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65168

	registered interest
	date	01/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Youth Custody
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of child abuse have been reported in youth custody environments in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	203470
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p>Establishments must report to their local authority for investigation any suspected cases of abuse or instances where a child is identified as having suffered, or is at risk of, significant harm. If the allegation or concern involves a member of staff, the establishment will report this to the designated officer, whose job it is to investigate concerns involving adults working with children.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Arrangements for the governance of child protection referrals are agreed between the establishment and the local authority, through Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards. Data on the referrals made through this process are collected locally and monitored in line with the agreed protocols.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Child protection referrals can cover a range of incidents, including complaints made by young people about any aspect of their treatment in custody. It is not possible centrally to determine how many of these referrals relate to particular concerns.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Youth Justice Board (YJB) requires each establishment to demonstrate how it fulfils its statutory safeguarding duty and undertakes a monitoring function to assure itself of performance against statutory responsibilities. Service specifications clearly reinforce and reflect the requirement that establishments and their LSCB will reach agreement on how they work together<em>.</em> This agreement will include how establishments must report to their local authority for the investigation of any suspected cases of abuse or instances where a child is identified as having suffered, or is at risk of, significant harm.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This is supported by robust independent inspections by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for all under 18 YOIs, which take place annually, and by HMI Prisons, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in Secure Training Centre’s (STCs), and by Ofsted in Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The inspectorates will speak to young people and staff, review documents and observe practice. They will also engage with other partners, including local authorities, in order to fully test partnership working and delivery of child protection arrangements.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The YJB’s established relationships with these inspectorates ensures that they are made aware of any systemic issues or concerns within a particular establishment, and are then able to subsequently take appropriate action.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The YJB augments inspection findings and the outcome of local authority audits with its own assurance monitoring to identify any trends and concerns within the youth secure estate. In all cases the YJB interrogates findings and any identified or emerging trends, and takes appropriate action where necessary, including:</p><p> </p><p>· the YJB’s own referral to local authorities for investigation;</p><p> </p><p>· requests to inspectorates to instigate urgent reviews and</p><p> </p><p>· the requirement that establishments/providers instigate action plans for service improvement.</p><p>The YJB continues to monitor the progress of these actions, in order to ensure its statutory responsibilities for maintaining the safety and well being of children in custody are fulfilled.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 24/10/2014 13:48:10 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

99922

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's latest internal guidance for officials on the drafting of answers to Parliamentary Questions.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	211099
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice’s internal guidance for answering parliamentary questions was updated and published on the Department’s intranet on 29<sup>th</sup> September 2014. I will send the hon. Member a copy and also arrange for it to be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p><p>In addition, the Cabinet Office has produced guidance for civil servants on drafting answers to parliamentary questions. This may be found on the gov.uk website at:</p><p><a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 24/10/2014 13:36:06 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

100227

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Trials
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases in (a) magistrates' courts and (b) the Crown court were awaiting trial on 1 October in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	211356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p>Data are published in Court Statistics Quarterly showing the number of outstanding trial cases in the Crown Court annually at the end of 2001, and quarterly at the end of each quarter commencing March 2009, including at the end of 30 September. The outstanding number of cases in magistrates’ courts is published broken down by indictable only trial cases, either way trial cases, summary motoring cases and summary non-motoring cases from the quarter ending June 2012. This data set was created in April 2012 so data is not available prior to that date. Prior to this, completed proceedings were published for magistrates’ courts. The data does not distinguish between trial cases still awaiting their trial and those who have either pleaded guilty or been convicted and are awaiting sentence. Court Statistics Quarterly is published at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/court-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/court-statistics-quarterly</a> Data to September 2014 is due to be published on 18 December 2014.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 24/10/2014 13:48:46 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

76507

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will replicate for victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain the support services available in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	204452
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>I can confirm that in 2013 the Government published a revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which sets out the entitlements of victims to support including enhanced support for victims of more serious crime including families bereaved by crime.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is making available more funding than ever before to support all victims of crime, almost doubling current funding with a potential budget of up to £100m to help them cope and where possible recover from the impact that crime has had on their lives.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2010, the Ministry of Justice has provided funding to Victim Support to run the national Homicide Service which provides tailored and intensive support to families bereaved by homicide after 2010 based on need. This includes practical support such as help funeral arrangements, bank accounts, forming employers and schools, preparing bereaved families to attend court and the provision of legal services. From October 2014, Victim Support will run a newly enhanced national Homicide Service for those bereaved after 2010 which in addition to providing of existing services will incorporate specialist trauma and bereavement counselling for both adults and children and for the first time peer support.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice also provides separate funding to a number of peer support and specialist therapy organisations which can support those bereaved by homicide.</p><p> </p><p>The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 is available to compensate blameless victims of violent crime. The Scheme is available for people injured in Great Britain and focuses on paying compensation to direct victims of a crime of violence. Northern Ireland has its own scheme, as do many other countries.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 October 2014, the majority of support services for victims of crime will be locally commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners. With their knowledge of local victims' needs and priorities, PCCs are uniquely placed to ensure that funding is targeted according to need.</p><p> </p><p>Individual victims and survivors of Northern-Ireland related acts of terrorism who are resident in England and Wales are able to apply for funding from the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) in Northern Ireland. The VSS is the main funder of victims' groups in Northern Ireland and provides a tailored package to meet the individual needs of victims and survivors including counselling, physiotherapy and the purchase of equipment such as wheelchairs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 16/07/2014 14:15:32 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

76509

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Terrorism: Northern Ireland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support the Government provides to victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	204449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>I can confirm that in 2013 the Government published a revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which sets out the entitlements of victims to support including enhanced support for victims of more serious crime including families bereaved by crime.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is making available more funding than ever before to support all victims of crime, almost doubling current funding with a potential budget of up to £100m to help them cope and where possible recover from the impact that crime has had on their lives.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2010, the Ministry of Justice has provided funding to Victim Support to run the national Homicide Service which provides tailored and intensive support to families bereaved by homicide after 2010 based on need. This includes practical support such as help funeral arrangements, bank accounts, forming employers and schools, preparing bereaved families to attend court and the provision of legal services. From October 2014, Victim Support will run a newly enhanced national Homicide Service for those bereaved after 2010 which in addition to providing of existing services will incorporate specialist trauma and bereavement counselling for both adults and children and for the first time peer support.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice also provides separate funding to a number of peer support and specialist therapy organisations which can support those bereaved by homicide.</p><p> </p><p>The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 is available to compensate blameless victims of violent crime. The Scheme is available for people injured in Great Britain and focuses on paying compensation to direct victims of a crime of violence. Northern Ireland has its own scheme, as do many other countries.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 October 2014, the majority of support services for victims of crime will be locally commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners. With their knowledge of local victims' needs and priorities, PCCs are uniquely placed to ensure that funding is targeted according to need.</p><p> </p><p>Individual victims and survivors of Northern-Ireland related acts of terrorism who are resident in England and Wales are able to apply for funding from the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) in Northern Ireland. The VSS is the main funder of victims' groups in Northern Ireland and provides a tailored package to meet the individual needs of victims and survivors including counselling, physiotherapy and the purchase of equipment such as wheelchairs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 16/07/2014 14:11:34 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

58497

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Surveillance: Aircraft
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what role the Information Commissioner's Office has in (a) the trial of the Aeroyn Skyranger drone around Gatwick Airport and (b) any other use of other surveillance aircraft operated by Government departments, agents or public bodies in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Mr Tom Watson
	uin	199439
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The Information Commissioner's Office has no specific role in the trial of the Aeryon Skyranger drone around Gatwick Airport. Members of the Information Commissioner's staff sit on the Cross-Government Working Group on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. They advise on any data protection compliance issues that arise.</p><p> </p><p>In addition the ICO is currently consulting on its revised CCTV code of practice which includes a section on remotely operated vehicles, or drones:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://ico.org.uk/about_us/consultations/our_consultations" target="_blank">http://ico.org.uk/about_us/consultations/our_consultations</a></p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 10/06/2014 16:19:24 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1463 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

64216

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Styal Prison
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours per week prisoners in HM Prison Styal spent (a) in cells and (b) working in each of the last three years; what proportion of such prisoners were classed as unemployed on the last date for which figures are available; and what the average number of hours per week spent working by prisoners in that prison was in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Newport East
	tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
	uin	202582
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p>Up until the end of 2011-2012, information was collected on the average hours during each weekday when prisoners cells were unlocked. By subtracting the average hours unlocked from the 24 hours in a day, it is possible to estimate hours spent locked in cell.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for each prison establishment for the three years from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 have been placed in the library of the House.Figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that time in cell includes hours when prisoners are asleep. Time unlocked includes time where a prisoner is either out of their cell or where the cell door is unlocked allowing them to move freely in and out of the cell.</p><p> </p><p>Time unlocked was discontinued as a performance indicator for prisons at the end of 2011-2012 because it was not used in the day to day management of prisons and NOMS had concerns over the burden on the frontline of collecting the data. Figures for time in cell for the years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Indicators introduced into prison service learning agreements in respect of rehabilitation, resettlement and work in prisons provide a better demonstration of efforts to prepare prisoners for release and reduce reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>Work in prisons is a key priority to make sure that prisoners are engaged purposefully while they are in custody. It also gives them the opportunity to learn skills and a work ethic which can increase their chances of finding employment on release which is a key element to reducing reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>The number of prisoners working in industrial activity across public sector prisons increased from around 8,600 in 2010-2011 (the first year for which figures are available) to around 9,700 in 2012-13. This delivered an increase in the total hours worked in industrial activities from 10.6 million hours to 13.1 million hours. Private sector prisons have also been supporting this agenda in 2012-2013, which is the first year when they were required to supply figures, private sector prisons reported that they delivered over 1.5 million prisoner working hours in commercial and industrial workshops which provided work for over 1,200 prisoners. In addition there are substantial numbers of prisoners who work to keep prisons running by performing tasks such as cooking, serving meals, maintenance and cleaning.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for public sector prisons are published in the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum: <a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>The establishment-level breakdown of weekly hours worked is not available centrally for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information on the proportion of prisoners classed as unemployed is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Our reforms to the Incentives and Earned Privileges national policy framework came into effect in adult prisons on 1 November 2013. Prisoners will be expected to engage in purposeful activity, as well as demonstrate a commitment towards their rehabilitation, reduce their risk of reoffending, behave well and help others if they are to earn privileges.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 01/07/2014 16:42:22 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

89801

	registered interest
	date	29/08/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sentencing: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women aged 18 years and above from each ethnic group were sentenced to custody for a first offence, broken down by (a) offence type and (b) sentence length in the last two full years for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	207307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2014 answer text <p>Sentencing decisions are entirely a matter for the independent judiciary. When considering the appropriate sentence, the judge will take into consideration a number of factors, including the seriousness of the offence and the impact that the crime has had on the victim.</p><p> </p><p>All courts must follow guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The judge will take into account any mitigation which might include personal circumstances, expressions of remorse and a guilty plea. While the sentencing framework and guidelines apply equally to everyone, any differences in sentencing outcomes may therefore occur for a number of reasons, including the types of crimes committed and the seriousness of the offence.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to making sure sentencers have robust community options at their disposal. We are working with partners in Greater Manchester on a pathfinder aimed at providing sentencers with robust and effective sentencing options in the community that may divert women from custody, where appropriate. Learning from the pathfinder will inform a new operating model for working differently with women in the criminal justice system. We have also legislated to make sure that the needs of female offenders are addressed under our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. Companies bidding for contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women’s needs, as well as protected characteristics, to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed. They will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. With the Advisory Board on Female Offenders, we have produced guidance for new providers on working with female offenders.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1 shows the number of female offenders aged 18 and above sentenced to immediate custody for a first offence by ethnicity and offence class in England and Wales in 2012-2013.</p><p> </p><p>Table 2 shows the number of female offenders aged 18 and above sentenced to immediate custody for a first offence by ethnicity and sentence length in England and Wales in 2012-2013.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 05/09/2014 15:45:54 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes attachment 1 file name 207307 tables.xls title Female offenders aged 18 and above
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

92688

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sentencing: Females
	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 8 September 2014, Official Report, column 425, on sentencing: females, which offences were classed within the miscellaneous crimes against society offence class for which female offenders aged 18 and over were sentenced to immediate custody for a first offence in England and Wales in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; and how many people of each such ethnicity served what sentence length under each such offence.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	209947
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>Sentencing decisions are entirely a matter for the independent judiciary. All courts must also follow the sentencing framework and guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council, which apply equally to everyone. Any differences in sentencing outcomes may, therefore, occur for a number of reasons including the types of crimes committed and the seriousness of the offence.</p><p> </p><p>The Criminal Justice System Strategy &amp; Action Plan, published last summer, set out a number of commitments to promote equality including a series of Minister-led events with stakeholders to explore what more could be done. Further actions designed to promote equality are set out in an update to this plan, which was published recently. In addition, the Criminal Justice Board , which is Chaired by Minister Mike Penning and brings together senior leaders across the justice system, has discussed equality and diversity issues and regularly reviews the statistical data.</p><p> </p><p>It has not been possible to provide the exact breakdown requested, as breaking down the ‘Miscellaneous crimes against society' offence class by individual offences, ethnic appearance and sentence lengths produced numbers that were too small to disclose. Therefore the following alternative breakdowns have been provided:</p><p> </p><p>Table 1 (A) and (B) shows the number of female offenders aged 18 and above sentenced to immediate custody for a first offence within the 'Miscellaneous crimes against society' offence class by individual offence in England and Wales, 2012-2013.</p><p> </p><p>Table 2 (A) and (B) shows the number of female offenders aged 18 and above sentenced to immediate custody for a first offence within the 'Miscellaneous crimes against society' offence class by sentence length and ethnic appearance in England and Wales, 2012-2013.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 21/10/2014 13:21:25 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes attachment 1 file name 209947.xls title Number of female offenders age 18 and above
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

64824

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Roads: Accidents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many coroners' inquests have been held into the death of a child below the age of four as a result of being a passenger in a road traffic accident in each of the last five years; in how many of those cases the inquest found that a faulty child's car seat was a contributory factor; and in how many of those cases the inquest found that an incorrectly fitted child's car seat was a contributory factor.
	tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
	tabling member printed	Dan Byles
	uin	203091
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice collects data from coroners for the annual Coroners Statistics bulletin, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics-2013</a></p><p>The statistical information is collected in summary form, which does not include data at the level of detail requested.</p><p> </p><p>Coroners are independent judicial office holders, appointed by a local authority within the coroner area, and are not employed by the Ministry of Justice.</p><p>To provide the information requested would require the Ministry of Justice to ask coroners in England and Wales to examine their records for over five thousand inquests to extract the information and provide a summary report to the centre. As such, this information is only available at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 07/07/2014 08:55:41 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	4112 label Biography information for Dan Byles