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1718752

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Coroners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the (a) practical and (b) emotional support provided to (i) families and (ii) other witnesses attending the Coroners’ Courts.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is grateful for the important and valuable work that the Coroners Courts Support Service (CCSS) does in providing practical and emotional support for bereaved families in many coroner areas across England and Wales. This work is key to the Government’s objective of ensuring that the bereaved are placed at the heart of the inquest process.</p><p>We are keen to see support services in every coroner’s court in England and Wales, subject to affordability. Following the Justice Committee’s recommendation in the 2021 report on its Inquiry into the Coroner Service, the Ministry of Justice is taking forward an engagement plan, including with the CCSS, to better understand the support services currently available in coroners’ courts in England and Wales, and what is needed going forward. We aim to complete this assessment in as soon as practicable.</p><p>We are also undertaking a factual update of our <strong><em>Guide to Coroner Services for Bereaved People</em></strong>, which will be followed by a more fundamental review to take account of forthcoming changes which will impact on coroner services, including implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner scheme and the Independent Public Advocate. The review will also look at ways of improving the accessibility of the Guide, so that bereaved people are better able to engage with it at what is inevitably a very difficult time in their lives.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 26766 26767 question first answered 23/05/2024 12:49:44 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1718753

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Coroners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the (a) practical and (b) emotional support provided to (i) families and (ii) other witnesses attending the Coroners’ Courts.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26766
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is grateful for the important and valuable work that the Coroners Courts Support Service (CCSS) does in providing practical and emotional support for bereaved families in many coroner areas across England and Wales. This work is key to the Government’s objective of ensuring that the bereaved are placed at the heart of the inquest process.</p><p>We are keen to see support services in every coroner’s court in England and Wales, subject to affordability. Following the Justice Committee’s recommendation in the 2021 report on its Inquiry into the Coroner Service, the Ministry of Justice is taking forward an engagement plan, including with the CCSS, to better understand the support services currently available in coroners’ courts in England and Wales, and what is needed going forward. We aim to complete this assessment in as soon as practicable.</p><p>We are also undertaking a factual update of our <strong><em>Guide to Coroner Services for Bereaved People</em></strong>, which will be followed by a more fundamental review to take account of forthcoming changes which will impact on coroner services, including implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner scheme and the Independent Public Advocate. The review will also look at ways of improving the accessibility of the Guide, so that bereaved people are better able to engage with it at what is inevitably a very difficult time in their lives.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 26765 26767 question first answered 23/05/2024 12:49:44 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1718754

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Coroners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Coroners Courts Support Service on taking steps to improve the (a) practical and (b) emotional support provided to (i) families and (ii) other witnesses attending the Coroners’ Courts.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is grateful for the important and valuable work that the Coroners Courts Support Service (CCSS) does in providing practical and emotional support for bereaved families in many coroner areas across England and Wales. This work is key to the Government’s objective of ensuring that the bereaved are placed at the heart of the inquest process.</p><p>We are keen to see support services in every coroner’s court in England and Wales, subject to affordability. Following the Justice Committee’s recommendation in the 2021 report on its Inquiry into the Coroner Service, the Ministry of Justice is taking forward an engagement plan, including with the CCSS, to better understand the support services currently available in coroners’ courts in England and Wales, and what is needed going forward. We aim to complete this assessment in as soon as practicable.</p><p>We are also undertaking a factual update of our <strong><em>Guide to Coroner Services for Bereaved People</em></strong>, which will be followed by a more fundamental review to take account of forthcoming changes which will impact on coroner services, including implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner scheme and the Independent Public Advocate. The review will also look at ways of improving the accessibility of the Guide, so that bereaved people are better able to engage with it at what is inevitably a very difficult time in their lives.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 26765 26766 question first answered 23/05/2024 12:49:44 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1718755

