is not permitted under legislation other than the Secretary of State’s overriding power to release any prisoner early on compassionate grounds, which is rarely used.The recent Independent Sentencing Review proposed a progression model that would allow certain offenders, namely those serving extended determinate sentences, to earn earlier consideration for release based on behaviour and rehabilitation. However, this recommendation was rejected because we do not think it would be right to allow prisoners who have been deemed dangerous by the courts to have their parole eligibility date brought forward.

How many prisoners have successfully applied for parole before their minimum sentence has been served.

We have interpreted “eligible for parole” to mean that a prisoner must lawfully be referred to the Parole Board of England & Wales to assess whether they can be safely released into the community on licence.The statutory framework on parole for both indeterminate and relevant determinate sentence cases is set out in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003.Prisoners are not eligible to be considered for parole until the end of the minimum custodial term which is their earliest possible release date. That date is known as the parole eligibility date (PED) or tariff expiry date (TED) depending on the type of sentence. The minimum custodial term is set by the courts when the sentence is imposed and cannot be changed by the Secretary of State.There is no data on the number of prisoners who have successfully applied for parole before their minimum sentence has been served, because such releases are not permitted under legislation.

How many people convicted of (a) murder, (b) other violent offences, and (c) sexual offences have successfully applied for parole in each of the last 3 years.

I must clarify that prisoners serving parole eligible sentences do not apply for parole. By law, the Secretary of State for Justice must refer such prisoners to the independent Parole Board at the point of earliest eligibility in line with the sentence being served.The table below sets out the number of release directions issued by the Parole Board for the period requested, broken down by offence group:Offence Group 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25Sexual offences493638687Murder308379344Violent offences9861,2551,1781. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.In considering prisoners’ suitability for release, the independent Parole Board conducts a stringent assessment of risk based on a dossier of evidence. Public protection remains the number one priority and the Parole Board will only release prisoners where it is satisfied that any risks posed are able to be safely managed in the community under the supervision of the Probation Service.

How are victims' opinions taken into account in parole decisions for prisoners before they have served their minimum term.

Prisoners may not be considered for release by the Parole Board until they have served the minimum custodial term imposed by the court. Victims have important rights when it comes to prisoners who are eligible for release via direction from the Parole Board and there are established mechanisms to enable them to exercise those rights. Victims who are eligible under the Victim Contact Scheme are contacted in advance of the prisoner’s first parole review – and any subsequent reviews. This allows them to submit a Victim Personal Statement explaining the effect that the crime has had on them and their family, which may inform the Parole Board’s consideration of licence conditions, should release be directed. However, this engagement does not influence the timing of parole eligibility.

For what reasons prisoners can become eligible for parole before their earliest potential release date.

We have interpreted “eligible for parole” to mean that a prisoner must lawfully be referred to the Parole Board of England & Wales to assess whether they can be safely released into the community on licence.The statutory framework on parole for both indeterminate and relevant determinate sentence cases is set out in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003.Prisoners are not eligible to be considered for parole until the end of the minimum custodial term which is their earliest possible release date. That date is known as the parole eligibility date (PED) or tariff expiry date (TED) depending on the type of sentence. The minimum custodial term is set by the courts when the sentence is imposed and cannot be changed by the Secretary of State.There is no data on the number of prisoners who have successfully applied for parole before their minimum sentence has been served, because such releases are not permitted under legislation.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.Over the past year, the Ministry of Justice has delivered targeted recruitment initiatives to support underrepresented groups through our Life Chance Pathways. These schemes are:Going Forward into Employment scheme and the Probation Employment Pathway, which provide opportunities for prison leavers and individuals with convictions;Going Forward into Employment Care Leavers pathway, designed for care-experienced individuals; andAdvance into Justice programme, which supports service leavers and veterans.These pathways provide tailored support and fair access to employment opportunities across the Department for individuals who face barriers to work.In addition, the Ministry of Justice participates in the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship Scheme (‘Launch’), a cross-Government initiative led by the Department for Education. This scheme provides 18-month Administrative Officer (AO) or Executive Officer (EO) internships to help young care-experienced individuals gain valuable work experience and progress into employment.

Whether he has any plans to review (a) policies on the transfer of prisoners to open prisons and (b) the eligibility criteria for prisoners to be moved to open prisons.

There are no current plans to revise the policy on transfer of prisoners to open prisons, or the eligibility criteria. As with all prison categories, this matter is kept under continuous review. Changes may be made, as necessary, to adapt the capacity of the prison estate to changes in the composition of the custodial population.

How many prisoners serving sentences for (a) violent and (b) sexual offences have been transferred to open prisons in the last five years.

The relevant data for this PQ has been attached alongside the answer.Prisoners are required to pass thorough risk assessments to become eligible for a move into open conditions, and we retain the ability to return prisoners to closed conditions if there is any evidence of an increased risk.Under the Temporary Presumptive Recategorisation Scheme (TPRS), which aims to improve efficiency across the prison estate, prisoners convicted of all sexual and violent offenders serving a sentence of at least four years are ineligible to move to open conditions.