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1133555

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Residential Women's Centres
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release of 27 June 2018 entitled Secretary of State launches dedicated strategy to break the cycle of female offending, how many residential women's centres have been opened in England and Wales for females convicted of offences since June 2018; and what the locations are of those centres.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267241
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>The Female Offender Strategy committed to develop a ‘residential women’s centre’ pilot in at least five sites across England and Wales. The aim of the pilots, when they begin, will be to develop an evidence base for how we might reduce the numbers of women entering and re-entering custody for short periods.</p><p> </p><p>We want to make sure the models we take forward are sustainable, scalable and appropriate for the local context of each site. We have recently concluded our first phase of consultation with stakeholders, partners and providers to inform our scoping. We will continue to consult with partners as we refine the design and delivery of the pilot.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently reflecting on the findings from our scoping work to develop a delivery plan for the pilots. No decisions regarding the location of Residential Women’ Centre pilots have yet been made.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 27/06/2019 11:56:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133587

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what redress a victim or witness has if special measures are requested in court but are not subsequently provided.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267261
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>There are many statutory protections that support vulnerable victims and witnesses in the criminal courts, for example banning cross examination of rape complainants by the defendant. In addition, a number of special measures can be applied for by the CPS to further support a victim or witness who is intimidated or vulnerable, for example the provision of protective screens.</p><p> </p><p>Such applications are considered by the trial judge. Should circumstances change during the trial it is possible for a late (or second) application to be made. Where applications are refused, it may be possible to appeal at the Court of Appeal or, in certain exceptional circumstances, to seek a judicial review.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 28/06/2019 13:17:27 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133596

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Community Rehabilitation Companies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the (a) termination of the 21 contracts for Community Rehabilitation Companies and (b) return of the management of offenders to the National Probation Service.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267269
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>In May 2019, we announced significant changes to the future structure of probation services in England and Wales. To allow us sufficient time for a smooth transition to the new model, we have put in place arrangements that will allow us to extend CRC contracts up until spring 2021.</p><p> </p><p>We aim to complete the integration of CRC offender management functions into the NPS in England in line with the termination of CRC contracts. In Wales, where our plans are more developed and where probation areas are already coterminous, we aim to complete the integration of offender management under the NPS in December 2019.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 27/06/2019 17:04:40 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133597

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Mobile Phones
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 (a) prevalence and (b) level of risk of illegal mobile phone use in prisons in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267270
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>The illegal use of mobile phones in prisons is one of the most significant threats facing our prisons. Illicit mobile phones undermine good order and control in prisons, and perpetuates ongoing criminality. They are used by prisoners for a range of criminal purposes, including drug supply, witness intimidation, extreme violence, involvement in organised crime and successful escapes. In the 12 months to March 2018 there were 15,036 mobile phones found in prisons, along with 9,345 SIM cards. This is an increase of 9% and 30% respectively compared with the previous 12-month period.</p><p> </p><p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has implemented a threefold approach to tackling the threat posed by mobile phones in prisons:</p><p> </p><ul><li>To minimise the number of phones entering prisons, we are strengthening our gate and perimeter security. This includes drafting specialist search teams into prisons across the country and extending the use of X-ray body scanners more widely across the prison estate to detect when prisoners are internally concealing contraband.</li><li>To strengthen our efforts to find phones that do enter prisons, we recently announced the installation of new phone detection technology in a number of prisons that will allow prison officers to pinpoint mobile phone signals down to precise cells. Through the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2018, we have additionally expanded blocking powers to allow us to work with mobile network providers to disrupt the use of illicit phones in prisons.</li><li>We have also made significant improvements to our ability to forensically analyse seized phones and go after the criminal groups that supply them. For example, we have delivered new kits at 30 prisons to allow officers to download data quickly from illicit phones seized from prisoners.</li></ul> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 27/06/2019 17:07:01 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133598

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
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 (a) prevalence, (b) type of drug, (c) method of importation and (b) health risks to (i) prisoners and (ii) staff of the presence of illegal drugs in prisons in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>HMPPS measures the prevalence of drug use in prisons through random mandatory drug testing of prisoners. These test for a wide range of drugs including psychoactive substances as defined in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. In 2017/18, 20.4% of samples tested positive for drugs.</p><p> </p><p>Psychoactive Substances (PS), as defined in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, are the most prevalent drug type in prison. Psychoactive substances were present in 60% of all positive samples in 2017/18, overtaking cannabis (28%), opiates (11%) and buprenorphine (10%). HMPPS is continuing to develop its drug testing frameworks to respond to the changing patterns of misuse in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>Drugs can enter prison through a number of routes including being thrown over the wall or flown over by drone, via mail, visits, forced recalls (offenders who intentionally breach their licence in order to be recalled), and corrupt staff. The extent to which individual routes are used varies over time and across the estate and is influenced by a range of static and dynamic factors. HMPPS monitors these routes by gathering intelligence and working with law enforcement partners.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS is working with unions, independent scientists and clinicians to assess the impact of secondary exposure to psychoactive substances on staff and prisoners. A program of staff post-exposure biological testing is being expanded and will explore prisoner and staff experiences of secondary exposure to assess the risk.</p><p> </p><p>To respond to the risk from drugs in prisons, we are strengthening our gate and perimeter security, drafting specialist search teams into prisons across the country and investing in physical and technical security counter measures. Alongside this, HMPPS has developed a new, national Prison Drugs Strategy, published in April 2019. The strategy outlines how HMPPS is working to restrict the supply of drugs, reduce demand through rehabilitative activities, and support prisoners to build recovery from substance misuse.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 28/06/2019 13:29:33 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133602

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of x-ray body scanners in prisons in England and Wales .
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>We are taking urgent and decisive action to stop contraband from entering our prisons. These illicit items pose a significant threat to safety and security.</p><p> </p><p>X-ray body scanners have already been installed at Altcourse, Belmarsh, Doncaster, Forest Bank, Holme House, Leeds, Northumberland and Peterborough.</p><p> </p><p>We believe X-ray scanning technology provides an effective method of confirming whether a prisoner is attempting to smuggle contraband via internal concealment.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 267274 question first answered 27/06/2019 17:10:09 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133603

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Security
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 1 May 2019 to Question 246554 on Prisons: Security, what the timeframe is for the installation of x-ray body scanners in the eight selected prisons.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267274
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>We are taking urgent and decisive action to stop contraband from entering our prisons. These illicit items pose a significant threat to safety and security.</p><p> </p><p>X-ray body scanners have already been installed at Altcourse, Belmarsh, Doncaster, Forest Bank, Holme House, Leeds, Northumberland and Peterborough.</p><p> </p><p>We believe X-ray scanning technology provides an effective method of confirming whether a prisoner is attempting to smuggle contraband via internal concealment.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 267273 question first answered 27/06/2019 17:10:09 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133606

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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 people were released from prisons in England and Wales (a) before and (b) after their official release date in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267277
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Figures on all releases in error, where prisoners are wrongly discharged from an establishment or court when they should have remained in custody with no deliberate prisoner involvement in the error, are published as part of the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Digest. The latest publication can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018</a></p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 28/06/2019 13:23:01 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133607

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Contracts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of probation work following the merging of the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies will be the subject of competitive tendering.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	267278
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>As set out in our strategic response to the consultation ‘Strengthening Probation, Building Confidence’ we intend that, subject to further market engagement, responsibility for the delivery of Unpaid Work, Accredited Programmes, as well the rehabilitation support delivered to offenders as part of a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, or to support their resettlement following release from prison will be delivered through contracts with private and voluntary sector organisations under our plans for the future of probation services. Our current estimate of the total value of these contracts is up to £280m per year.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 27/06/2019 17:19:38 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1133608

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for the non-payment of TV licence fees (i) in total and (ii) of women in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	267176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>The lead Government Department on TV licencing is the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice has published the number of prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for the non-payment of TV license fees and figures for each year since 2008 up to December 2018 are available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><ul><li>Select ‘191A Television licence evasion’ in the Offence filter; prosecutions can be found in row 24 and convictions are in row 25.</li><li>The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody can be found in row 36, however custody is not a sentencing option for TV licence evasion, therefore this row is nil.</li><li>To see these figures for females, select ’02: Female’ in the Sex filter.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The number of people prosecuted and sentenced to immediate custody in total and for TV licence evasion in the years between 1992 (the earliest available in the court proceedings database) and 1999, by age and sex can be found in the attached tables.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 267177 267178 267179 267180 question first answered 27/06/2019 14:36:23 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard attachment 1 file name tvlicence_final.xlsx title Table
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman