Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
17 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Sexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department issues sentences for trial of the facts cases involving sexual offences.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to review the sentencing guidelines for under-16s year olds found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Answer: Sentencing guidelines are produced by the independent Sentencing Council, established by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to expedite rape and sexual violence cases so that victim do not wait more than six months for their case to be heard in court.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce court delays for victims of sexual violence.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of court delays on the mental wellbeing of victims of sexual violence in Hertsmere constituency.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMentally Disordered Offenders: TrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to protect the public from a person if they are found unfit to stand trial but was found to have done the act in a trial of the facts.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMentally Disordered Offenders: TrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been found unfit to stand trial in each year since 2015.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on an independent assessment process for trainee solicitors.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the SRA on the effective operation of the legal services regulatory framework. This has included engagement with the SRA regarding the training and qualification requirements for solicitors and how these requ...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the support available for trainee solicitors experiencing issues with their training providers.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the SRA on the effective operation of the legal services regulatory framework. This has included engagement with the SRA regarding the training and qualification requirements for solicitors and how these requ...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the support available for trainee solicitors.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the SRA on the effective operation of the legal services regulatory framework. This has included engagement with the SRA regarding the training and qualification requirements for solicitors and how these requ...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors Regulation AuthorityMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on cultural issues within the profession.
Answer: The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: ConductMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the current regulatory structure for the professional conduct of solicitors and Law firms in England and Wales.
Answer: The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors Regulation AuthorityMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department have had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the adequacy of the level of its resourcing.
Answer: The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors Regulation AuthorityMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on potential steps to improve regulatory performance.
Answer: The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors Regulation AuthorityMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what conversations has his Department had with the Legal Services Board over the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s ability to regulate the professional conduct of solicitors and Law firms in England and Wales.
Answer: The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPost-mortemsMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the timescale permitted for a second post-mortem examination.
Answer: Once a death has been reported to a coroner, the deceased person’s body remains in the legal control of the coroner until released for burial or cremation. During this time, decisions relating to the body, including on whether to order a post-mortem exami...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPost-mortemsMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to reduce the timescale allowed for a second post-mortem examination.
Answer: Once a death has been reported to a coroner, the deceased person’s body remains in the legal control of the coroner until released for burial or cremation. During this time, decisions relating to the body, including on whether to order a post-mortem exami...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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