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Coroners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle delays at Coroners’ Courts.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>It is important that the inquest process is as swift and efficient as possible to avoid additional distress for bereaved families at such a difficult time in their lives.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, this Department does not have operational responsibility for coroner services as they are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. However, we are keen to understand the factors underlying the length of time for the completion of inquests, and to provide support where possible and appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>To that end, we have introduced a raft of statutory measures to help streamline coroner processes, and intend to take forward further measures when Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, on 9 September 2024, the Government is implementing the statutory Medical Examiner scheme which, by providing a more robust framework for the scrutiny of cause of death, is expected to decrease the number of deaths which are unnecessarily referred to the coroner, thereby reducing pressure on coroner services.</p><p> </p><p>I am also engaging with Ministerial colleagues to identify and implement an action plan to address the complex issues underlying the shortage of coronial pathology provision, which contributes significantly to inquest delays. As a first step, the Ministry of Justice is undertaking a review of the statutory fees for coronial pathology work.</p><p><br>I have recently discussed this and wider issues around inquest delay with the Justice Committee in the context of its follow up Inquiry into the Coroner Service and look forward to receiving its recommendations in due course.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 23/05/2024 12:52:44 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1718846

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many requests were completed by frontline HM Prison and Probation Service staff for prisoners to be exempted from the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme in each month since October 2023; and how many and what proportion of these requests were granted by senior HM Prison and Probation Service managers.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	26798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>End of Custody Supervised Licence began in October 2023. Analysis of its use will be based on at least one year’s worth of data, and published in line with the same approach we take for other statistical releases such as deaths of offenders in the community.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/05/2024 14:49:19 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1718847

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many qualified probation officers were in post at the end of March in each year since 2020.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	26799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Staffing levels across HMPPS are publicly available in the “HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly” Official Statistics release, published at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics.</a></p><p> </p><p>Information on the number of staff by grade is available in Table 3 of the accompanying data tables, which can be found at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6644d719ae748c43d3793c71/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-mar-2024_final.ods" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6644d719ae748c43d3793c71/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-mar-2024_final.ods</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As of 31 March 2024, there were 5,139 full-time equivalent (FTE) Probation Officers in post. This is an increase of 718 FTE since 31 March 2023.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/05/2024 14:52:16 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1718884

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the longest wait for a case to be heard at tribunal once referred.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	26706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 23/05/2024 12:43:57 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1718907

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation Service: Sexual Offences
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Target Operating Model on Divisional Sex Offender Units.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	26800
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2024 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 24/05/2024 13:45:56 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1718930

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Immigration: Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of legal aid provision for immigration cases.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	26716
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Legal aid is available for asylum cases, for immigration matters for victims of domestic abuse and modern slavery, for separated migrant children and for immigration detention cases.</p><p> </p><p>Once commenced, individuals who receive a removal notice under the Illegal Migration Act (IMA) will have access to merits and means free legal advice in relation to the removal notice.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken action to increase access to legal aid for immigration and asylum cases, by:</p><ul><li><p>Setting fees for IMA work at 15% above the usual hourly rate;</p></li><li><p>Providing up to £1.4 million of funding in 2024 for accreditation and re-accreditation of senior caseworkers to conduct immigration and asylum legal aid work;</p></li><li><p>Allowing Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) providers to give guidance remotely, at the discretion of providers and subject to their professional judgement and their obligations towards vulnerable persons; and</p></li><li><p>Introducing payment for travel time between Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and DDAS surgeries.</p></li></ul><p>The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors supply across its legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis and, where demand is greater than the available supply, takes action within its operational powers to secure additional provision to ensure the continuity of legal aid-funded services.</p><p> </p><p>The LAA regularly engages with provider representative groups, including on the provision of immigration and asylum services, via forums such as the Civil Contract Consultative Group.</p><p> </p><p>The ongoing Review of Civil Legal Aid is considering the broader economic context of the civil legal aid market as a whole, including for immigration cases, so that it can operate sustainably in the long-term; the Green Paper consultation is expected in July 2024.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 23/05/2024 12:45:45 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1718931

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been investigated for drug smuggling in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	26717
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2024 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 24/05/2024 13:14:08 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi