As with my answer of 7 September in response to the Hon. Member’s Question 26543, I refer him to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.

I appreciate the spirit in which the hon. Gentleman asks his question, and he has my assurance.

The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.

The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.

The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.

The Government is committed to ensuring everybody in the UK can access timely healthcare. The operation of the health service in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, but we are supporting the Executive in their efforts to reduce waiting lists and tackle delays to services.

NIO Ministers meet with Executive Ministers on a regular basis and the progress made on tackling waiting lists in Northern Ireland is encouraging, reducing waiting lists by treating an additional 70,000 patients. However, health outcomes in Northern Ireland lag behind the rest of the UK and we will continue to work with the Executive to reduce this gap.

As stated in the my written answer to UIN 19007, there is an educational attainment gap in Northern Ireland, however, the discrepancy is greatest when seen through economic background.

Education is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and it is for the Executive to ensure that all schools are sufficiently supported to maximise all pupils academic attainment.

The government recognises the vital role supported housing plays in helping older and vulnerable people live independently and safely. The published Supported Housing Review 2023 identified long-term challenges in sustaining current supply and barriers to developing new provision.

We recognise concerns about the quality of support and oversight in parts of the sector. To address this the government is committed to implementing measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 which will strengthen local oversight, improve the quality of support and require councils to produce Local Supported Housing Strategies to assess local supply, demand and unmet need.

The total number of cases outstanding at all stages of the Personal Independence Payment Award Review (PIP) process, at the end of May 2026 is 300,000.

Please note this data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard and represents England and Wales only. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10,000 cases.

All claims remain in payment whilst award reviews are in progress and award increases identified during a planned review will be backdated as appropriate. Should customers report a change of circumstance and trigger an unplanned review, their claim will be prioritised alongside new claims.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through PIP in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for our claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.

We know PIP can be improved, which is why we launched the Timms Review, which is being co-produced with disabled people and their organisations to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future. The Review aims to report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Autumn 2026 and we have committed to reporting its outcomes to Parliament.

As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient educational and recreational activities for young people.

On the 10th December, the Government published ‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’ alongside a State of the Nation report. It is backed by over £500 million of funding over the next few years from DCMS for things to do outside of school, support when and where young people need it, more safe spaces and access to trusted adults. This includes investing in selected local areas to develop high-quality youth offers and local leadership through our Local Youth Transformation Programme. Learnings will be shared across the youth and local government sectors to establish national best practices.

We have also worked to ensure that metrics covering youth services are included within the Local Outcomes Framework under the priority outcome very Child Achieving and Thriving’ to increase consistency and quality of youth service delivery across local areas.

The Government supports people with mental health conditions to solve their legal problems in a variety of ways, through legal aid and legal support.

We are committed to ensuring that individuals with mental health conditions have equal opportunity to access legally aided advice and representation as the wider population. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) Contracts ensure providers comply with their obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including prohibiting firms from declining to take a case because of any additional expense arising from the need to make reasonable adjustments. The Government recognises the vital work of legal aid mental health providers in supporting people with a legal issue relating to their mental health condition, and we are taking steps to support the civil legal aid sector through investment and digital transformation.

The Government is also funding legal support services to support access to justice for vulnerable people with social welfare problems, through nearly £20 million of multi-year funding for 58 frontline organisations that directly support people to access legal advice. Our legal support strategy also involves working across government to promote the co-location of social welfare advice services to make links between health and justice in a range of settings, including mental health settings. This will help scale effective models, such as health justice partnerships, and ensure that vulnerable groups can access holistic support as early as possible.

On representation more broadly for people with mental health conditions, the regulation of legal professionals in England and Wales operates independently of Government. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, responsibility for regulating solicitors rests with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), while the Legal Services Board provides independent oversight of the approved regulators.

Solicitors, like all service providers, are subject to duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled clients. In addition, the SRA requires solicitors to provide services in a way that meets clients' needs and to take appropriate account of vulnerability.

The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.

This funding includes:

- Funding for Police and Crime Commissioners who ensure victims can access local support that is best suited for them, including ring-fenced funding for community domestic abuse and sexual violence services

- The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) which funds 60 local specialist support services for sexual violence victims and survivors

- A national 24/7 sexual violence helpline

- The National Homicide Service

- The National Witness Service

In addition to the £550 million for support services in England and Wales, the Government is also investing £6 million over the next two years to deliver free, Independent Legal Advisers (ILAs) for victims of adult rape and assault by penetration to help them to understand their legal rights and navigate the legal system.

This work forms part of the wider cross-government VAWG strategy, with activity being undertaken across a number of departments to deliver a coordinated approach to preventing and responding to violence against women and girls.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also announced it is providing £499 million over the next three years to ensure vital support in domestic abuse safe accommodation is available to all victims when they need it.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice ran a consultation on a new Victims’ Code to make sure we get the foundations right for victims. The consultation sought the view of sector experts, criminal justice practitioners, young people and victims themselves on a number of proposals to ensure victims needs are met, and how to raise awareness and understanding of the Code. We are now taking time to consider responses, and we will issue a public response ahead of finalising the new Code and bringing it into force.

The Government inherited a justice system in crisis - with a record Crown Court caseload and victims facing intolerable delays for justice. That is why the Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and make recommendations for how to restore stability and confidence in the criminal courts.

Sir Brian’s report set out a blueprint for pragmatic structural reform in our criminal courts and made clear that it is only by pulling every lever we have – investment, efficiency and reform – that we can we turn the tide on the backlog and begin to swifter justice for all. The Courts and Tribunals Bill is the first step to putting the reform blueprint into law.

We are currently considering Sir Brian’s remaining recommendations and will publish our full response in due course. In the meantime, the Deputy Prime Minister has already announced several initial measures we are taking forward to drive efficiency, including supporting the judiciary to undertake ‘blitz courts’ (where courts list similar cases together over a short period of time – concentrating court resources and the expertise required), rolling out case coordinators in every Crown Court centre and supporting the Lady Chief Justice to publish the first ever National Listing Framework. We are exploring the use of new AI technologies, including supporting the judiciary to pilot a new listing assistant, to improve the efficiency of how cases are scheduled.

Alongside structural reforms and inefficiencies, we are also delivering record financial investment. We have uncapped Crown Court sitting days for 2026/27, which means there is no longer a financial limit on the amount of work the Crown Court can undertake; we have announced additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates, and we recently laid a statutory instrument to invest £3.5 million of this funding in preparatory fees. This is in addition to the significant uplifts to criminal legal aid solicitor fees this Government has already implemented - which will be worth around an additional £116 million per year once in steady state.

In England and Wales, legal aid for defendants appearing at the magistrates’ court and Crown Court is means tested. The income thresholds are different in each court.

All defendants at the Crown Court are eligible for legal aid provided their annual disposable income is less than £37,500, although some may have to pay contributions. Convicted defendants may be required to pay contributions on their capital assets above £30k. The magistrates’ court test only considers income, with no contributions payable.

Defendants in receipt of specified welfare benefits may be ‘passported’ through the means test at both courts. This includes all defendants in receipt of Universal Credit and Guaranteed State Pension Credit who are deemed eligible for legal aid. All youth defendants under 18 years old are also passported through the means test.

There is also a hardship review mechanism in both courts for those defendants who do not pass the legal aid means assessment but face higher than usual household expenditure or higher than usual private defence costs.

The court duty solicitor scheme at the magistrates’ court may provide non-means tested legal representation to a defendant at their first hearing if they have been charged with an imprisonable offence.

The Government is currently considering the implications of the reforms being introduced by the Courts and Tribunals Bill in relation to criminal legal aid eligibility.

This Government has also taken steps to strengthen the criminal legal aid system overall, helping to maintain high-quality legal representation for low-income defendants.  In December 2025, we announced additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates.

This is in addition to the significant uplifts to criminal legal aid solicitor fees this Government has already implemented – which will be worth around an additional £116 million per year once in steady state.

The Government recognises that digital case management systems are an important enabler of court efficiency. Throughout England and Wales, HMCTS has introduced digital services and case management systems across the criminal, civil and family court jurisdictions and replaced many paper-based processes and improving case progression. In the criminal courts, Common Platform provides a single digital case management system used by HMCTS, the judiciary and criminal justice partners. The Government continues to invest in the stability and functional improvement of these systems so that they support the efficient and effective administration of justice.

Better HMCTS digital services also support the efficient work of other criminal justice partners. For example, the Probation Service is rolling out Prepare a Case for Sentence (PACfS) for probation staff working in magistrates’ courts across England and Wales, which draws on data from Common Platform to support early identification and preparation for cases likely to require a pre-sentence report.

The Government is grateful to Sir Brian Leveson and his panel of expert advisers for their Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which made 180 recommendations aiming to reform the criminal justice system and drive improvements to efficiency. We are carefully considering the recommendations from Sir Brian’s review and will respond in due course.

We are taking action across the justice system to improve access to justice for vulnerable people by strengthening legal support, investing in legal aid and making courts and tribunals more accessible.

We have made significant investments in legal aid to support the sustainability of the sector, helping to ensure vulnerable individuals can access legal aid when they need it. This includes the first major fee uplifts in civil legal aid since 1996, increasing spend on immigration and housing work by around £20 million a year once fully implemented. We have also announced up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates, alongside previous increases to criminal legal aid solicitor fees worth around £116 million a year once fully implemented.

We are providing nearly £20 million of multi-year funding for legal support services to help people with social welfare legal problems.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service continues to improve accessibility through reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, intermediaries, accessible information, digital support for those who are digitally excluded, and remote participation where appropriate. Special measures, including live links, intermediaries and pre-recorded cross-examination, are available to support vulnerable court users, with further reforms included in the Courts and Tribunals Bill.