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1309043

registered interest
date	14/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 2019 Farmer Review for Women, what progress has been made on the introduction of a Personal Circumstances File for women in contact with the criminal justice system.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	181124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government has made good progress in implementing the recommendations of the Farmer Review for Women, since its publication in June 2019. Ten recommendations have already been implemented and a further eight are expected to be completed this year. Achievements so far include increased access to telephone contact in court custody suites, allowances for the increased use of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL), amending the eligibility for Child Resettlement Leave to include primary carers as well as sole carers, and the rollout of video calling across the Women’s Estate.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Female Offender Strategy, the Government is working to ensure women’s personal circumstances are identified and shared by all agencies in the criminal justice system, in order to inform decisions and support. Lord Farmer’s recommendation on the Personal Circumstances File forms part of this work.</p><p> </p><p>We are also committed to increasing the delivery of quality and timely pre-sentence reports (PSRs) and understand the particular importance of PSRs for women. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a Pre-Sentence Report interview checklist which focuses on the specific needs of female offenders. Following a series of briefing events, this was rolled out nationally in August 2019 and is available to all practitioners.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, in the Sentencing White Paper we committed to ensuring that probation staff are supported to deliver a high standard of reports and to significantly increase the proportion of court disposals which benefit from a PSR. This pilot has now launched, and will be in all 15 pilot magistrate courts across 10 probation regions in England and Wales by mid-May. One element of this pilot looks specifically at female offenders, given this cohort often have particularly complex needs. We will use the findings from this pilot to further inform how we take forward Lord Farmer’s recommendation.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 181123 181125 question first answered 19/04/2021 15:43:21 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1308657

registered interest
date	13/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people currently serving a prison sentence were previously members of the armed forces.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Imran Ahmad Khan
uin	180635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service records previous service in the Armed Forces as part of the reception process for newly received prisoners. Information on previous service does not distinguish between those who have served in the British Armed Forces or those of another nation. Those who choose to declare previous service may be referring to time spent with the UK forces or with those of another country.</p><p>As of 30 June 2020, there were 1,406 prisoners serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales who had declared former military service.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/04/2021 15:27:24 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4841 label Biography information for Imran Ahmad Khan

1306901

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Public Health Funerals: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will take steps to help reduce the level of local authority burial fees; and what support the Government provides to people who cannot meet the cost of burials.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	178628
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for their own budgets and making decisions on local spending in line with local priorities. This is entirely appropriate, given that central government cannot predict exactly what the cost of a local service will be. In line with this principle, public burial authorities have the power to set their charges at levels they consider to be appropriate.</p><p>The Funeral Expenses Payments scheme provides a significant contribution towards the cost of a simple, respectful funeral arranged by recipients of certain income based benefits or tax credits. The scheme pays necessary burial and cremation costs in full, as defined by legislation, plus up to £1000 for other expenses such as the cost of a coffin, church and funeral director fees, Scotland has a similar scheme, the Funeral Support Payment scheme. Support for funeral costs for all young people under 18 is provided by the Children’s Funeral Fund for England, with similar schemes in Scotland and Wales. Interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans and Universal Credit Budgeting Advances can also be used for funeral expenses. Further financial support is available through Bereavement Support Payments which help working age people whose spouse or civil partner dies.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 20/04/2021 15:38:42 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1306979

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Office of the Public Guardian: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff are employed by the Office of the Public Guardian (a) in total and (b) to investigate powers of attorney and safeguarding; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	178685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>OPG currently employs 1,462 people. 93 of these people currently work within the LPA Investigation unit and 11 work in the deputyship’s investigations team. 28 currently work within the Investigations, Triage and Support Team (ITAS) – giving a total of 132 people working within this area.</p><p> </p><p>This information was taken from SOP, the Ministry of Justice’s HR system. The figures include all OPG employees, including those who are currently off strength, for example those out on loan or on secondment to other organisations, sick or parental leave or on career breaks. They do no include contractors or temporary clerical workers provided by employment agencies.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 20/04/2021 14:13:42 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1307121

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Sentencing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that sentencing is commensurate with the severity of the crime.
tabling member constituency	Tatton
tabling member printed	Esther McVey
uin	178684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>This government is serious about fighting crime, protecting the public and creating a criminal justice system that people have confidence in. Sentencing plays a crucial role in this: it is one of the key ways through which the public, victims, and offenders see justice being done, and this government is clear that sentencing must be commensurate with the severity of the crime committed.</p><p>On the 9<sup>th</sup> March the government introduced the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC Bill). This legislation will bring forward the new, smarter approach to sentencing laid out in the Sentencing White Paper published in September 2020.</p><p>Serious sexual and violent offenders must spend as much of their sentence behind bars as possible in order to reflect the severity of their crimes. The PCSC Bill will:</p><ul><ul><li>End automatic halfway release from prison for an additional cohort of serious sexual and violent offenders;</li><li>Make a Whole Life Order the starting point for the premeditated murder of a child, as well as allowing judges to hand out this maximum punishment to 18-20 year olds in exceptional cases;</li><li>Introduce a new power to prevent the automatic early release of prisoners who become a significant public protection concern while in custody; and</li><li>Double the maximum penalty for assaulting an emergency worker.</li></ul></ul><p> </p><p>Delivering public protection and ensuring that sentencing is commensurate with the severity of the crime is not just about better use of custody. The PCSC Bill will make community sentences more effective so that they offer an appropriate level of punishment but also address the underlying drivers of offending, by:</p><ul><ul><li>Piloting a problem-solving court approach for certain community and suspended sentence orders;</li><li>Improving national consistency for adult Out of Court Disposals; and</li><li>Extending the use of Electronic Monitoring.</li></ul></ul><p> </p><p>The government is pleased that the PCSC Bill was given a Second Reading on 16<sup>th</sup> March by a large majority. As we are approaching the end of the current session, the House of Commons agreed to carry over consideration of the Bill to the next session. Given the size of the Bill, it is right to allow time for MPs to consider the detail before starting their line-by-line scrutiny.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/04/2021 15:23:39 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey

1307184

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Youth Courts
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 size of the case backlog in the youth court system.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	178747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>In 2020 outstanding youth cases at the magistrates' court reached an annual peak of 12,138 in June, then consistently fell to 9,930 cases by December. In the same period, outstanding youth cases at the Crown Court remained stable, peaking at 665 in October then falling to 629 by December.</p><p>The focus for 2021 will be to drive the continued reduction of outstanding cases in the Youth Court, working with agencies across the Criminal Justice System to minimise delays.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/04/2021 14:20:48 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1307316

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Youth Offending Teams: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to publish the Covid Recovery Plans submitted by youth offending teams to the Youth Justice Board.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	179295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Youth Justice Board has oversight of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and has received Covid-19 Recovery Plans from each YOT. There is no current plan for MoJ or the YJB to publish Covid-19 Recovery Plans as it is the responsibility of local authorities to make their individual plans available to the public.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 20/04/2021 14:23:15 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1307803

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Health and Safety: Coronavirus
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 number of employers that have been prosecuted for breaches of health and safety in relation to covid-19 to date.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	179466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>National statistics on detailed offence level prosecutions including those relating to COVID-19 for the calendar year of 2020 are due for publication in May 2021.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/04/2021 14:15:05 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1307962

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 5 February 2021 on prisoners and vaccines, reference ZA55418.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	178951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Hon. Member’s letter was not received by the department on 5 February 2021. A copy was requested and has now been received. A response will be sent as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 20/04/2021 15:19:57 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1308042

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Cemeteries: Tottenham
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the review commissioned by his Department in 2018 into Tottenham Park Cemetery; and what recent assessment he has made of the need to regulate private cemeteries.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	179542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>We continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in light of the findings of the 2018 statutory inspection of Tottenham Park Cemetery.</p><p> </p><p>While private burial grounds are not covered by the same regulations and guidance that govern local authority burial grounds, MoJ anticipates that private cemeteries will adhere to those standards.</p><p> </p><p>The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider modernising and streamlining the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future. We will ensure that issues around the management of private cemeteries are brought to the Law Commission’s attention in this context.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 20/04/2021 15:40:00 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby