Karl Turner MP: written questions 2025
17 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Crown CourtMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100312More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Crown Court courtrooms are not sitting on average in each month, and what steps he is taking to address the issue of Crown Courts not sitting.
Answer: HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Last year we sat 107,771 Crown court sitting days, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100311More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has conducted an assessment of Crown Court and Magistrates’ Court sitting time lost as a result of the late production or non-production of defendants in custody.
Answer: Data on the number of trials declared ineffective due to the non-production of defendants can be found here: Trial effectiveness at the Criminal Courts tool.In the most recent reported quarter (July to September 2025) – non-production of defendants accoun...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to apply trial by a single judge sitting alone retrospectively to defendants who have already entered a plea and elected trial by jury.
Answer: Ministers will introduce detailed proposals to Parliament as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordJuriesMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100309More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the modelling and impact assessment relating to proposals to limit the use of jury trials.
Answer: An impact assessment will accompany our legislative measures, as is usual practice.
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown CourtMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100308More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that available Crown Court courtrooms are utilised on every sitting day.
Answer: HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Last year we sat 107,771 Crown court sitting days, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMagistrates: AgeMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of serving magistrates are under the age of 40.
Answer: The breakdown of magistrates in post by age bands is provided in table 3.6 of the annual official Diversity of the Judiciary statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2025-statistics).
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the duration of hearings required to determine whether an offence is likely to attract a custodial sentence of three years or more.
Answer: Criminal cases will continue to start in the magistrates’ court and will be sent to the Crown Court by magistrates where the seriousness or complexity of the case means it is more suitable for trial on indictment.Post reforms, to determine whether a triab...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which (a) court and (b) judicial body will determine whether an offence is likely to attract a custodial sentence of three years or more for the purposes of allocating the mode of trial.
Answer: Criminal cases will continue to start in the magistrates’ court and will be sent to the Crown Court by magistrates where the seriousness or complexity of the case means it is more suitable for trial on indictment.Post reforms, to determine whether a triab...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordJudgements: StandardsMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the time required for a single judge to prepare written judgments in criminal cases tried without a jury.
Answer: Post-reforms, any judge sitting alone in the Crown Court will give a reasoned judgment for their verdict in open court. This will increase transparency over how decisions to convict or acquit are reached as juries do not currently give reasons for their j...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCrown Court: JudgementsMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for Crown Court judges to produce written judgments in cases tried by a single judge sitting alone.
Answer: Post-reforms, any judge sitting alone in the Crown Court will give a reasoned judgment for their verdict in open court. This will increase transparency over how decisions to convict or acquit are reached as juries do not currently give reasons for their j...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordJuriesMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to introduce a sunset clause for proposals to limit jury trials.
Answer: There has been no major reform of the criminal courts since the establishment of the Crown Court in 1971, despite Lord Auld making similar recommendations to Sir Brian Leveson in 2001.Sir Brian’s report found that jury trials are taking twice as long as t...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: LicensingDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64017More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of out-of-town (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicle licensing on local authority enforcement capabilities and public safety; and what steps she i
Answer: Since coming into Government, I have been actively looking at safeguarding in relation to taxis and private hire vehicles. I welcome the work by Baroness Casey in her audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse and her report adds valuable ev...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordInnovate UKDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with small business organisations on the performance of Innovate UK.
Answer: Supporting innovative small firms is a key objective of the government’s growth mission. My department regularly engages with business organisations to understand the needs of their members. 86% of Innovate UK grant funding goes to SMEs, with 8,000 SMEs s...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Government AssistanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to improve his Department’s support for UK SMEs.
Answer: The Department is committed to improving support for SMEs, working cross-government to remove barriers to growth, ensuring that SMEs have access to resources and expertise needed to develop and scale. For example, over the last 2 years, Innovate UK has aw...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordInnovate UK: GrantsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to review the decision of Innovate UK to close the Smart Grants Scheme.
Answer: Supporting innovative firms to flourish in the UK will be vital to delivering our Growth Mission. Innovate UK is redesigning its approach to better support these firms to scale and grow. Innovate UK has paused its Smart Grants offer so that it can work wi...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordInnovate UK: GrantsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has held with Innovate UK on their decision to close the Smart Grants Scheme.
Answer: Supporting innovative firms to flourish in the UK will be vital to delivering our Growth Mission. Innovate UK is redesigning its approach to better support these firms to scale and grow. Innovate UK has paused its Smart Grants offer so that it can work wi...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordInnovate UK: GrantsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of Innovate UK funding for UK SMEs.
Answer: Supporting innovative small firms is a key objective of the government’s growth mission. My department regularly engages with business organisations to understand the needs of their members. 86% of Innovate UK grant funding goes to SMEs, with 8,000 SMEs s...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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