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101966

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of officials in his Department have undergone specialist training on working with victims of sexual assault in a court environment.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	212599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Training provided to court staff is not restricted to victims of sexual assault but covers all vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses. All court staff who interact with vulnerable and intimidated witnesses are provided with the relevant training via e-learning and face to face training to help support them in this role. There are two principal training courses: Crown &amp; Magistrates Court Witness Liaison Officer Awareness training and Vulnerable &amp; Intimidated Witnesses Awareness training for court ushers.</p><p> </p><p>Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service remains committed to training court staff who come into direct contact with victims and witnesses in the court environment, and has pledged to set ‘specific job objectives on the care of victims’ for operational staff by April 2015.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 04/11/2014 16:55:55 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

101967

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 estimate he has made of the number of violent incidents in prisons linked to legal highs in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	212598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>Violence of any kind in prison is not tolerated and all assaults are treated extremely seriously. The reason behind a violent incident is not routinely recorded and therefore we do not have an estimate of the number of violent incidents that might be attributable to the use of legal highs. The National Offender Management Service is taking appropriate steps to tackle violence and after conducting a comprehensive review will be issuing further guidance early next year. Work is also underway with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that violent crimes are investigated and prosecuted.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/11/2014 17:37:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

101968

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Adoption
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against placement orders have been issued in family courts since 2010; and how many of those appeals have been allowed.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	212596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>HMCTS’ Family Court case management system records contested placement applications and their outcome. Data is available from the system from 2011 only as the functionality to record placement orders went fully live in that year. Data from 2011 to September 2014 is provided in the table below. Data from 2010-11 could only be provided at disproportionate cost due to the need to manually check local case files. The Family Court case management system does not hold information on placement order appeals. It records any appeal applications made within a case but not what the appeal was against or whether it was upheld or rejected. We could only say how many appeals were made against placement orders by manually checking each case file in which a placement order was made to see if it had been appealed and check the outcome. This would incur disproportionate costs.</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Contested Placement Order Applications and Orders Made January 2011 to September 2014</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Calendar Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Contested Placement Applications</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Placement Orders Made</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011*</strong></p></td><td><p>272</p></td><td><p>239</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p>354</p></td><td><p>312</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p>338</p></td><td><p>233</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014 (January to September)*</strong></p></td><td><p>127</p></td><td><p>62</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>*Note:</p><ul><li>Functionality to record Adoption and Children Act 2002 proceedings (including placements) was added to the family case management system by December 2010 but the data was not considered to have stabilised until the end of the first quarter in calendar year 2011.</li><li>Order figures are 'case tracked' and therefore not all applications will necessarily have been concluded, especially those made in 2014. This is the reason that there are a higher proportion of unconcluded cases in January-September 2014, compared to previous years: as placement cases can take several months, many of those contested will not yet have concluded.</li></ul> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 212597 question first answered 04/11/2014 17:48:42 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

101969

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Adoption
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many opposed applications for placement orders have been issued by local authorities in family courts since 2010; and how many of those applications have been ordered by the court.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	212597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>HMCTS’ Family Court case management system records contested placement applications and their outcome. Data is available from the system from 2011 only as the functionality to record placement orders went fully live in that year. Data from 2011 to September 2014 is provided in the table below. Data from 2010-11 could only be provided at disproportionate cost due to the need to manually check local case files. The Family Court case management system does not hold information on placement order appeals. It records any appeal applications made within a case but not what the appeal was against or whether it was upheld or rejected. We could only say how many appeals were made against placement orders by manually checking each case file in which a placement order was made to see if it had been appealed and check the outcome. This would incur disproportionate costs.</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Contested Placement Order Applications and Orders Made January 2011 to September 2014</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Calendar Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Contested Placement Applications</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Placement Orders Made</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011*</strong></p></td><td><p>272</p></td><td><p>239</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p>354</p></td><td><p>312</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p>338</p></td><td><p>233</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014 (January to September)*</strong></p></td><td><p>127</p></td><td><p>62</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>*Note:</p><ul><li>Functionality to record Adoption and Children Act 2002 proceedings (including placements) was added to the family case management system by December 2010 but the data was not considered to have stabilised until the end of the first quarter in calendar year 2011.</li><li>Order figures are 'case tracked' and therefore not all applications will necessarily have been concluded, especially those made in 2014. This is the reason that there are a higher proportion of unconcluded cases in January-September 2014, compared to previous years: as placement cases can take several months, many of those contested will not yet have concluded.</li></ul> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 212596 question first answered 04/11/2014 17:48:42 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

101974

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Divorce: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement on 23 October 2014 by the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties on more support for separating couples and parents, how much of the new £2 million package will be spent on improving the Government's Sorting Out Separation website.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
tabling member printed	Sheila Gilmore
uin	212777
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government is committed to making sure that when people separate they do it in the best possible way. Too many people end up fighting expensive and confrontational court battles when they could be helped to resolve their problems outside the courts. However when people do end up in court it is imperative that they have the right advice and information.</p><p> </p><p>The new package of support which I announced on 23 October is aimed at keeping disputes away from court, while those who end up in court will be provided with better support. The £2m funding identified in the announcement will be used to support the increase of legal and practical support for litigants in person in the civil and family courts. This strategy has been agreed with the legal and advice sectors and we are working with them on implementation.</p><p>The funding will not be used to support improvements to the DWP's Sorting out Separation website. This is because we are already working closely with DWP to improve and refine Sorting out Seperation. The DWP has appointed commercial providers with digital expertise to run the new contract for strategic development and improvement of the online service and to raise its profile for online search. MoJ and DWP are working closely with providers as their recommendations are implemented.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 04/11/2014 16:41:29 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
tabling member	3965 label Biography information for Sheila Gilmore

101364

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Youth Custody: Education
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 provide children in custody with better education; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We are putting education at the heart of youth custody. We intend to open a Secure College pathfinder in Leicestershire in 2017, to give young people the skills, qualifications and self-discipline needed to turn their back on crime and become productive members of society.</p><p> </p><p>Secure Colleges will have strong educational leadership, with a head teacher or principal at the centre of the leadership team. They will put learning, vocational training and life skills at the core of a regime which educates and rehabilitates young offenders.</p><p> </p><p>At present young people in Youth Offending Institutions (YOIs) receive only 12 hours of education per week on average, which is insufficient. A competition is underway for new contracts which will more than double the number of hours young people in YOIs spend in education each week. There will be a focus on providing an equivalent quality of education to that offered outside custody. Providers will be challenged to deliver a broad and engaging curriculum reflecting the needs, abilities and ambitions of young people in YOIs, including an emphasis on core skills, vocational training and employment skills. Providers will also deliver a dedicated outreach service for any young people unable to attend classroom education. The Provider teams will be led by a head teacher or principal overseeing delivery of education. This person will also be a member of the senior management team of the establishment. The new service is due to commence in spring 2015 with a requirement that each YOI achieves a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating by Spring 2016.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/11/2014 17:23:35 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101484

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Intimate Image Abuse
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 prevent the distribution of revenge porn; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212279
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government is creating, in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, a new criminal offence which targets those who disclose private sexual photographs and films without the consent of the person depicted and with intent to cause that person distress.</p><p> </p><p>The provisions to create the new offence were tabled as a Government Amendment at Lords Report stage of the Bill on 20 October and were warmly received and supported across the House.</p><p> </p><p>The offence will cover the disclosure of private and sexual photographs or films of individuals who have not consented to this disclosure, such as those of them engaged in sexual activity, depicted in a sexual way, or with their genitals exposed, where what is shown would not usually be seen in public. It will apply to disclosures taking place online and offline. The offence will attract a two-year maximum prison sentence.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 04/11/2014 17:01:36 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101485

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offenders: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made on the level of academic attainment for incarcerated young offenders; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Hackney North and Stoke Newington
tabling member printed	Ms Diane Abbott
uin	212174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We are putting education and training at the heart of youth custody through the creation of Secure Colleges. These will be give young people the skills, qualifications and self-discipline needed to turn their back on crime and become productive members of society.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, a competition is underway for new contracts which will aim to more than double the number of hours young people in Young Offenders Institutions spend in education each week.</p><p> </p><p>Evidence relating to education in custody has been included in recent publications by the Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board (YJB). This information relates to the proportions of the young offenders in education and the classes / vocational training taken. The publications can be accessed via the following links:</p><p> </p><p>- Ministry of Justice: Transforming Youth Custody Consultation (<a href="https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-youth-custody" target="_blank">https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-youth-custody</a>)</p><p>- Youth Justice Board: Young People and the Secure Estate: Needs and Intervention (<a href="http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_30943-9.pdf" target="_blank">http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_30943-9.pdf</a>)</p><p>- HM Inspectorate of Prisons: Children and Young People in Custody (<a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmipris/summaries-of-juvenile-survey-responses/hmip-children-young-people-in-custody-12-13.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmipris/summaries-of-juvenile-survey-responses/hmip-children-young-people-in-custody-12-13.pdf</a>)</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/11/2014 17:30:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	172 label Biography information for Ms Diane Abbott

100577

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reoffenders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to identify whether a person recalled to custody has (1) a learning disability, and (2) an IQ of less than 80.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
uin	HL2314
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>No specific screening is carried out by probation staff for low IQ or for learning disability. However, the Offender Assessment System (OASys) makes specific reference to whether learning difficulties have been disclosed; in addition, it invites the offender manager to consider whether there is any evidence of speech, language or communication difficulties, as well as how these might be addressed. Each offender on licence will also have a risk management plan and sentence plan, where any learning difficulties should be identified and considered.</p><p> </p><p>During recall considerations, an offender manager must consider whether the offender’s behaviour indicates that they present an increased “risk of serious harm” (in terms of the OASys classifications) to the public or an imminent risk of further offences being committed. Recall must also be considered in cases where contact between the offender manager and the offender has broken down. Consideration may be given to the context and intent of the behaviour that breached the licence. Thus, the offender manager must consider whether the offender understood sufficiently the breached condition and its implications. Alternatively, the offender manager should consider whether the breach arose as a result of a lack of support. In considering these things, the offender manager should take into account learning difficulties, disabilities or a low IQ.</p><p> </p><p>We plan to introduce the ‘Basic Custody Screening Tool’ (BCST) to all prisons in January as part of the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme. Once this has rolled out, all offenders entering custody, including all those recalled to custody, will be asked whether they have a learning difficulty or disability; and if so, to specify the nature of the difficulty or disability. The answers will inform their resettlement plan.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 04/11/2014 16:23:53 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley