The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) supports the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice in their joint responsibility for judicial discipline. It considers complaints about a judge’s personal conduct in line with statutory regulations, rules and related guidance. The JCIO does not have a role in monitoring or investigating judges’ conduct unless a complaint is made or referred to it. In terms of recusal, it can only consider these if the appeal court has criticised a judge for failure to declare a potential conflict of interest so serious as to raise a question of judicial misconduct.

The Guide to Judicial Conduct contains a core set of principles designed to support all judicial office holders’ conduct and decision-making, including judges in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. The Guide states that: “Judicial office holders must recuse themselves from any case where a fair-minded and informed observer, having considered the facts, would conclude that there was a real possibility that they would be biased.” Responsibility for maintaining and upholding these standards rests with the independent judiciary. It would be inappropriate for the Government to discuss with JCIO what information they should consider in conduct cases.

Section 66AE of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as inserted by Part 1 of Schedule 13 to the Crime and Policing Act 2026, creates an offence of making a copy of an intimate photograph or film shared temporarily and will be commenced by regulations as soon as reasonably practicable. We must ensure that there is sufficient time to consider and manage the effect on the criminal justice system and for law enforcement to update guidance and train prosecutors and police officers.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD, across the criminal justice system.

We recognise the importance of early identification of individuals’ needs. As part of the Neurodiversity Action Plan, HMCTS has developed a signposting strategy to help court and tribunal users with additional needs to access support. HMPPS take a needs-led approach to supporting neurodivergent individuals and now screens all prisoners upon arrival. It has introduced a new Additional Learning Needs screener as part of the new Prisoner Education Service. This allows HMPPS to identify any needs and inform appropriate support and reasonable adjustments in order to help prisoners engage with education, skills, work and rehabilitation opportunities.

We continue to work with partners, including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) through the Health and Justice National Neurodiversity Programme Board, building on progress highlighted in the final update to the Cross-Government Neurodiversity Action Plan, published in February 2026. Our approach draws on the wider recommendations of NHS England's Independent ADHD taskforce and the Chief Medical officer's report on the health of people in prison and on probation, which included a focus on neurodiversity. We have no current plans to establish a separate Taskforce.

I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.

The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.

More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.

It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.

I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.

The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.

More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.

It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.

I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.

The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.

More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.

It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD, across the criminal justice system.

We recognise the importance of early identification of individuals’ needs. As part of the Neurodiversity Action Plan, HMCTS has developed a signposting strategy to help court and tribunal users with additional needs to access support. HMPPS take a needs-led approach to supporting neurodivergent individuals and now screens all prisoners upon arrival. It has introduced a new Additional Learning Needs screener as part of the new Prisoner Education Service. This allows HMPPS to identify any needs and inform appropriate support and reasonable adjustments in order to help prisoners engage with education, skills, work and rehabilitation opportunities.

We continue to work with partners, including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) through the Health and Justice National Neurodiversity Programme Board, building on progress highlighted in the final update to the Cross-Government Neurodiversity Action Plan, published in February 2026. Our approach draws on the wider recommendations of NHS England's Independent ADHD taskforce and the Chief Medical officer's report on the health of people in prison and on probation, which included a focus on neurodiversity. We have no current plans to establish a separate Taskforce.

Section 66D of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides information on how to interpret the “sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film” offences in section 66B. Section 66D(2) states, “A person “shares” something if the person, by any means, gives or shows it to another person or makes it available to another person.”

“By any means” would include the sharing of such images without consent using digital tools such as a chatbot, app or other software, if a person has requested or prompted the digital tool to do so, whether as part of the creation of the image or as a separate act.

Section 98 and Section 102 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will be commenced by regulations as soon as reasonably practicable. We must ensure that there is sufficient time to consider and manage the impact on the criminal justice system and for law enforcement to update guidance as well as train prosecutors and police officers.

Section 66D of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides information on how to interpret the “sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film” offences in section 66B. Section 66D(2) states, “A person “shares” something if the person, by any means, gives or shows it to another person or makes it available to another person.”

“By any means” would include the sharing of such images without consent using digital tools such as a chatbot, app or other software, if a person has requested or prompted the digital tool to do so, whether as part of the creation of the image or as a separate act.

Section 98 and Section 102 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will be commenced by regulations as soon as reasonably practicable. We must ensure that there is sufficient time to consider and manage the impact on the criminal justice system and for law enforcement to update guidance as well as train prosecutors and police officers.

Section 66D of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides information on how to interpret the “sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film” offences in section 66B. Section 66D(2) states, “A person “shares” something if the person, by any means, gives or shows it to another person or makes it available to another person.”

“By any means” would include the sharing of such images without consent using digital tools such as a chatbot, app or other software, if a person has requested or prompted the digital tool to do so, whether as part of the creation of the image or as a separate act.

Section 98 and Section 102 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will be commenced by regulations as soon as reasonably practicable. We must ensure that there is sufficient time to consider and manage the impact on the criminal justice system and for law enforcement to update guidance as well as train prosecutors and police officers.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill establishes a new duty of candour and assistance at Inquiries, inquests and other investigations, backed by criminal sanctions. Local authorities will be under new obligations to help investigations to find the truth by providing information and evidence with candour proactively and without favouring their own position.

The Bill already requires public authorities and officials to correct any errors or omissions in information given to an Inquiry or investigation. In the case of a public authority, they must provide a position statement and further information or clarification and must comply with other directions, as soon as reasonably practicable.

The Bill also requires local authorities to establish a professional duty of candour for all staff, to be set within a wider code of ethics. These obligations will be underpinned by a new duty requiring public bodies to promote the ethical conduct of those that work for them.

The Renters Rights Act (RRA) received royal assent on the 27 October 2025. A phased implementation of the RRA commenced on 1 May 2026, abolishing Section 21 and introducing the tenancy reforms for the Private Rented Sector.

The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on possession proceedings at - Mortgage and landlord possession statistics - GOV.UK.

In 2025, the number of possession claims submitted by landlords was 91,092, down from 98,766 in 2024 and from 94,211 in 2023. The number of repossessions by Count Court Bailiffs was 29,067, up from 28,035 in 2024 and from 25,282 in 2023.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence on the capacity of corporate in-house legal teams to deliver legal services. However, we recognise the potential for AI-enabled tools to improve access to legal information and support, including by helping individuals better understand legal processes and prepare documents.

The Ministry of Justice supports responsible innovation through LawtechUK and in February we announced a further £4.5 million funding for the next 3 years. More recently, the Government also announced the Advisory AI Growth Lab for legal services. These initiatives are designed to help legal technology develop in a way that supports affordable, accessible and high-quality services.

The Government also continues to back the safe and responsible adoption of AI across the legal services sector by working closely with regulators to support innovation while upholding robust professional and consumer protections and encouraging them to update their guidance accordingly where necessary.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence legal services on access to legal representation in lower-value civil claims. However, we recognise the potential for AI-enabled tools to improve access to legal information and support, including by helping individuals better understand legal processes and prepare documents.

The Ministry of Justice supports responsible innovation. In February we announced a further £4.5 million funding for the next 3 years for LawtechUK and the Government has also set up the new AI Growth Lab for legal services. These initiatives are designed to help legal technology develop in a way that supports affordable, accessible and high-quality services.

Grants of representation¹ issued within 8 weeks, England and Wales

2025

Source: HMCTS Core Case Data

Notes:

1) All grant types including letters of administration with/without a Will.

2) Timeliness figures are calculated from the date of application (which may be from an earlier period) to the date the grant was issued.

3) Timeliness figures are calculated from the date of document receipt (which may be from an earlier period) to the date the grant was issued.

4) Document receipt occurs after payment has been made and all accompanying paperwork has been received by HMCTS. As such, it does not reflect the entire case journey from when an application is submitted by the user to when a grant is received. Instead these figures reflect the timeliness from when HMCTS staff are able to start working on the case.

5) Includes cases up to and including 8 weeks (56 days)

Due to revisions these figures may differ slightly to those published in Family Court Statistics Quarterly

This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and has no plans to leave it.

However, commitment does not mean complacency. The UK played a leading role in negotiations on the Chișinău Declaration which set out a European consensus on the need for the ECHR to modernise in response to significant, complex migration-related challenges. As this process has demonstrated, the UK does not need to leave in order to deliver reform.

The Human Rights Act gives further effect in UK law to the rights and freedoms contained in the ECHR: it is an important part of our constitutional arrangements and fundamental to human rights protections in the UK. It will remain part of our law.

Section 66E of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides for the offence of creating a purported (or ‘deepfake’) intimate image of an adult without their consent or reasonable belief in their consent.

The offence applies regardless of the tool used to create the purported intimate image, so includes the creation of such images without consent using digital tools such as a “chatbot”, a nudification app, or image manipulation software.

My Lords, the Deputy Prime Minister recognises the impact that IPP and DPP sentences have on the families of those serving those sentences. My noble friend Lord Timpson meets regularly with families as part of his ministerial responsibilities for these issues, and he values the insight that those discussions provide. The engagement he has ensures that the voices and experiences of families are heard. The Government remain committed to ongoing dialogue, recognising how this informs the action that we take to support progression and rehabilitation.