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179188

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
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, what proportion of prisoners were released without accommodation from each private prison in England and Wales in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
tabling member printed	Kate Green
uin	224165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2015 answer text <p>We are fully committed to the rehabilitation of offenders so as to turn their lives around and reduce the risk of their re-offending in future. Dealing with their accommodation needs on release from prison is an integral part of that.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number and percentage of offenders by recorded type of accommodation on discharge from contracted-out prisons 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Contracted Prisons: Accommodation on Release</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>Settled Accommodation on Release</p></td><td><p><em>% Settled Accommodation on Release</em></p></td><td><p>Not in Settled Accommodation on Release</p></td><td><p><em>% Not in settled Accommodation on release</em></p></td><td><p>Total Offender Releases</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>13,775</p></td><td><p><em>90.5%</em></p></td><td><p>1,445</p></td><td><p><em>9.5%</em></p></td><td><p>15,220</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>14,297</p></td><td><p><em>84.9%</em></p></td><td><p>2,537</p></td><td><p><em>15.1%</em></p></td><td><p>16,834</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2012/13 excluding HMP Thameside</em></p></td><td><p><em>13,892</em></p></td><td><p><em>90.2%</em></p></td><td><p><em>1,506</em></p></td><td><p><em>9.8%</em></p></td><td><p><em>15,398</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>16,076</p></td><td><p><em>91.6%</em></p></td><td><p>1,472</p></td><td><p><em>8.4%</em></p></td><td><p>17,548</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes</p><p>Settled accommodation covers the following categories: permanent housing, supported housing, approved premises, other hostels and BASS accommodation.</p><p>Not in settled accommodation means: transient/short term accommodation, No Fixed Address, or No Information.</p><p>Figures for 2012/13 are shown both including and excluding HMP Thameside, whose low outcomes in their first year of operation impacted on the overall outcomes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The figures show that less than 5% of prisoners were recorded as being of no fixed abode upon release from contracted-out prisons in 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p>The figures in the above table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.</p><p> </p><p>It should also be noted that recorded accommodation type is based on prisoner self-reporting. We are aware of the inherent limitations in relying on self-reporting and are developing alternative measures aimed at ensuring that prisons and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) managing low and medium risk offenders fulfil their respective roles in preparing prisoners for release and helping them to find suitable accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, all prisoners will benefit from a universal resettlement service and genuine continuity of provision ‘Through the Gate’ from custody to the community. We have established a network of Resettlement Prisons to facilitate the smooth transition from custody to community to enable the new CRCs to work with those prisoners returning to their local area.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 19/03/2015 12:50:49 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

179189

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Punishment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many punishments of removal from wing were given to prisoners in each private prison in England and Wales in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
tabling member printed	Kate Green
uin	224166
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>A total of 17 prisoners were removed from the wing or living unit as a punishment, following a guilty finding under the internal disciplinary system, in private prisons from 2010 to 2013. Figures for 2014 are not yet available.</p><p> </p><p>If a punishment of removal from the wing or living unit is given, the prisoner or young offender (including people under 18) will be relocated to other accommodation within the establishment, but otherwise continues to participate, as far as possible, in normal regime activities, in association with other prisoners or young offenders.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown for each prison in each year is:</p><p><strong>2010</strong></p><p>HMP Parc – 2</p><p>HMP Peterborough – 1</p><p><strong>2011</strong></p><p>HMP Doncaster – 7</p><p>HMP Parc – 2</p><p>HMP Peterborough – 1</p><p><strong>2012</strong></p><p>HMP Dovegate – 2</p><p>HMP Thameside – 1</p><p><strong>2013</strong></p><p>HMP Thameside – 1</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 26/02/2015 14:21:48 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

179190

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Homicide
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made in implementing each of the recommendations of the review into the needs of families bereaved by homicide, published by his Department in July 2011.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	224220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>In July 2011 we published the Review into the Needs of Families Bereaved by Homicide by Louise Casey (then Victims’ Commissioner). She made a wide range of recommendations. Since then we have worked closely with victims and victims’ organisations and the report’s findings have played a critical role in informing our approach to ensuring that families get the help they need.</p><p> </p><p>This includes plans to implement a victims law to put into statute the right of the victim to tell a court how a crime has affected them, providing families of homicide victims with a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks following the trial, and funding a dedicated national Homicide Service with more than £2million a year to support those affected by homicide at home and abroad.</p><p> </p><p>Further information requested is in the table attached.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 23/02/2015 17:53:37 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning attachment 1 file name 224220 - Jarvis - Table.doc title Review into Needs of Families Bereaved by Homicide
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

179191

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
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 estimate he has made of the average number of days taken by coroners to release the body of a homicide victim back to the family for burial in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	224221
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information on the average number of days taken by coroners to release the body of a homicide victim is not held centrally. This information could only be obtained by inspection of individual case files at each coroner’s office before collating the information, and this could only be done at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In July 2013 we implemented reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 together with new coroner regulations and rules aimed at improving standards and achieving greater consistency in coroner services. Regulation 20 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 requires a coroner to release the body for burial or cremation as soon as is reasonably practicable. Where this cannot be done within 28 days, the coroner must notify the next of kin or personal representative of the reason for the delay.</p><p> </p><p>In February 2014 we also published the statutory “Guide to Coroner Services” which explains the standards of service that can be expected during a coroner’s investigation and what action can be taken if these are not met.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 26/02/2015 14:31:58 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

179192

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Human Trafficking
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 9 February 2015 to Question 223157, how many times (a) aggravated damages and (b) exemplary damages have been awarded following a civil claim brought by (i) victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and (ii) victims of trafficking for labour exploitation or forced labour.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	224205
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the Hon. Member to my Answers of 2 and 9 February to Questions 221878, 221879, 221883, the answer to which can be found on the Parliamentary website at: <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-23/221878/" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-23/221878/</a> and 223157, the answer to which can be found on the Parliamentary website at: <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=223157" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=223157</a> . Figures in relation to the number of civil claims brought by victims of trafficking and the award of aggravated and exemplary damages are not available. However, we are confident that the courts will award such damages wherever it is appropriate to do so.</p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 23/02/2015 17:46:34 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

179193

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Fines
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on proposals to privatise the criminal fine enforcement service.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
uin	224230
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Final bids were submitted on 5 January 2015 and negotiations commenced on 26 January as planned. The full final business case is currently in the process of being updated with results from the negotiation meetings, which then needs to continue through the usual governance and approvals processes that need to occur before any contract award of this type. Further negotiations may be required over the coming weeks to further refine the proposals.</p><p> </p><p>The investment and technology an external provider can bring will enable the automation of many of the manual administrative processes and in turn decrease the cost of providing fine enforcement and increase the amount of fines that are paid. The innovation will free up staff time to enable them to be more pro-active in pursuing offenders to ensure they comply with their court order.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 26/02/2015 14:56:45 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

179205

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Media
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the justification for the Ministry of Justice’s refusal to permit visits to any prisons by a reporter from <i>The Guardian</i>.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL4942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The External Communications team at the Ministry of Justice receives a significant number of requests by local and national media for access to prisons. For operational reasons and resource implications it is not possible to facilitate all requests.</p><p> </p><p>Each request is considered on its own merit, with careful thought over the subject area, resource and security implications, victim impact, and value to the taxpayer. In a similar way to the police or the NHS, there are operational considerations to be made when filming or reporting in prisons. When facilitating media access we must ensure that the needs of victims are met, which may involve concealing identities, carrying out relevant checks and liaising directly with victims about the access request. We must also ensure that media access does not breach any security restrictions, for example filming keys or locks. Consideration is also given to protecting the identities of prisoners and staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to providing open and transparent access to prison and regularly provide access to journalists for news items, features and documentary programmes. We aim to provide a range of access to different journalists covering both print and broadcast media, local, national and online media.</p><p> </p><p>Since the beginning of January 2015 we have provided access to a range of media outlets, a few examples are listed below:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Guardian were given access to HMP New Hall - http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/30/new-hall-womens-prison-inmates-equals</li><li>BBC and the Sun were giving access to HMP Coldingley</li><li>Regional BBC were giving access to HMP Northumberland (Sodexo run prison)</li><li>Telegraph and Heart Radio were giving access to HMP Drake Hall</li><li>Evening Standard and regional BBC were giving access to HMP Thameside (Serco run prison)</li><li>BBC Radio 4 were giving access to HMP Prescoed/HMP Cardiff</li><li>Sky Sports were giving access to HMP Feltham</li><li>National BBC, regional ITV and the Manchester Evening News were giving access to HMP Styal</li><li>Evening Standard and London Live were giving access to HMP Isis</li><li>East Anglia Daily Times and regional BBC radio were giving access to HMP Hollesley Bay</li><li>Sky News were given access to HMP Ranby</li><li>ITV were given access to HMP Norwich</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Faulks grouped question UIN HL4943 question first answered 25/02/2015 17:02:11 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

179206

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Media
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances and with what conditions access to any prison by a journalist would be permitted.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL4943
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p>The External Communications team at the Ministry of Justice receives a significant number of requests by local and national media for access to prisons. For operational reasons and resource implications it is not possible to facilitate all requests.</p><p> </p><p>Each request is considered on its own merit, with careful thought over the subject area, resource and security implications, victim impact, and value to the taxpayer. In a similar way to the police or the NHS, there are operational considerations to be made when filming or reporting in prisons. When facilitating media access we must ensure that the needs of victims are met, which may involve concealing identities, carrying out relevant checks and liaising directly with victims about the access request. We must also ensure that media access does not breach any security restrictions, for example filming keys or locks. Consideration is also given to protecting the identities of prisoners and staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to providing open and transparent access to prison and regularly provide access to journalists for news items, features and documentary programmes. We aim to provide a range of access to different journalists covering both print and broadcast media, local, national and online media.</p><p> </p><p>Since the beginning of January 2015 we have provided access to a range of media outlets, a few examples are listed below:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Guardian were given access to HMP New Hall - http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/30/new-hall-womens-prison-inmates-equals</li><li>BBC and the Sun were giving access to HMP Coldingley</li><li>Regional BBC were giving access to HMP Northumberland (Sodexo run prison)</li><li>Telegraph and Heart Radio were giving access to HMP Drake Hall</li><li>Evening Standard and regional BBC were giving access to HMP Thameside (Serco run prison)</li><li>BBC Radio 4 were giving access to HMP Prescoed/HMP Cardiff</li><li>Sky Sports were giving access to HMP Feltham</li><li>National BBC, regional ITV and the Manchester Evening News were giving access to HMP Styal</li><li>Evening Standard and London Live were giving access to HMP Isis</li><li>East Anglia Daily Times and regional BBC radio were giving access to HMP Hollesley Bay</li><li>Sky News were given access to HMP Ranby</li><li>ITV were given access to HMP Norwich</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Faulks grouped question UIN HL4942 question first answered 25/02/2015 17:02:12 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

179210

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Travellers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recommendations made in the report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons of February 2014 reviewing the monitoring of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller prisoners.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL4947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p>I welcome the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, People in Prison: Gypsies, Romany and Travellers<strong>.</strong></p><p> </p><p>Meeting the needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) prisoners has traditionally been challenging due to very low declaration rates. To address this, and to improve the support received by them, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has carried out work to increase the confidence of these prisoners to declare their ethnicity.</p><p> </p><p>In March 2014, NOMS implemented a new tool to monitor various outcomes for prisoners against a range of protected characteristics, including GRT prisoners. This has proved to be successful and declaration rates have increased. The tool allows NOMS to better understand where gaps in services for GRT prisoners are, and for services to be commissioned where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>NOMS has worked closely with organisations such as the Friends Family and Travellers and the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain to provide information to staff and prisoners regarding best practice when working with GRT prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned and jointly published (with HMIP) the report: 'Children and Young People in Custody 2012-13: An Analysis of 12-18 year olds' perceptions of their experience in secure training centres'. This was the first published annual summary of children and young people's self-reported experiences and perceptions from surveys carried out with young people in each of the four Secure Training Centres (STCs). The YJB will continue to commission these reports and monitor the findings from this survey in future years to gain a better understanding of the representation GRT young people within STCs.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 25/02/2015 17:25:39 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

179221

registered interest
date	11/02/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Service
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether current staffing levels of HM Prison Service meet the standard complement.
tabling member printed	Lord Rogan
uin	HL4958
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Staffing levels have been reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmark staffing requirements for each establishment have been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing role.</p><p> </p><p>Benchmark staffing levels have been agreed in 85 public sector prisons. Amongst prison officers, the shortfall of staff in post against benchmarks for these establishments at 30 September 2014 was 4%.</p><p> </p><p>Staffing levels have improved, but there remains a geographical variation and detached duty has been used to manage temporary shortages in particular locations. Such measures are always needed in such a large, widely spread organisation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition HM Prison Service Reserve, consisting of former prison officers, has been established to support capacity changes and unplanned shortfalls in officer numbers.</p><p> </p><p>The Prison Service has been returning to large scale recruitment levels as the period of closures and benchmarking has been coming to an end. As well as prison officers, we are also recruiting Operational Support Grades (uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of security based work) and instructors (who manage prisoners in workshop activities and training).</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 25/02/2015 17:02:44 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2478 label Biography information for Lord Rogan