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1132158

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offenders: Children in Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2019 to Question 254239, what estimate he has made of the cost of identifying how many children in custody are looked after children.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	264475
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>To obtain the requested information, there would be a need to examine separate information technology systems to establish and validate records of all children currently in custody (c.880). With a conservative average estimate of around ten minutes to check each record, this equates to a cost of approximately £3,600.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 18/06/2019 16:25:04 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1131251

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children: Prosecutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy (a) to toughen sentencing guidelines for people found to have watched videos of child abuse and (b) to not implement the recommendation of the report, published by JUSTICE on 10 June 2019, entitled Prosecuting Sexual Offences, that calls for people found in possession of indecent images of children to not face prosecution if they successfully complete a Conditional Diversion Scheme.
tabling member constituency	North East Hampshire
tabling member printed	Mr Ranil Jayawardena
uin	263193
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>Sentencing guidelines are a matter for the independent Sentencing Council. The courts are required to follow any guidelines relevant to the case before them, including the definitive guideline on Sexual Offences which came into effect on 1 April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no current plans to implement the recommendation of the JUSTICE report to pilot a conditional diversion scheme for individuals who have viewed indecent images of children.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 19/06/2019 15:53:09 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena

1131307

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate Service: Digital Technology
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the digitisation of the Probate Service.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Simon Hart
uin	263130
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The 2018 amendments to the non-contentious probate rules enabled personal applications to be submitted online. This service is assessed through a range of measures, such as user feedback and user satisfaction. Of 4,995 responses from users who submitted their application online 93% indicated, from five feedback options, that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online application service provided. The online system is being continually improved and developed as a result of the feedback provided.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 18/06/2019 16:44:22 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

1131308

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the level of delays in the granting of probate as a consequence of the transition to the new online probate system.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Simon Hart
uin	263131
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 18/06/2019 16:45:15 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

1131309

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate Service: Digital Technology
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the new digital probate system will be fully functional.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Simon Hart
uin	263132
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The new digital case management system is fully functional and the online service for personal applicants to apply for probate, where the deceased has left a Will, has been publicly available since July 2018. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service plans to have online services available in probate for all user groups and types of probate applications by the end of Autumn 2019.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 18/06/2019 16:46:30 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

1131393

registered interest
date	11/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Empty Property
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	263041
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government is a significant landowner. The current Government Estate Strategy sets out the Government's vision to create an efficient, fit-for-purpose sustainable estate. As a Government we are delivering this vision, ensuring that the estate is fit for purpose, is frequently reviewed and aligned to the Estate Strategy, and is managed in an efficient and effective way.</p><p> </p><p>Land and empty buildings owned by the Ministry of Justice that are in the process of being disposed of are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Land and empty buildings that is in the process of being disposed of</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Site name</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Location</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Current status</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Alton Magistrates ' Court</p></td><td><p>Hampshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aylesbury New Crown Site (land)</p></td><td><p>Buckinghamshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Birmingham Masshouse (land)</p></td><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Birmingham Youth Court</p></td><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chichester Combined Court</p></td><td><p>West Sussex</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chichester Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>West Sussex</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chippenham Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Wiltshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ebbw Vale (land)</p></td><td><p>Blaenau Gwent</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Harlow Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>Essex</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hartlepool Magistrates’ &amp; County Court</p></td><td><p>County Durham</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>Cheshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scunthorpe Magistrates' and County Court</p></td><td><p>Lincolnshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scunthorpe Magistrates' Court Offices</p></td><td><p>Lincolnshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sheffield Tribunal - East Parade</p></td><td><p>South Yorkshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunderland County Court</p></td><td><p>Tyne and Wear</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Telford County Court</p></td><td><p>Shropshire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Torquay - Riviera Way (land)</p></td><td><p>Devon</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Torquay Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>Devon</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Former HMP Reading</p></td><td><p>Berkshire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Morton Hall, Ex Quarters Offices</p></td><td><p>Lincolnshire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Former Haslar Immigration Removal Centre, Gosport</p></td><td><p>Hampshire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Former Dover Immigration Removal Centre</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Former HMP Camp Hill</p></td><td><p>Isle of Wight</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Land at HMP Lindholme</p></td><td><p>South Yorkshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Land at HMP Littlehey</p></td><td><p>Cambridgeshire</p></td><td><p>In progress</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Former HMP Blantyre House</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Land at HMP Gartree</p></td><td><p>Leicestershire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Probation property, Leek</p></td><td><p>Staffordshire</p></td><td><p>Preparing for disposal</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note: 1. The prison, probation and court estates contain empty land and buildings which are currently retained for operational purposes.</p><p>2. Excludes properties that are in the process of being disposed of and in operational use.</p><p>3. Excludes two empty prison officers quarters, the details of which have been excluded for security reasons.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 19/06/2019 15:48:37 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1130920

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Suicide
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the rate of self-inflcted deaths among (a) people serving sentences under imprisonment for public protection and (b) the prison population.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	262420
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government publishes quarterly statistics on self-inflicted deaths in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, which is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 1.1 of the document ‘Deaths in prison custody 1978-2018’ shows the rate of self-inflicted deaths for the prison population in each calendar year. In 2018 the rate was 1.12 per 1000 prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1.11 of the same document shows the number of self-inflicted deaths among those serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection in each calendar year. In 2018 there were 5 such deaths. This was at a rate of 1.38 per 1,000 IPP prisoners. Figures such as this for rates should be considered with caution when derived from relatively small numbers of events.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons, including redoubling our efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. This is allowing us to implement the key worker role, allowing staff dedicated time to provide support to individual prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>We are improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody and working to improve the multi-disciplinary ACCT case management process for those at risk of suicide or self-harm.</p><p>We have rolled out a revised and improved Introduction to Suicide and Self-harm Prevention course. This is being completed by all new staff and as refresher training by all existing staff. Nearly 25,000 staff have already begun this training and over 14,000 have completed all six modules.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 14:35:56 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130923

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251411 on Prisons: Contracts, through what management information requirements is information on staffing levels submitted.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	262423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Controllers at each privately-managed prison hold regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect staffing, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition and any concerns are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the relevant Controller and escalated within HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice.</p><p> </p><p>Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 15:03:05 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130929

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many UK nationals have been convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	262240
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262241 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130930

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children: Sentencing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sentences for people convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	262241
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262240 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker