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1677395

registered interest
date	12/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Knives: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for knife crime in England since January 2020.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	6559
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions for criminal offences, in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1182043/outcomes-by-offence-2022_v2.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence data tool</a>. This information can be further broken down by offence group and specific offences using the appropriate filters (for knife crime offences, select ‘10D Possession of article with blade or point’ in the Offence filter). To see prosecutions for England only, Welsh police force areas (Dyfed Powys, Gwent, North Wales, South Wales) can be deselected from the appropriate filter.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 20/12/2023 16:21:52 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672145

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rape: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase conviction rates for rape.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3225
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government does not seek to influence the outcome of trial processes, which are underpinned by judicial independence and the right to a fair trial. Instead, through our Rape Review Action Plan, we are delivering a programme of work to significantly increase the number of adult rape cases reaching court.</p><p>We have already exceeded each of our ambitions to return the number of adult rape cases referred by the police, charged by the CPS and reaching court to 2016 levels ahead of schedule, with the number of adult rape cases reaching court now 13% higher than in 2016. In addition, the latest data shows that prosecutions and convictions for adult rape have increased on the previous year, with prosecutions volumes now higher than they were in 2010, when we came into Government.</p><p>But we are determined to go further. We continue to deliver a range of actions that will allow us to go further in increasing the number of adult rape cases reaching court. This includes:</p><ul><li>Through Operation Soteria, we are transforming the way that the police investigate an CPS prosecute adult rape, focusing on suspect behaviour over victim credibility through our new, transformative National Operating Models.</li><li>Having recruited 20,000 new police officers, bringing the total number to a record peak, we will train over 2,000 officers to become specialist rape investigators by April 2024, making sure the police have the skills and resources to deal with these complex cases.</li><li>We are quadrupling victims funding by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10, which will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors by 300 to over 1,000 – a 43% increase by 2024/5.</li><li>Our national rollout of pre-recorded cross examination for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences is being used in over 150 cases per month, sparing victims from the glare of court and ensuring they can give their best evidence.</li><li>And to ensure we reduce victim attrition, we have made great strides in tackling the intrusive investigation process. This includes our commitment to no adult rape victim being left without a phone for more than 24 hours, as well as legislating to ensure that police requests for Third Party Materials are only made by the police when it is necessary and proportionate to do so.</li></ul> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 30/11/2023 16:55:05 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1670273

registered interest
date	15/11/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will hold discussion with the Sentencing Council on the potential merits of making it more likely that perpetrators of retail crime receive custodial sentences.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	2148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>The independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales has a statutory duty to develop sentencing guidelines and monitor their use. These guidelines provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how blameworthy the offender is.</p><p>As an independent body, the Sentencing Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. Therefore, the Government cannot require the Council to review particular guidelines. It is open of course to individuals to approach the Council to ask that they do so, and I would encourage you to share your concerns with them. The Council’s published criteria for developing or revising guidelines is available on its website at: <a href="https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-and-the-council/about-the-sentencing-council/our-criteria-for-developing-or-revising-guidelines/" target="_blank">https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-and-the-council/about-the-sentencing-council/our-criteria-for-developing-or-revising-guidelines/</a>.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice regularly monitors the effectiveness of the sentencing framework.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 23/11/2023 11:08:23 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1658552

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Child Trust Fund: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to simplify the process for parents of disabled children to access child trust fund accounts when their children turn eighteen.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	198046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2023 answer text <p>Anyone who wishes to manage the finances of a person who lacks the mental capacity to do so for themselves, which includes children turning 18, must have the legal authority to do so. In England and Wales legal authority is obtained by applying to the Court of Protection.</p><p>In February the Court of Protection introduced an online process to streamline and speed up processing times for property and affairs applications. This has resulted in decisions for a Court of Protection application being obtained within 8 weeks instead of 24 weeks. We continue to review and revise the process and the court will continue to identify areas to simplify and remove duplication on court forms, including uploading to the online process many of the forms required for a property and affairs applications.</p><p>My friend represents Northern Ireland. I cannot comment on the situation there as this responsibility is devolved.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 14/09/2023 16:15:28 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1648461

registered interest
date	28/06/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Family Courts: Children
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 potential merits of allowing children to be present at family courts.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	191577
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government has not made an assessment of the merits of allowing children to be present in the family courts. In family proceedings the child’s welfare is of paramount consideration and as part of its considerations the court is required to take the wishes and feelings of children into account, in line with their age and level of understanding.</p><p>Cafcass ensure the child’s voice is heard at the heart of the family court setting, in both public and private law proceedings. In order to ensure a child is involved in proceedings, Cafcass may provide the child the opportunity to write a letter or draw a picture to the judge in the case, the child may also be provided with the opportunity to meet with the judge. A Cafcass family court advisor will submit their own analysis of the evidence and ensure that the child’s wishes and views are properly represented. We increased funding to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) by £8.4 million in the last financial year.</p><p>Part 16(2) of the Family Procedure Rules details that a child may be made a party to family court proceedings if it is in their best interests to do so. Where a child is made party to proceedings, a guardian or litigation friend will be appointed to safeguard the child’s interests. Under part 16(6) of the rules the court may grant a child the right to conduct proceedings without a guardian or litigation friend so long as the court is satisfied the child has sufficient understanding to participate as a party.</p><p>In response to the Harm Panel report, the Government committed to exploring how to enhance the voice of the child in private law proceedings to ensure children’s wishes and views are central to proceedings concerning them. This includes the launch of the Integrated Domestic Abuse Court pilots in February 2022 where we are trialling a new model which in part aims to enhance the ‘voice of the child’ in proceedings. As part of the evaluation of the pilots we will be working with partners and stakeholders to assess methods of child engagement and understand more about how and when children want to be involved in the court process.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 06/07/2023 09:06:23 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1642511

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Drugs: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of drug-dealing offences in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	188275
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice holds data on individuals convicted of drug offences on a principal offence, principal disposal basis, covering the period requested. This is publicly available and can be viewed in <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1158218/outcomes-by-offence-2022.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence tool: 2022</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the number of individuals convicted of drug offences at all courts can be found in the above tool by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab. In the ‘Offence’ filter, select the below offences for the main four offences related to drug dealing:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>‘92A.09 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A'</p></li><li><p>'92A.10 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class B'</p></li><li><p>'92A.11 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class C'</p></li><li><p>'92A.12 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - unknown class'</p></li></ul> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 15/06/2023 15:54:41 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1639193

registered interest
date	22/05/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Intimate Image Abuse: Convictions
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 number of individuals convicted of revenge porn in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	186065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for the offence ‘8.19 Disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress’ in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1158218/outcomes-by-offence-2022.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence data tool</a>: December 2022.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 30/05/2023 11:50:11 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1623617

registered interest
date	25/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Police Custody
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to avoid overuse of Operation Safeguard.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	182566
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>To ensure we have sufficient prison capacity both in the immediate and the longer term, we are implementing a suite of measures to reduce the demand pressures on the prison system and to provide additional capacity. We are delivering 20,000 additional modern prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, helping to cut crime and protect the public. As of end of April, we have already delivered c. 3,400 of these additional places, including through the brand-new prison, HMP Five Wells, which opened last year. Furthermore, we have delivered c.700 extra temporary places through modular units.</p><p> </p><p>Operation Safeguard is a contingency measure that provides additional headroom for use if prisoners cannot be accepted from the courts or police custody. It is a temporary measure to provide a short-term solution. When Operation Safeguard is active, tactical and operational governance reviews take place at regular intervals, as agreed with police partners.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 02/05/2023 11:54:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1611644

registered interest
date	18/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consider the potential merits of introducing a sliding scale for eligibility for legal aid.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	181188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>The Government is currently undertaking a review of legal aid means testing across England and Wales and will publish its response in due course. The review sets out proposals for means testing in the round, including the thresholds for legal aid entitlement and the eligibility arrangements for those receiving welfare benefits <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/legal-aid-means-test-review" target="_blank">Legal Aid Means Test Review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. Legal aid remains a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and issues related to both the policy and delivery of such services fall to the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland and the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 26/04/2023 14:15:33 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1567054

registered interest
date	16/01/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Homicide and Rape: Sentencing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for (a) rape and (b) murder; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these crimes receive the most severe punishments.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	123942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2023 answer text <p>The independent Sentencing Council is responsible for the production and revision of sentencing guidelines, which the courts must follow, unless it would be contrary to the interest of justice. The Council also undertakes evaluation of the guidelines to ensure they are operating as intended.</p><p> </p><p>Rape carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and the average custodial sentence length for adults (aged 21 and older) increased from 99.5 months in 2010, to 114.3 months in 2021. The sentencing guidelines are clear that offences which involve the greatest harm and culpability can expect to attract the toughest sentences, for example where there has been a significant degree of planning or an abuse of trust.</p><p> </p><p>Murder convictions attract a mandatory life sentence. Schedule 21 of the Sentencing Code sets out statutory guidance to be applied by the independent courts when setting the minimum term of imprisonment, at which point they may be considered for release on licence by the Parole Board.</p><p> </p><p>The Government regularly reviews Schedule 21 and has expanded the list of whole life order (WLO) starting points through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to include the premediated murder of a child and enabled judges to impose a WLO on those aged 18-20 in exceptional circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in 2021 the Government commissioned an independent expert, Clare Wade KC, to undertake a review of domestic homicide sentencing. The review was delivered to the department in June 2022 and prior to publication the Government is carefully considering its recommendations and next steps.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/01/2023 13:18:04 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon