Justice Backlogs, Thirlwall Failures and Fracking Ban Dominate Commons

High-Level Summary

The House considered Justice matters including jury-trial reform, court and prison capacity, probation, reoffending, safeguarding and the proposed Courts and Tribunals Bill. Urgent questions addressed the optional overnight visitor levy in England, the closure of the Saudi east-west oil pipeline and the protected geographical indication for English whisky. Statements examined the Thirlwall Inquiry report and the Treasury and Public Accounts Committees’ work on student loans and compensation schemes. Backbench debates considered a full ban on fracking and sepsis awareness, while Bills, petitions, procedural motions and an adjournment debate on George Low’s murder were also dealt with before the House adjourned.

Detailed Summary

Justice oral questions: jury trials and court backlogs

Neil Shastri-Hurst, Nick Timothy and Jessica Brown-Fuller questioned Alex Norris about the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which the Lord Chancellor said would return on 13 October. They sought assurances about jury-trial access, human-rights concerns and the time available to scrutinise amendments. Norris did not guarantee that access would be unchanged; instead, he invited engagement as the Bill progressed, saying that “legislation very rarely looks the same at the beginning of the process as it does at the end”. He also said the Government were considering the proposals and listening to experts, while arguing that waiting times themselves raised concerns: constituents were waiting “until 2029 for trials, and soon it will be 2030”.

Sarah Sackman described measures to reduce the Crown court waiting list, including increased capacity, removing financial constraints on sitting days, case co-ordinators and structural reform. In response to a question about Croydon, she said the London waiting lists were “appalling”. In topical questions, Norris said the backlog had risen from about 38,000 cases in 2019 to more than 80,000 and said he wanted to improve the Bill as it progressed. No division is recorded in the transcript.

Royal commission, prisons and court infrastructure

Brian Leishman and Liz Saville-Roberts asked for a royal commission on prisons and the wider criminal justice system, arguing that separate reviews would not deliver end-to-end reform. Sarah Sackman said the Government were engaging with trade unions but would not wait for a royal commission, stating: “We do not need a royal commission to tell us what is needed—we need action right now”. She referred to investment in court sitting days, new prisons, staff, fair pay and digital tools.

Questions also covered the Onley Park water main and rapid deployment cells. Catherine McKinnell said the Onley Park replacement was in design and development and that “the projected programme should be with him by November”; she said the work was expected to take a year once it commenced, with the transcript also referring to January 2027. She said 1,000 rapid deployment cells had been delivered across 20 sites, with 400 more planned by the end of 2027. On HMP Millsike, she said about 80% of capacity was in use and that occupancy would increase when safe and appropriate.

Foreign national offenders, probation and IPP sentences

Alex Norris said foreign national offender returns had increased by 41%, with more than 3,000 removed directly from prison in the previous year, and referred to a taskforce involving the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Foreign Office. He said the Government were working with receiving countries and wanted them to have “the best information as early as possible”. He did not provide details of ongoing negotiations. On early release, he said the Government had used a commencement order to bring provisions into force for some offences but not others, and expressed confidence in the legal position.

On imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, Norris repeated the commitment to legislate to end the sentence by the end of the Parliament, while stressing public protection, victims and the need to support people released from prison. He anticipated a further announcement later in the year and referred to additional mental-health support, including the Phoenix unit at HMP Aylesbury. No division is recorded.

Probation recruitment, retention and accommodation

Catherine McKinnell described recruitment and retention as a high priority and said that investment of £700 million in probation and the community was continuing. She said retention had improved and that discussions on pay were ongoing. She agreed to examine a case involving threats made by a person released from prison and declined to guarantee that every electronic-tag breach would result in a consequence, instead referring to investment in recruitment and digital tools.

Andrew Snowden asked about the regional distribution of residential properties used under the early-release scheme. McKinnell said accommodation was demand-led and should, where appropriate, support resettlement in people’s communities on a local and case-by-case basis: “Ideally, offenders should be resettled back into their communities”.

Violence against women and girls, artificial intelligence and online abuse

Alex Davies-Jones said the Government had introduced offences covering the taking or creation of intimate images without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes, and new court powers to order deletion. She said the law alone was not enough and that the Government were also working on policing, sentencing and wider responses. The Minister said the Crime and Policing Act 2026 required platforms to remove the images within 48 hours and prevent re-uploading through hash-matching technology.

Members raised AI tools, covert filming, technological abuse by domestic abusers, prison phones and misogynistic content. Davies-Jones agreed to examine a petition about technological abuse and early release, and said she would introduce further measures on misogynistic online content in due course. No completed legislative decision or division is recorded.

Coronial delays and prison technology

Alex Davies-Jones said the Government recognised the effect of coronial delays on bereaved families and were working with the Department of Health and Social Care on access to pathology and medical examiners. She stressed that coroners were independent judges and that decisions about the release of a body were made case by case: “the law requires coroners to release a body for burial or cremation as soon as is reasonably practicable”. She offered to examine an individual case if details were provided.

On prison digital technology, Catherine McKinnell said the Prison Service was developing digital services, AI-enabled tools and biometric technology, and that £82 million was being invested following the Dame Lynne Owens review. She assured Jim Shannon that the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland would have access to the relevant technology.

Reoffending, youth justice and child contact centres

Catherine McKinnell linked reducing reoffending to housing, employment, substance misuse, education and personal skills. She said the Government had committed, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to halve the proportion of people released from prison who were homeless. Intensive supervision courts operated in four locations and were due to expand to seven more by 2029, including London. She also agreed to meet on restorative justice and said she would take forward a request concerning guidance for new respect orders.

Jake Richards said a further £4.5 million had been announced to support and supervise children, and that a strategy to devolve youth justice services to places and localities would be launched. He also referred to more rigorous community punishments and parenting orders. On unregulated child contact centres, he said centres should be affordable and accessible and that, if the sector was not working, “we will look into it in due course”. No formal review was announced in the transcript.

Topical Justice questions

Topical questions covered the Courts and Tribunals Bill, locked child trust funds for disabled people, legal-aid funding, vulnerable witnesses, family courts, children with a parent in prison, prison officers’ pensions, joint enterprise, open-prison drug testing and animal-welfare cases. Ministers offered a series of meetings, reviews and written responses. On vulnerable witnesses, Alex Davies-Jones said the Bill included reforms to special measures, including clarifying their use when victims and witnesses deliver personal statements.

The Lord Chancellor also said the answer to the backlog was not “justice diminished” and described the Government as listening to victims and experts while reconsidering the Bill. Jake Richards agreed to meet on family-court cases and children with a parent in prison; Catherine McKinnell referred to reviews of prison staffing, pensions and drugs; and ministers accepted invitations to discuss other constituency cases. The Speaker also directed Nick Timothy to the usual channels on correspondence, saying replies should be provided as soon as possible.

Urgent question: proposed overnight visitor levy in England

Jim McMahon said foundation strategic authorities and mayoral strategic authorities would be empowered to introduce an optional, percentage-based overnight visitor levy after consultation. He said local leaders were expected to set out investment plans by early 2028 and introduce a levy before the end of the Parliament. He presented it as local fiscal devolution, stressing that “there is no mandation—areas are not being made to introduce a levy”.

Opposition and some Government Members argued that the levy could reduce tourism, jobs and household spending, and sought a cap, sector relief and clearer rules on the use of revenue. McMahon said local areas would undertake impact assessments, that short-term lets such as Airbnb would be included, and that a percentage rate was intended to be proportionate. The detailed exemptions, collection arrangements and treatment of youth, emergency and medical accommodation were not settled in the transcript; the Minister agreed to consider or provide further detail on those issues. No division is recorded.

Urgent question: Saudi east-west oil pipeline closure

Martin McCluskey said Saudi authorities had confirmed that the east-west oil pipeline was temporarily closed after an attack on 11 September, while the Government monitored the situation and worked with industry, international partners and the devolved Governments. He said the Foreign Secretary and National Security Adviser had spoken to Saudi counterparts and that “Fuel supplies to the UK have remained resilient since the start of the conflict”.

Members differed over domestic oil and gas production, renewable energy, heating-oil costs and support for households. McCluskey said the UK was not then facing a supply concern, referred to £53 million already provided to local authorities for heating-oil support and cited the £15 billion warm homes plan. He declined to comment on the quasi-judicial processes concerning Jackdaw and Rosebank, saying decisions would be made in due course. He said the Government were studying the Competition and Markets Authority’s heating-oil recommendations and would respond in due course, while noting possible adverse effects from a simple price cap.

Urgent question: English whisky single-malt geographical indication

Stephen Morgan said English whisky had received protected geographical indication status following the statutory application and opposition process. He stressed that “Nothing in this decision changes the protected status, reputation or production requirements of Scotch whisky”. He said the English product specification complied with UK legislation and that the Government would continue to support whisky across the United Kingdom.

Wendy Chamberlain and other Members argued that the English definition of single malt allowed some production stages to take place away from the single distillery required for Scotch single malt. They raised concerns about consumer understanding, producer investment and the possible effect on Scotch, Welsh and Irish whisky. Morgan offered meetings, correspondence and further engagement, but no change to the definition or appeal arrangements was announced. No division is recorded.

Thirlwall Inquiry: Countess of Chester Hospital

Yvette Cooper presented Lady Justice Thirlwall’s report into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2018, following Lucy Letby’s convictions. She said the inquiry identified failures in safeguarding, governance, candour, regulation and referral to the police, including “complete failure at all levels to invoke safeguarding procedures at any point”. She apologised to the families and said the Government would publish a full response within six months.

The Secretary of State said the Government would urgently review safeguarding training and the framework, develop plans for cot-cams, update relevant guidance, strengthen insulin-storage controls, legislate for a barring scheme for senior managers when parliamentary time allowed, improve bereavement care and track recommendations through a departmental hub. She said the independent investigative role of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body was intended to continue through proposed transfer to the Care Quality Commission, subject to review. No division is recorded.

Treasury Committee statement: student loans

Meg Hillier presented the Treasury Committee’s findings on the student-loans system. The Committee said promotional material had downplayed repayments and that repeated changes to repayment thresholds had increased the amounts some graduates would repay. It considered that this amounted to mis-selling and said the longer-term ambition should be a 50:50 split between individual and taxpayer contributions.

The Committee welcomed the Government’s commitment to clearer pre-application information but criticised the decision not to replace the retail prices index before 2030 and urged reconsideration of the planned repayment-threshold freeze. Members also raised interest accruing before repayment, equality impacts and university finances. Hillier said reversing the freeze was a comparatively simple measure: “If the Chancellor is looking for a quick win in the Budget, that is one of the easiest things to deliver”. No Government decision was taken in the statement.

Public Accounts Committee statement: Government compensation schemes

Anna Dixon presented the Public Accounts Committee’s findings that compensation schemes were often slow, complex and distressing. Three quarters of survey respondents said that the claims process had been distressing or retraumatising. The Committee recommended an independent body to design and administer schemes, retain expertise, carry lessons between schemes and involve affected communities in co-design. Dixon said that “the answer is not to choose between independence and expertise; it is to combine them”.

Questions covered inflation-linking, legal support, outreach, evidential burdens and delayed responses to inquiries. Dixon identified the infected-blood scheme’s degree of independence as a potentially useful example, but said that co-design, timeliness and fairness had been too uncommon. No immediate Government decision or division is recorded.

Bills, petitions and procedural business

The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill was presented and received a First Reading, with its Second Reading scheduled for Monday 12 October; the year is not stated in the transcript. Tom Gordon’s Student Finance (Review) Bill was granted leave to be introduced, presented and given a First Reading, with its Second Reading scheduled for Friday 15 January 2027.

Vikki Slade presented a petition seeking a Young Carers’ Champion in every school in England, and Steve Darling presented a petition on NHS dentistry-contract reform in coastal areas. A motion changed the membership of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Points of order concerned business-rate revaluation and comments about trans people; the Deputy Speaker said the matters had been put on the record or should be pursued through the relevant channels.

Backbench business: full ban on fracking

Claire Young, Alison Hume, Wera Hobhouse, Phil Brickell, Brian Leishman, Ellie Chowns and Richard Foord supported a full statutory ban, citing concerns about lower-volume hydraulic fracturing, induced seismicity, groundwater, emissions, landscapes and the effect on global gas prices. Young argued that fracking should be defined by purpose and effect rather than fluid volume. Richard Tice opposed a ban and argued for domestic shale-gas testing, jobs, investment and energy security, proposing independently monitored test wells. Harriet Cross supported domestic energy production and highlighted North Sea oil and gas, while saying that the extent and commercial viability of UK reserves remained open questions.

Martin McCluskey said the Government would use the forthcoming Energy Independence Bill to meet its commitment to ban fracking for shale gas, maintain the effective moratorium and distinguish shale-gas fracking from lower-volume techniques used in conventional operations and geothermal projects. He stated: “there is no loophole and no hidden route by which shale gas fracking can resume”. The motion was agreed; no division is recorded.

Backbench business: World Sepsis Awareness Month

Members discussed sepsis prevention, recognition, treatment, vaccination, data, rapid diagnostics and rehabilitation, drawing on personal and constituency experiences. Mike Wood called for delivery milestones and funding for the sepsis modern service framework, whose target is to reduce deaths, severe complications and long-term harm by at least 25% by 2035. Other Members raised meningitis B vaccination, infection sources, cancer care, prosthetics and post-sepsis support.

Diana R. Johnson said the framework had been developed with patients, clinicians, charities and NHS organisations. She referred to a national research and innovation action plan to be developed by March next year, a national infection and sepsis audit, public communications and improved access to rapid tests. She said immediate actions would be delivered within existing funding, longer-term funding would depend on future spending reviews and implementation would be overseen by the National Quality Board. The motion was agreed; no division is recorded.

Adjournment debate: murder of George Low

Jim Dickson raised the tenth anniversary of George Low’s murder in Cyprus and asked about legal-assistance requests, the transfer of evidence and possible proceedings in Cyprus or Turkey. Uma Kumaran said the UK Government had remained engaged through consular officials, had pressed the Cypriot and Turkish authorities, and that Cyprus had declined to transfer the case to Turkey because of jurisdictional and evidential difficulties.

Kumaran said she could not comment in detail on mutual legal assistance, but officials were following up in both countries. She agreed to pursue arrangements for a meeting with Dickson and the Low family, while stressing that “We cannot compel another country to take specific investigative, prosecutorial or judicial decisions”. The adjournment question was agreed and the House adjourned.