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1204165

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 (1) cases, and (2) deaths, there have been in the UK since 23 March; what steps they have taken to prevent transmission of COVID-19 in prisons; what measures are in place to mitigate the risks of suicide, particularly among young offenders; whether those measures include extending the amount of time prisoners may spend out of their cell each day; and how many low risk prisoners have been released early to reduce overcrowding in cells during the COVID-19 pandemic.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL5740
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government acted quickly to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons by implementing restricted regimes to comply with national social distancing guidance and limiting inter-prisons transfers. Prisons are also implementing a ‘compartmentalisation’ strategy to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. Latest public health advice suggests these measures have contained the spread of the virus and minimised the number of deaths.</p><p>As of Friday 12 June, we are aware of 495 prisoner and 963 prison staff COVID-19 cases across England and Wales. These figures reflect the total cumulative number of recorded positive cases – not the number of live cases – of COVID-19, and includes individuals that have since recovered. Figures are subject to revision as more information becomes available.</p><p>As of Friday 12 June, 23 prisoners and 9 members of prison staff have sadly died having tested positive for COVID-19 or having shown symptoms. It is a matter for the coroners to determine cause of death.</p><p>The restricted regimes introduced to protect prisoners and staff from COVID-19 mean that prisoners are spending longer in their cells than normal which raises new and different risks to safety and the mental health of prisoners. The Government takes its responsibilities for these issues very seriously.</p><p>To this end, the Government is supporting prison Governors to devise and implement local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate these safety risks. Prisons across the estate are giving prisoners access to educational and entertainment material intended to support their wellbeing. Prisoners confined to their cells continue to access healthcare and time in the open air, where possible. They also have access to telephones, extra phone credit and, where available, video calls to contact their loved ones. We continue to make the Samaritans phone service available, and are working with the Samaritans to ensure that the listener peer support scheme continues to function effectively.</p><p>Within the Youth Custody Service (YCS) there has been a focus on delivering essential activities such as regular phone calls (with young people having been allocated additional free phone credits), access to showers and education materials, and time in the fresh air, as well as activities children can undertake in small groups or in their rooms, including workouts and access to entertainment.</p><p>‘SECURE STAIRS’ -the integrated framework of care jointly led by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the YCS, provides the foundations as to how the YCS works with children - has been adopting an approach that underlines the importance of connectivity, whilst adhering to the guidance on physical distancing.</p><p>The YCS is continuously assessing the situation, and is keen to expand the regime as soon as it is safe and sustainable to do so.</p><p>On 4 April, the Government announced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme. This scheme enables risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date, to be temporarily released from custody, as part of the national approach to managing public services during this challenging period. As of Friday 12 June, 113 offenders have been released under this scheme. Our plans for early release form one part of a package of measures to create headroom in the estate to allow us to fully implement compartmentalisation. We are also working to expedite remand cases and temporarily expanding the estate through the installation of single occupancy units.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 30/06/2020 16:19:25 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1437257

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Jobcentres and Prisons: CCTV
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) job centres, and (2) prisons, currently use Chinese-made Hikvision and Dahua Technology cameras.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL6518
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2022 answer text <p>1) DWP have one Hikvision camera across DWP jobcentres.</p><p>DWP have no Dahua cameras in any jobcentres.</p><p>2) MoJ does not disclose details of our prison security defence capability, including our use of CCTV, for reasons of operational security.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 18/03/2022 12:30:11 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

938795

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Female Genital Mutilation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, for female genital mutilation there have been since it was criminalised in 1985; and in each case, what sentences were imposed by the courts.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL9411
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Up until 31 December 2017, there have been two prosecutions (one in 2014, one in 2016) and no convictions for female genital mutilation under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.</p><p>Data for 2018 will be published in May 2019.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 24/07/2018 15:55:45 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1303609

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that deaths from COVID-19 in prisons in England and Wales rose by 50 per cent in a month in December 2020; what percentage of prisoners have now been vaccinated against COVID-19; and what other measures they have taken to decrease the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted to prisoners and to prison officers
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL14310
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2021 answer text <p>As was the case in the community, infection rates in prisons increased over the winter months which, sadly, led to an increase in deaths where Covid-19 was suspected as being the cause. With a small number of tragic exceptions, we have protected the lives of tens of thousands of staff and prisoners. Our decisive action – backed by Public Health England and Wales - has meant that the number of deaths we have seen in prisons is significantly lower than Public Health England’s Modelling at the start of the pandemic, which said there could be 2,700 deaths from coronavirus in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>As of 18 March 2021, the percentage of the whole prison population in England who have received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is 23.4%, equivalent to 79% of the priority cohorts 2-6 (as defined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation). The vaccination programme is making good progress and has recently expanded to start vaccinating those prisoners in priority groups 7 - 9, in line with the wider community.</p><p> </p><p>The safety of our staff and those under our supervision remains a top priority. We have taken preventative measures, such as restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers, and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. A comprehensive testing regime is in place, where staff are tested weekly and prisoners are tested on reception and prior to transfer. This is key in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.</p><p> </p><p>Latest published data shows positive evidence that the rate of new infections in custody is now falling substantially.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 31/03/2021 15:54:50 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1134671

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Abortion: Mental Illness
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Court of Appeal ruling overturning the decision of the Court of Protection to allow a mentally ill woman to be given an abortion against her wishes; what implications they consider that case to have for the rights of those with learning disabilities to become parents; and what steps, if any, they intend to take in the light of the Court of Appeal's ruling.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL16638
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>This is an extremely difficult and sensitive case, and the Government will consider the Court of Appeal judgment carefully.</p><p> </p><p>The Court of Protection hears cases about some of the most vulnerable people in society, making decisions about personal welfare – including serious medical treatment - where the person lacks capacity to do so for themselves. In doing so it must follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). In particular the MCA stipulates that decisions must be in the person’s best interests, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, including the wishes, feelings, beliefs and values of the person, and must be the least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that such serious and difficult decisions – particularly where there is disagreement about what is in the person’s best interests - are made by the independent judiciary.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory MCA Code of Practice provides practical guidance on the operation of the MCA and is currently under review. We have sought input from a range of interested stakeholders through a call for evidence in January and propose to consult on a revised Code towards the end of this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 10/07/2019 11:30:53 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1127983

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Officers: Resignations
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the number of prison officers resigning within 12 months of taking up their posts; and whether those reasons include the level of violence in UK prisons.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15868
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>The huge number of officers we have recently recruited inevitably means there are more staff - and more leavers with less than one years' experience. Attached is a table containing reason for leaving and grade. (Table i)</p><p> </p><p>We are working hard to retain staff, giving staff the biggest pay increase in a decade last year and by providing additional training.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 05/06/2019 16:00:03 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie attachment 1 file name Table i.xlsx title Table (i)
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1279477

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Hong Kong: Legal Profession
	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 article by Matthew Scott in the Spectator The legal profession’s troubling relationship with China, published on 20 January; and what plans they have to discuss the participation of British lawyers serving as prosecutors in Hong Kong with (1) the Bar Council, (2) the Law Society, and (3) other professional and regulatory bodies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL12400
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2021 answer text <p>In order to uphold the constitutional principle of the rule of law, and under the framework established by the Legal Services Act 2007, the legal services sector in England and Wales is independent of Government. Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board. The Government has not made any assessment of the article and has no plans to discuss this issue with the legal services professional bodies or regulators.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 04/02/2021 15:59:13 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

45730

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the Howard League for Penal Reform's request to the Ministry of Justice to reverse their ban on family and friends sending books to prisoners.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL6379
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>There are important reasons why we have restricted the sending in of parcels by families and friends of prisoners and we do not intend to withdraw those restrictions. The changes we introduced last year in relation to parcels were to ensure consistency across the estate and to make sure that security can be maintained. There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons, and allowing parcels to be sent in unrestricted would be operationally unmanageable and would lead to a significant risk of drugs and other illicit items being smuggled into prisons.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have always recognised the importance of reading and literature in the rehabilitative process, and the positive effects these have on prisoners' welfare. <em>Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Prisoners may hold up to 12 books in their cell at any one time, and additional books can be stored locally at the prison. </em>The National Offender Management Service also works closely with the Shannon Trust to support schemes such as 'Toe by Toe', which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels.<em> </em></p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

947068

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	National Exhibition Centre
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what contact they have had, if any, with the Birmingham Coroner to establish what is known about the origins of the 20 skinless human bodies being exhibited at the National Exhibition Centre; and whether inquests will be opened to establish the facts involved in their deaths.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL9758
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2018 answer text <p>Coroners are independent judicial office holders and as such it would be inappropriate for Ministers to intervene in or comment upon the decisions of the Birmingham and Solihull Senior Coroner.</p><p><br>The exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre has been licenced by the Human Tissue Authority in line with the provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2004. Responsibility for hosting the exhibition and maintaining ethical standards lies with the National Exhibition Centre.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 03/08/2018 12:07:38 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1419336

	registered interest
	date	02/02/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	National Security: Hong Kong
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Lord Sumption following his comments reported in The Times on 2 February that he would be willing to preside over a National Security Law case in Hong Kong.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL5868
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2022 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Government has not had any discussions with Lord Sumption following his comments being reported in The Times on 2 February.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 16/02/2022 13:01:06 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool