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1000223

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	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 merits of using video technology to allow relatives and friends to speak to convicted prisoners at appointed times.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	187327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2018 answer text <p>Visits play an important part of reducing reoffending as good relationships with family and friends is proved to reduce risk of reoffending.</p><p>The management and guidance for the use of closed visits is within Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 15/2011. The PSI specifies that closed visits should be imposed where there is an identified risk of smuggling prohibited items.</p><p>We recognise the benefits that Internet Based Video Services (IBVS) can provide in assisting prisoners with maintaining family ties. At present, however, prisoners are not allowed to use an IBVS as a way of communicating, due to operational concerns about the control measures available to safeguard the use of such communications. Work is currently underway to explore the options for the use of IBVS in establishments with strict safeguards in place, and the possibility of making greater use of such within prisons in the near future.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 187326 question first answered 12/11/2018 17:14:17 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1203009

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	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 15 May 2020 to introduce video calling in the absence of family visits to prisons, when his Department plans to roll out video calling to the remainder of prisons in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	58630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced temporary emergency video calling in recognition of the<br> importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in<br> prisons in England and Wales. We have published information regarding the provision of video<br> calls on GOV.UK and made clear we will continue to expand secure video calling to more establishments during this time. Details of which prisons are operating live services for families and friends can be accessed via the following link;</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visit-a-prisoner-using-a-video-call" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visit-a-prisoner-using-a-video-call</a><br> <br> At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling beyond<br> Covid-19 restrictions.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/06/2020 15:15:48 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1238817

	registered interest
	date	29/09/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons did not have secure video calling technology being used by prisoners as of 28 September 2020.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	96822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2020 answer text <p>We fully acknowledge the importance of family contact for those in custody, in line with the recommendations of Lord Farmer’s Reviews. This is why, following the necessary suspension of prison visits in March to keep prisoners, their families and staff safe during the pandemic, we introduced a range of measures including the introduction of secure video calls.</p><p>As of 28 September, we have live services operating in 103 out of the 110 establishments in scope of the roll-out. The seven prisons which have not yet been able to go live are: HMPs Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, Swaleside, The Mount, Warren Hill and, Oakhill Secure Training Centre. These establishments have all taken receipt of the necessary equipment and staff have been trained. However, they have experienced networking and connectivity issues and, in some cases, have had to wait for broadband upgrades to the establishments as a whole. They are currently undertaking test calls and expect to go live as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 07/10/2020 16:01:53 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1241778

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons in England and Wales have a prison video link.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	101003
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>101 sites across the men’s, women’s and youth custody estate have at least one prison video link. Work is in hand with the aim of equipping all prisons with video links by the end of this financial year, subject to any unforeseen impacts of Covid-19.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 16/10/2020 11:27:05 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

156394

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are used to assess whether a case is suitable for a prison video link.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	214965
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>Prison to Court Video Links (PCVL) allow offenders to appear in court via a live video link from a room in the prison. Relevant data has been collected from June 2012 following the introduction of the Government’s Transforming Justice agenda and shows that the number of defendants heard via PCVL were 32,633 from June to December 2012; 53,487 in 2013 and 59,635 so far this year. The data only records the number of instances in which PCVL was used and does not record the hearing type. Consequently specific data about the number of sentencing hearings that are held using PCVL is not available.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State and ministers meet regularly with the senior judiciary to discuss matters relating to the effective operation of the justice system including the use of video. The use of video in court – which includes prison to court video links - is also outlined in the Criminal Procedure Rules. These are drafted by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, which is chaired by the judiciary and involves practitioners.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure a clear and shared understanding across the CJS of the policy and criteria around video links, national guidance for Magistrates and Crown Courts on Prison to Court Video Links has been produced. (This is attached as an Annex). The criteria that will be used in a case to assess whether it is suitable will include, amongst other things, whether it is an eligible hearing type, public protection and risk issues and the welfare of the defendant.</p><p>S57B (6) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out a presumption that in preliminary hearings for adults, magistrates will utilise video links. However reasons can be given for not doing so. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended use of prison-court live links to sentencing hearings and appeals.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 214947 214948 214966 question first answered 25/11/2014 17:48:16 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

156395

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on dealing with different (a) types of offences, (b) types of hearings and (c) individuals via prison video links.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	214966
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>Prison to Court Video Links (PCVL) allow offenders to appear in court via a live video link from a room in the prison. Relevant data has been collected from June 2012 following the introduction of the Government’s Transforming Justice agenda and shows that the number of defendants heard via PCVL were 32,633 from June to December 2012; 53,487 in 2013 and 59,635 so far this year. The data only records the number of instances in which PCVL was used and does not record the hearing type. Consequently specific data about the number of sentencing hearings that are held using PCVL is not available.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State and ministers meet regularly with the senior judiciary to discuss matters relating to the effective operation of the justice system including the use of video. The use of video in court – which includes prison to court video links - is also outlined in the Criminal Procedure Rules. These are drafted by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, which is chaired by the judiciary and involves practitioners.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure a clear and shared understanding across the CJS of the policy and criteria around video links, national guidance for Magistrates and Crown Courts on Prison to Court Video Links has been produced. (This is attached as an Annex). The criteria that will be used in a case to assess whether it is suitable will include, amongst other things, whether it is an eligible hearing type, public protection and risk issues and the welfare of the defendant.</p><p>S57B (6) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out a presumption that in preliminary hearings for adults, magistrates will utilise video links. However reasons can be given for not doing so. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended use of prison-court live links to sentencing hearings and appeals.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 214947 214948 214965 question first answered 25/11/2014 17:48:16 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

156411

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with (a) judges and (b) the legal profession over the use of prison video links.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	214948
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>Prison to Court Video Links (PCVL) allow offenders to appear in court via a live video link from a room in the prison. Relevant data has been collected from June 2012 following the introduction of the Government’s Transforming Justice agenda and shows that the number of defendants heard via PCVL were 32,633 from June to December 2012; 53,487 in 2013 and 59,635 so far this year. The data only records the number of instances in which PCVL was used and does not record the hearing type. Consequently specific data about the number of sentencing hearings that are held using PCVL is not available.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State and ministers meet regularly with the senior judiciary to discuss matters relating to the effective operation of the justice system including the use of video. The use of video in court – which includes prison to court video links - is also outlined in the Criminal Procedure Rules. These are drafted by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, which is chaired by the judiciary and involves practitioners.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure a clear and shared understanding across the CJS of the policy and criteria around video links, national guidance for Magistrates and Crown Courts on Prison to Court Video Links has been produced. (This is attached as an Annex). The criteria that will be used in a case to assess whether it is suitable will include, amongst other things, whether it is an eligible hearing type, public protection and risk issues and the welfare of the defendant.</p><p>S57B (6) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out a presumption that in preliminary hearings for adults, magistrates will utilise video links. However reasons can be given for not doing so. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended use of prison-court live links to sentencing hearings and appeals.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 214947 214965 214966 question first answered 25/11/2014 17:48:15 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1200752

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government when they intend to make the provision of secure video calls in prisons subject to a competitive procurement following the current pilot.
	tabling member printed	Lord Garnier
	uin	HL5294
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced a temporary emergency video calling solution in recognition of the importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in prisons in England and Wales. We have committed to the fact that there will be no cost of video calls to either families or those in custody during this time. At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling across the estate beyond Covid-19 restrictions, which may include a competition for such services.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5295 question first answered 16/06/2020 16:45:17 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	337 label Biography information for Lord Garnier

1200753

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require prisoners or their families to pay for secure video calls; and if so, (1) from when, and (2) what the charge for a call will be.
	tabling member printed	Lord Garnier
	uin	HL5295
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced a temporary emergency video calling solution in recognition of the importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in prisons in England and Wales. We have committed to the fact that there will be no cost of video calls to either families or those in custody during this time. At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling across the estate beyond Covid-19 restrictions, which may include a competition for such services.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5294 question first answered 16/06/2020 16:45:17 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	337 label Biography information for Lord Garnier