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1145219

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Pre-sentence Reports: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women sentenced in (1) the magistrates courts, and (2) the Crown Courts, in England and Wales did not have a pre-sentence report prepared for them in each of the last five years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL17746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><ins class="ministerial">It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:</ins><br /></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Age</strong></ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Under 21</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">115</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">21-30</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">1,011</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">31-35</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">696</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">36-40</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">690</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">41-50</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">784</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">51-60</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">366</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Over 60</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">108</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:26:55 question first ministerially corrected 26/09/2019 16:46:47 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie previous answer version 135196 answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1145221

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women currently in prison are aged (1) under 21, (2) 21–30, (3) 31–35, (4) 36–40, (5) 41–50, (6) 51–60, and (7) over 60, years old.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL17748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><ins class="ministerial">It is not possible to give figures for the number of sentenced women who did not have a pre-sentence report (PSR), as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Regarding the women’s prison population according to age, as at 30 June 2019, the total number of female prisoners was 3,770. The age distribution is shown in the table below:</ins><br /></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Age</strong></ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Under 21</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">115</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">21-30</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">1,011</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">31-35</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">696</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">36-40</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">690</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">41-50</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">784</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">51-60</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">366</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Over 60</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">108</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member</del></p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:27:41 question first ministerially corrected 26/09/2019 16:47:00 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie previous answer version 135181 answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1145220

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Prisons
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the courts in England and Wales used prison as a place of safety in each of the last five years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL17747
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><ins class="ministerial">Prison may be used as a ‘place of safety’ if the court is satisfied that an individual should be kept in custody for his/her own protection. This is set out under the Bail Act 1976.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Specifically, for individuals with serious mental illness, the Mental Health Act 1983 sets out that a person may be remanded in custody for between 7 and 28 days awaiting available treatment and detention in hospital.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on either of the circumstances set out. The decision to remand is taken by the individual sentencing court, and reasons for remand are not recorded centrally.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government is clear that those suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree that warrants treatment and detention in hospital (i.e. a severe mental disorder) should be able to access that treatment as quickly as possible. Our forthcoming response to the independent review of the Mental Health Act will address the recommendation in that context around prison as a ‘place of safety’.</ins><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:27:17 question first ministerially corrected 26/09/2019 16:46:27 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie previous answer version 135188 answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1144310

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Remand in Custody: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners remanded in custody were in employment in each prison in the financial year 2018-19.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	286301
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>According to Rule 31 of the Prison Rules 1999, while convicted prisoners can be required to do useful work for not more than 10 hours a day, the same does not apply to prisoners held on remand. Rule 31(5) merely states “An unconvicted prisoner shall be permitted, if he wishes, to work as if he were a convicted prisoner”. We do not collect data centrally relating to the number of prisoners remanded in custody who are in employment in prisons and this information could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Prisons must be places of rehabilitation, which will ultimately reduce reoffending. Our Education and Employment strategy sets out how we will transform our approach to ensure prisoners develop the skills they need to secure employment on release. We are engaging with employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and have consulted on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through Release on Temporary Licence.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/09/2019 11:35:58 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1142948

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Probation: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff were employed by probation services in Wales in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Ogmore
	tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
	uin	284444
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>As of 31 December 2018, there were 695 staff employed by the National Probation Service in the Wales probation region.</p><p> </p><p>Prison and Probation workforce statistics are published quarterly, more information can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/09/2019 11:28:19 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1144123

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Solicitors: Assessments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination in inculcating and testing legal writing skills.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
	uin	HL17611
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>As the legal profession in England and Wales, and the bodies that regulate it, are independent from government, we have not made any assessment of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. As set out in the Legal Services Act 2007, it will be a matter for the Legal Services Board to determine whether to approve proposals for changes to the qualification arrangements for solicitors brought forward by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL17612 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:31:27 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1144124

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Solicitors: Assessments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of exclusively multiple choice testing in the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination as a way of maintaining standards of legal service to consumers.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
	uin	HL17612
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>As the legal profession in England and Wales, and the bodies that regulate it, are independent from government, we have not made any assessment of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. As set out in the Legal Services Act 2007, it will be a matter for the Legal Services Board to determine whether to approve proposals for changes to the qualification arrangements for solicitors brought forward by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL17611 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:31:27 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1144087

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Summary Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of defendants sent summary offence notices under the single justice procedure fail to enter a plea; what is their assessment of the reasons for the level of such failures; and what steps they are taking to address that issue.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL17575
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Current response rates vary dependant on the individual prosecutors, with an average of 72% of defendants failing to enter a plea. Whilst an individual is at liberty to not enter a plea without reason, Her Majesty’s Courts &amp; Tribunals Service is actively working with prosecution authorities and our partners in the Criminal Justice System to understand the reasons why defendents do not respond and to improve engagement rates.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:28:07 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1142050

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Crimes of Violence: Sentencing
	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 reviewing the sentence guidelines for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	282281
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Currently, there is no sentencing guideline for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm (GBH). This offence is covered by common law and separate to the offences related to causing or inflicting GBH.</p><p> </p><p>It is for the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which is independent of government, to develop sentencing guidelines and monitor their use. The Sentencing Council are in the process of reviewing the definitive guideline on assault offences, and anticipate issuing a consultation on a revised guideline in early 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Assault guideline and evaluation are available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications/?type=publications&amp;s=&amp;cat=&amp;topic=assault&amp;year" target="_blank">https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications/?type=publications&amp;s=&amp;cat=&amp;topic=assault&amp;year</a>=</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 09/09/2019 09:00:04 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1144260

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Publications
	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 increase the number of books available in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
	uin	286079
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.</p><p>Every prison is required to have a library and every prisoner must be allowed to have and exchange library books under the Prison Rules.</p><p>The new Education contracts launched in April gave prisons more freedom to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF).</p><p>Family and friends of prisoners are able to hand or send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/09/2019 13:21:22 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching