Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1700932

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Five Wells Prison: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison (a) officers and (b) other staff have been (i) investigated, (ii) arrested and (iii) charged in relation to (A) drug smuggling and (B) corruption at HMP Five Wells in the last 18 months.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21680
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>There is no place for any form of corruption or unacceptable behaviour in the Prison Service. Such behaviour is contrary to our core values and will not be tolerated. The Ministry of Justice’s Counter Corruption Unit and Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit are working to ensure that professional standards of behaviour are maintained.</p><p>In relation to the various items of information requested, it is necessary to consider whether providing information in relation to a small number of cases could lead to the identification of individuals, in a way that would constitute a breach of our statutory obligations under data protection legislation. As we believe that the release of this information would risk such identification, it is not possible to provide the figures requested.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 18/04/2024 14:07:30 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1700933

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Berwyn Prison: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison (a) officers and (b) other staff have been (i) investigated, (ii) arrested and (iii) charged in relation to (A) drug smuggling and (B) corruption at HMP Berwyn in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21681
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>There is no place for any form of corruption or unacceptable behaviour in the Prison Service. Such behaviour is contrary to our core values and will not be tolerated. The Ministry of Justice’s Counter Corruption Unit and Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit are working to ensure that professional standards of behaviour are maintained.</p><p>In relation to the various items of information requested, it is necessary to consider whether providing information in relation to a small number of cases could lead to the identification of individuals, in a way that would constitute a breach of our statutory obligations under data protection legislation. As we believe that the release of this information would risk such identification, it is not possible to provide the figures requested.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 18/04/2024 11:31:02 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1701120

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the average cost of obtaining the (a) sentencing remarks and (b) judge's summing-up to HM Courts and Tribunals over the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
	tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
	uin	21738
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Management information held about transcript requests is limited, and the information requested is not held centrally. Contracted suppliers are required to provide HM Courts and Tribunals Service with certain data, including raw data on individual application costs, but that data could not be disaggregated to report specifically on requests for sentencing remarks or summing up per se.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 18/04/2024 14:52:27 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1701121

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the average number of words in a judge's sentencing remarks from court proceedings at HM Courts and Tribunals over the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
	tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
	uin	21739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Management information held about transcript requests is limited, and the information requested is not held centrally. Contracted suppliers are required to provide HM Courts and Tribunals Service with certain data, including the folio count, but that data could not be disaggregated to report specifically on requests for sentencing remarks per se, and in any event would not enable any report on word (rather than page) count.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 18/04/2024 14:54:26 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1700019

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals are held in the prison estate by nationality.
	tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
	tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
	uin	20833
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>Data on how many Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) are held in custody are published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2023" target="_blank">Offender management statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. For data on the prison population by nationality, see prison population table 1_7.</p><p> </p><p>The latest published data from 31 December 2023 shows that there were 10,423 (3,333 remand, 6,697 sentenced and 393 non-criminal) FNOs held in custody; representing 12% of the total prison population. The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%).</p><p> </p><p>The removal of FNOs is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.</p><p> </p><p>Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed.</p><p> </p><p>The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown.</p><p> </p><p>On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:</p><ul><li>The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;</li><li>Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; and</li><li>Amending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 17/04/2024 16:31:08 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

1700020

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a breakdown of offences committed by foreign nationals held in the prison estate.
	tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
	tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
	uin	20834
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet.</p><p> </p><p>The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.</p><p> </p><p>Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed.</p><p> </p><p>The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown.</p><p> </p><p>On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:</p><ul><li>The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;</li><li>Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; and</li><li>Amending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation.</li></ul><p> </p><p>These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 17/04/2024 16:32:38 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar attachment 1 file name 2024-04-17 PQ 20834 table.xlsx title Foreign National prisoners
	tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

1700229

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Civil Disorder
	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 14 March 2024 to Question 17880 on Prisons: Civil Disorder, whether his Department previously had a minimum staffing requirement for Operation Tornado teams in each prison.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:</p><ul><li>In response to a serious incident requiring a reinforcement of staff.</li><li>In response to other events or crisis requiring additional staff, who may not necessarily need to be Tornado trained.</li><li>To aid the transfer of prisoners in the event of a serious incident or the threat of one (with the GOLD commander’s agreement).</li></ul><p>HMPPS aims to have 2,100 volunteers trained in readiness for Operation Tornado. Since the inception of Operation Tornado in the late 1980s, HMPPS has allocated a commitment to each prison for how many Tornado staff they should aim to have trained. HMPPS monitors the number of staff available for deployment and offer training spaces to ensure resilience to respond to serious incidents.</p><p>In the event of a serious incident, all prisons, including those who have a commitment of zero, receive the same level of support from the Operation Response and Resilience Unit and Tornado trained staff from other prisons if required.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21065 21066 question first answered 18/04/2024 11:28:12 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1700230

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Civil Disorder
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 14 of the document published by HM Prison Service on 31 August 2005 entitled Use of Force, whether his Department has previously had a policy of ensuring each prison had a minimum commitment for the number of Operation Tornado officers trained in each prison.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21065
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:</p><ul><li>In response to a serious incident requiring a reinforcement of staff.</li><li>In response to other events or crisis requiring additional staff, who may not necessarily need to be Tornado trained.</li><li>To aid the transfer of prisoners in the event of a serious incident or the threat of one (with the GOLD commander’s agreement).</li></ul><p>HMPPS aims to have 2,100 volunteers trained in readiness for Operation Tornado. Since the inception of Operation Tornado in the late 1980s, HMPPS has allocated a commitment to each prison for how many Tornado staff they should aim to have trained. HMPPS monitors the number of staff available for deployment and offer training spaces to ensure resilience to respond to serious incidents.</p><p>In the event of a serious incident, all prisons, including those who have a commitment of zero, receive the same level of support from the Operation Response and Resilience Unit and Tornado trained staff from other prisons if required.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21064 21066 question first answered 18/04/2024 11:28:12 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1700231

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Civil Disorder
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HM Prison and Probation Service has made an assessment of the safety of (a) prisoners and (b) prison officers in prisons that do not have Tornado trained staff.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:</p><ul><li>In response to a serious incident requiring a reinforcement of staff.</li><li>In response to other events or crisis requiring additional staff, who may not necessarily need to be Tornado trained.</li><li>To aid the transfer of prisoners in the event of a serious incident or the threat of one (with the GOLD commander’s agreement).</li></ul><p>HMPPS aims to have 2,100 volunteers trained in readiness for Operation Tornado. Since the inception of Operation Tornado in the late 1980s, HMPPS has allocated a commitment to each prison for how many Tornado staff they should aim to have trained. HMPPS monitors the number of staff available for deployment and offer training spaces to ensure resilience to respond to serious incidents.</p><p>In the event of a serious incident, all prisons, including those who have a commitment of zero, receive the same level of support from the Operation Response and Resilience Unit and Tornado trained staff from other prisons if required.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21064 21065 question first answered 18/04/2024 11:28:12 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1700252

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Wandsworth Prison: Fires
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of cell fires there have been in HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
	uin	21184
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Calendar Year </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Fires </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>105</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>36</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>45</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>103</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>78</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.</p><p>All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.</p><p>To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21185 21186 question first answered 17/04/2024 16:39:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4573 label Biography information for Dr Rosena Allin-Khan

1700253

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Wandsworth Prison: Protective Clothing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of prison officers have received respiratory protective equipment training at HMP Wandsworth.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
	uin	21185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Calendar Year </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Fires </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>105</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>36</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>45</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>103</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>78</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.</p><p>All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.</p><p>To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21184 21186 question first answered 17/04/2024 16:39:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4573 label Biography information for Dr Rosena Allin-Khan

1700254

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Wandsworth Prison: Protective Clothing
	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 percentage of prison officers at HMP Wandsworth trained in the use of respiratory protective equipment.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
	uin	21186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Calendar Year </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Fires </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>105</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>36</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>45</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>103</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>78</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.</p><p>All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.</p><p>To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 21184 21185 question first answered 17/04/2024 16:39:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4573 label Biography information for Dr Rosena Allin-Khan

1700336

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department collects data on the number of individuals released on the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme who have committed a criminal offence after their release.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	21070
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2024 answer text <p>We are constantly monitoring the use of End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) and its impact.</p><p>We are taking action to drive down the reoffending rate for all offenders by investing in a wide range of rehabilitative interventions to get them into skills training, work, and stable accommodation. This includes delivering our groundbreaking transitional accommodation service, known as Community Accommodation Service – Tier 3 (CAS-3), so prison-leavers have a guaranteed 12 weeks of basic, temporary accommodation to provide a stable base on release. By January 2023, the proportion of offenders housed on the first night of their release from custody was 7.6 percentage points higher in CAS3 regions versus non-CAS3 regions.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 18/04/2024 11:29:21 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1699275

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Employment Tribunals Service
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to resume the publication of timeliness data in respect of employment tribunals.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Ladyton
	uin	HL3658
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2024 answer text <p>HM Courts and Tribunals Service anticipate that publication of employment tribunal timeliness data will be at the end of the calendar year.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 11/04/2024 14:53:56 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	620 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Ladyton

1698963

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	TV Licensing: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many single justice procedure notices have been issued by the Television Licensing Authority in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Solihull
	tabling member printed	Julian Knight
	uin	20668
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The requirement to hold, and pay for, a television license is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004. Under the Communications Act 2003, the BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the TV licensing system.</p><p>The BBC prosecutes most TV license evasion cases using the Single Justice Procedure (SJP). The SJP is a more proportionate way of dealing with straightforward, uncontested, summary-only non-imprisonable offences which almost exclusively result in a financial penalty.</p><p>The data we hold shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the Television Licensing Authority and dealt with via SJP for TV license evasion cases each year since 2015. This can be found in the table below:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="10"><p><strong>Television Licence Evasion</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>2023</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Defendants dealt with</strong></p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>67,473</p></td><td><p>136,793</p></td><td><p>126,571</p></td><td><p>121,020</p></td><td><p>53,227</p></td><td><p>48,495</p></td><td><p>43,504</p></td><td><p>33,460</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:30:49 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1699015

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Cremation: Babies
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) babies, (b) stillborn and (c) miscarriages were cremated in each year between 2020 and 2023.
	tabling member constituency	North West Leicestershire
	tabling member printed	Andrew Bridgen
	uin	20634
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Data on how many (a) babies, (b) stillborn and (c) miscarriages are cremated each year in England and Wales is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:23:47 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4133 label Biography information for Andrew Bridgen

1699087

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Probation: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an estimate of the number of probation officers required to support prisoners granted early release.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We have increased funding for the Probation Service by an extra £155 million a year and onboarded over 4,000 trainee probation officers over the last three years.</p><p>As announced on 11 March, we will reset probation so that practitioners prioritise early engagement at the point where offenders are most likely to breach their licence conditions, allowing frontline staff to maximise supervision of the most serious offenders.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:50:18 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699088

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the (a) number of housing placements available for prisoners on early release and (b) potential impact of the early release scheme on social housing waiting lists.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is committed to preventing homelessness and works closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government to do so. Prisons and probation have a statutory duty to refer someone at risk of homelessness to a local authority for assistance, and we have worked closely with DLUHC on the design and delivery of their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme. We have set up a Cross-Whitehall Accommodation Board, attended by officials from MoJ, HMPPS, Welsh Government and DLUHC, to ensure collaboration across policy and operational areas.</p><p>In July 2021, we launched our groundbreaking Community Accommodation Service Tier-3, to guarantee up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation to prison leavers subject to probation supervision who are at risk of homelessness on release, including those released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence measure. From July 2023 the service was expanded across all probation regions in England and Wales and continues to bring new beds online as the service embeds.</p><p>In 2022-23, 86% of prison leavers were in accommodation on their first night of release from custody.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:22:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699089

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on steps to help prisoners on early release find employment.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20695
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Department of Work and Pensions to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers.</p><p>We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why I am pleased to say that the rate of prison leavers in employment six months after release has more than doubled in the two years to March 2023, from 14% to over 30%.</p><p>All offenders released on End of Custody Supervised Licence will have a release plan put together by probation that helps support them in their journey into employment.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:24:30 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699090

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions
	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 effectiveness of young offender institutions; and whether he has made a comparative assessment with secure children's homes.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20696
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The secure estate for children and young people is composed of different types of establishment, in order to provide for the differing needs and risks of individual children and young people remanded or sentenced to custody. The effectiveness of all establishments in the estate is continually assessed through internal and external quality audits and performance metrics, which are published regularly.</p><p>Our Children and Young People Strategy, which is in development, will be based on an assessment of the range of provision currently and potentially available. It will set out our longer-term goals for the future of the youth estate, and delivery of services and support to children. These aims include investing in smaller settings, such as the secure children’s home sector, and the new secure school.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:25:13 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699092

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offenders: Mental Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that young offenders are provided therapeutic support (a) in the community and (b) in secure settings.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are central to supporting children in the community who are on the cusp of offending, as well as those who have already offended. Working as multi-agency teams, with representatives from police, probation, education, health and social services, and specialist workers, such as accommodation officers and substance misuse workers, they are able to tailor their interventions and referrals based on an assessment of a child's vulnerabilities, risk and needs. YOTs are increasingly moving towards becoming a ‘trauma-informed’ service, and most have access to a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services practitioner who will assess children and provide early intervention to young people coming into contact with the justice system.</p><p>In secure settings, in collaboration with Health partners, the Youth Custody Service is committed to the delivery of an individualised, trauma-informed model of care for every child in custody across England and Wales. This approach ensures every child has access to a needs-based programme of therapy, interventions, treatment, and education. Interventions include a range of cognitive behavioural programmes, counselling psychology services and Family Therapy to promote desistance from future offending.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:51:52 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699144

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Oasis Restore Secure School
	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 13 December 2023 to Question 5313 on Secure Schools, what recent estimate he has made of when the Oasis Restore Secure School will be completed.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
	tabling member printed	Janet Daby
	uin	20769
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Oasis Secure School is due to open by the end of this Spring.</p><p>The Ofsted registration process is scheduled for 9-11 April; this can take up to six weeks. If any remedial actions are required, there is a chance that this could cause delay. All efforts are being made, however, to meet the scheduled opening date.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:52:55 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1699145

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many keep apart instructions were issued in HM YOI (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby in each of the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
	tabling member printed	Janet Daby
	uin	20770
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Because of the way in which the data are compiled, it is not possible to provide the information in the form requested.</p><p>Non-association alerts are used as a means of improving the safeguarding of children and young people in young offender institutions in the public sector youth estate. Such alerts should only be issued after appropriate consideration, and where there is an identified need. Where an alert has been issued, the child or young person is able to mix with other children and young people in their residential units and in education.</p><p>A “snapshot” taken on 25 March 2024 shows the following numbers and percentages of children and young people at each young offender institution in the public sector youth estate who were assessed as needing to be kept apart from one or more other children or young people in the establishment owing to safeguarding concerns. The decisions are often made at the request of the child or young person who is the subject of the non-association alert.</p><p>HMYOI Cookham Wood: <br>46 of 58 children (79.3 per cent)</p><p>HMYOI Feltham A: <br>68 of 82 children (82.9 per cent)</p><p>HMYOI Werrington: <br>57 of 68 children (83.8 per cent)</p><p>HMYOI Wetherby: <br>106 of 149 children (71.1 per cent)</p><p>These figures are taken from operational oversight data.</p><p>HMYOI Parc, which is operated under contract, is not included in these arrangements.</p><p>The YOI population has decreased significantly – from 1,998 in the year to 31 March 2010 to 332 in the year to 31 March 2023. The cohort we now have in the YOI sector of the youth estate – overwhelmingly young men – present many complex issues, however 70 per cent were sentenced to custody for a violent offence. Our staff work hard to diffuse conflict and reduce violence, both between prisoners and against members of staff.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:54:35 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1699174

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Crown Court
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the condition of crown court (a) buildings and (b) other infrastructure.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
	tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
	uin	20729
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The general condition of Crown Court buildings and other infrastructure is adequate, but I recognise that improvements are needed in some locations.</p><p>That is why we are investing £220 million in the two years to March 2025 for essential modernisation and repair work across the court and tribunal estate. This will minimise disruptions, retain the heritage of the estate, and ensure it is fit for the future.</p><p>We are working to ensure that those buildings most in need of investment are prioritised, providing a step forward in improving the quality of the court estate.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:31:52 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1698373

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Wandsworth Prison: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the minimum (a) numbers and (b) grades of staff responsible for HMP Wandsworth are (i) during the night state (ii) when prisoners are unlocked.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	20316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The information requested forms part of the prison’s Regime Management Plan, an operational document which provides information to staff on issues relating to the safety and security of the prison. Owing to the sensitivity of these issues, we do not consider that information contained in the document can be placed in the public domain.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:55:50 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1698378

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Community Orders: Pilot Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people completed unpaid work on the Community Payback Rapid Deployment Project pilot schemes between June and December 2023; how many hours of unpaid work were completed; and how many and what proportion of those hours were attributable to schemes run in the (a) Greater Manchester, (b) East of England, (c) Wales and (d) North East Probation Service regions.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	20229
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Between 19 June and 31 December 2023, a total of 8,809 community payback hours have been completed as a part of the Community Payback Rapid Deployment Project pilot scheme by 509 different people.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Probation Region</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Community Payback Rapid Deployment Hours Worked</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion of Rapid Deployment hours worked per region</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>People completing Community Payback Rapid Deployment</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>921</p></td><td><p>10.4%</p></td><td><p>79</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Greater Manchester</p></td><td><p>5,358</p></td><td><p>60.8%</p></td><td><p>193</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East Region</p></td><td><p>787</p></td><td><p>8.9%</p></td><td><p>64</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>596</p></td><td><p>6.8%</p></td><td><p>90</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands Region</p></td><td><p>906</p></td><td><p>10.3%</p></td><td><p>54</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>242</p></td><td><p>2.7%</p></td><td><p>29</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The data source is nDelius, the Case Management System used by the Probation Service. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the information collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. While the figures shown have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number shown in the tables.</p><p>To note, the figures are different to those provided in parliamentary question responses in October and December 2023, due to work undertaken to improve the accuracy of the data recorded.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:15:56 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1698388

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Crown Court: Snaresbrook
	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 21 March 2024 to Question 18951 on Crown Court: Snaresbrook, to what proportion of email correspondence Snaresbrook Crown Court responds within five-working days of receipt.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	20139
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We do not hold the information requested regarding what proportion of email correspondence is responded to within five-working days of receipts at Snaresbrook Crown Court. HMCTS does not collect data on response times.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:16:00 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

1698472

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Small Claims: Internet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the official injury claim small claims portal.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	20308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Official Injury Claim (OIC) service is a free, easy-to-use online system owned and operated by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. OIC was built to be usable and accessible including to those with access needs or who prefer or require assistive or adaptive technologies.</p><p>On-screen guidance leads both represented and unrepresented claimants through the claims process, supported by an online help-hub and additional written guidance. There is also a dedicated telephone Portal Support Centre who can assist claimants who need to make a paper-based claim. The OIC also provides translation services in multiple foreign languages.</p><p>Ministry of Justice officials continue to work with MIB to increase awareness and improve the visibility of the OIC through identifying and implementing appropriate web optimisation. Regularly updated useful information on making a claim via the OIC is also available on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:20:18 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1698474

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Civil Proceedings: Witnesses
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 4 of Practice Direction 1A - Participation of Vulnerable Parties or Witnesses, how many civil cases involve each of the vulnerability factors listed.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	20309
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 15/04/2024 11:48:10 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1698522

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Telecommunications: Convictions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many communications operators have received a summary conviction under Schedule 1, Part 75(5) of the Digital Economy Act 2017 in each year since the commencement of that Act.
	tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
	tabling member printed	Sara Britcliffe
	uin	20469
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for criminal offences covering the time period requested. The latest data available, until year ending June 2023, can be obtained in the following published tool: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65bd0675704282000d752143/outcomes-by-offence-june-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence tool: June 2023</a>.</p><p>No convictions specifically for an offence under Schedule 1, Part 11, Paragraph 75(5) of the Digital Economy Act 2017 have been recorded within the court proceedings database held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 14:52:26 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4838 label Biography information for Sara Britcliffe

1698524

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Mental Health Treatment Requirements were issued per year in each year since 2019.
	tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
	tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
	uin	20483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We are firmly committed to working with our partners to increase the use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs), which can form part of a tough and effective sentence that enables offenders to tackle the health-related causes of their offending behaviour.</p><p>There has been a sustained increase in the use of MHTRs, and the number of MHTRs sentenced has nearly tripled in the last ten years, from 760 in in 2012 to 2,000 in 2022.</p><p>Data on the number of MHTRs issued per year in each year is published on the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly page which can be accessed using the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2022" target="_blank">Offender Management Statistics quarterly: October to December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).</a></p><p>Annual data for 2023 is due to be published at the end of April 2024, alongside Q3 and Q4 quarterly data for 2023.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:49:17 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1698525

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Mental Illness
	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 reduce the number of people with mental illness held in UK prisons.
	tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
	tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
	uin	20484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The prevalence of mental health needs in prison is higher than amongst the general population and we are firmly committed to delivering improvements to mental health treatment for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. An HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report 2022/23 highlighted that, of the surveyed prison population, 82% of female prisoners and 59% of male prisoners reported having a mental health need. The report can be found at: <a href="https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/" target="_blank">https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/.</a></p><p>Many people with mental health needs can be well supported in prison, and all prisoners have access to integrated mental health services commissioned by NHS England as per the national <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/service-specification-mental-health-for-prisons-in-england-2.pdf" target="_blank">Service Specification for Integrated Mental Health Service for Prisons in England.</a></p><p>However, with the right treatment and support to tackle the causes of their offending behaviour, many offenders can be managed more effectively in the community, and we are committed to diverting offenders with mental health needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.</p><p>Together with NHS England, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office, we are strengthening Liaison &amp; Diversion services, which are present in police custody suites and criminal courts in England. We are also working to increase the use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements as part of community or suspended sentences.</p><p>To reduce inappropriate remands into custody solely on mental health grounds we are piloting a Health and Justice Hub in the Northeast, in partnership with HMCTS and NHS England, to improve the way that courts, health services and prisons work together at a local level to better support defendants with severe mental health needs.</p><p>The nationwide expansion of the HMPPS Bail Information Service, as well as the additional funding recently announced by the Chancellor, will also help to ensure judges have the necessary information to make a timely and informed decision on bailing a vulnerable individual with confidence.</p><p>Taken together, these steps will help reduce the number of people with mental illness in prisons and divert them into the appropriate support to tackle the root causes of their offending.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 20485 question first answered 15/04/2024 10:21:05 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1698526

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Mental Illness
	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 impact of mental illness on the size of the prison population.
	tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
	tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
	uin	20485
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The prevalence of mental health needs in prison is higher than amongst the general population and we are firmly committed to delivering improvements to mental health treatment for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. An HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report 2022/23 highlighted that, of the surveyed prison population, 82% of female prisoners and 59% of male prisoners reported having a mental health need. The report can be found at: <a href="https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/" target="_blank">https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/.</a></p><p>Many people with mental health needs can be well supported in prison, and all prisoners have access to integrated mental health services commissioned by NHS England as per the national <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/service-specification-mental-health-for-prisons-in-england-2.pdf" target="_blank">Service Specification for Integrated Mental Health Service for Prisons in England.</a></p><p>However, with the right treatment and support to tackle the causes of their offending behaviour, many offenders can be managed more effectively in the community, and we are committed to diverting offenders with mental health needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.</p><p>Together with NHS England, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office, we are strengthening Liaison &amp; Diversion services, which are present in police custody suites and criminal courts in England. We are also working to increase the use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements as part of community or suspended sentences.</p><p>To reduce inappropriate remands into custody solely on mental health grounds we are piloting a Health and Justice Hub in the Northeast, in partnership with HMCTS and NHS England, to improve the way that courts, health services and prisons work together at a local level to better support defendants with severe mental health needs.</p><p>The nationwide expansion of the HMPPS Bail Information Service, as well as the additional funding recently announced by the Chancellor, will also help to ensure judges have the necessary information to make a timely and informed decision on bailing a vulnerable individual with confidence.</p><p>Taken together, these steps will help reduce the number of people with mental illness in prisons and divert them into the appropriate support to tackle the root causes of their offending.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 20484 question first answered 15/04/2024 10:21:05 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1698668

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Family Courts: Standards
	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 reduce delays in the family courts.
	tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
	tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
	uin	20487
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>In the Spring Budget, we announced an additional £55 million to improve productivity, support earlier resolution of family disputes and reduce the number of cases coming to court. This includes creating a digital advice tool for separating couples, piloting early legal advice and supporting the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model.</p><p>We are also investing up to £23.6 million in the family mediation voucher scheme, which we intend will allow for its continuation up to March 2025. As of March 2024, over 26,000 families have successfully used the scheme to attempt to resolve their private law disputes outside of court.</p><p>In addition, we are working with the Department for Education and other partners on the Family Justice Board to tackle the longest running cases and increase the proportion of public law proceedings that conclude within the 26-week timeline. The Department for Education is also investing an extra £10 million to deliver new initiatives to address the longest delays in public law.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:21:34 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1698669

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Family Courts: Domestic 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 reduce family court waiting times for domestic abuse victims seeking to divorce abusive partners.
	tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
	tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
	uin	20488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>In April 2022, the Government implemented the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (“DDSA”) 2020. The DDSA provides a minimum period of 26 weeks to obtain a divorce, and benefits victims of domestic abuse by making it no longer possible for abusive respondents to exercise control by ‘defending’ a divorce and prolonging proceedings. The DDSA did not provide an exemption for domestic abuse victims from the 26-week minimum period because to do so would require a victim to set out allegations, risking further abuse by a perpetrator.</p><p>The Government is working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to consider whether a pilot can be established to test a new, fast-track procedure for contested financial cases on divorce under a certain value threshold. The pilot will aim to provide swifter outcomes for litigants, including victims of domestic abuse.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 15/04/2024 11:23:15 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1698069

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled First Rapid Deployment Cells unveiled to boost prison places, published on 3 March 2023, how many such cells have been built.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	20066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>As part of our commitment to build 20,000 prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, we have so far delivered c.670 Rapid Deployment Cells across 12 sites and we are pushing ahead with hundreds more.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:47:05 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1698159

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Profession: Digital Technology
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to help ensure digital (a) literacy and (b) understanding among legal professionals.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	20096
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is driving the digital transformation of the legal sector by providing £6 million for the LawtechUK programme, which aims to increase innovation and adoption of lawtech in the delivery of UK legal services. Lawtech describes technologies which aim to support, supplement, or replace traditional methods for the delivery of legal services.</p><p>LawtechUK offers a range of free education programmes designed to help organisations interested in harnessing the benefits of innovation for their legal operations. This includes Lawtech Bridge which brings together startups and established legal businesses to explore approaches to digital innovation.</p><p>LawtechUK also organises events aimed at raising awareness and increasing understanding of lawtech. For example, a recent Lawtech Student Fair brought together law firms, alternate legal service providers and lawtech providers with students and junior lawyers to help ensure the next generation of lawyers are digitally literate and embracing technology.</p><p>Whilst the Government aims to support a flourishing and innovative legal sector, the legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operate independently of the Government. The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, the approved regulator for solicitors, supports innovation in the legal sector through their Innovate programme by helping law firms run their business creatively, supporting technology firms looking to develop products for legal businesses and bringing together law firms and innovators.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 03/04/2024 15:55:25 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1698160

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Rape: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support the mental health of victims while they wait for rape trials.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	20097
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>Supporting victims of sexual violence and abuse is an absolute priority for this government.</p><p>We have taken a number of steps to support the mental health of victims while they wait for rape trials.</p><p>In December 2022, the Ministry of Justice launched the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line to provide victims and survivors access to vital help and information whenever they need it.</p><p>In August 2023, we launched the recommissioned Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, providing £26 million to over 60 specialist support services.</p><p>The Government is also quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This includes additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) to around 1,000 by 2024/25 - a significant increase on the number of ISVAs and IDVAs.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 03/04/2024 15:56:13 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1697791

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Travellers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the treatment of (a) Romani, (b) Roma and (c) Irish Traveller people in the prison estate.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	19893
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2024 answer text <p>His Majesty’s Prison &amp; Probation Service (HMPPS) pursues an evidence-based approach to improving treatment and outcomes for prisoners, people on probation and children in our care from Romani, Roma, and Traveller Communities.</p><p>The HMPPS Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Strategy, first produced in May 2023, was drawn up, and continues to be developed, in consultation with Third Sector partners. It is informed by a range of internal and external reports and data. The strategy is implemented via a comprehensive action plan, which targets key areas for development, including data improvement, family interactions and health inequalities.</p><p>Some specific examples of activity include the further expansion of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) Forums in prisons. Forums are being regularly held in several establishments across the prison estate, providing a supportive platform for communications and helping to respond to local needs. Staff awareness continues to be improved, with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller specific information embedded into various guides across the organisation, improving the capability of staff to respond to individuals’ needs.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 28/03/2024 15:39:24 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1697796

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Officers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons have used prison officers on detached duty in 2023; and how many (a) officers were deployed to each prison and (b) times those officers were deployed.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	19894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>During 2023, 21 prisons received Band 3 officers on National Detached Duty. The table attached shows the average number of detached duty staff deployed at each site in each month.</p><p>It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to provide the remaining information requested, as this would require a detailed examination of individual records.</p><p>We are doing more than ever to attract and retain the best staff, including boosting salaries and launching our first-ever nationwide advertising campaign. These efforts are working - we have over 4,800 FTE additional officers between March 2017 and December 2023, and retention rates for prison staff are improving.</p><p>We have committed to recruiting up to 5,000 additional prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 26/03/2024 17:34:55 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar attachment 1 file name 2024-03-26 PQ 19894 table.xlsx title Number of detached duty staff deployed
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1697836

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Drugs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps HM Prison and Probation Service take to ensure prisoners released on end of custody supervised licence can continue to access drug addiction treatment programs when they are released from prison.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	19895
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>We know that supporting offenders to engage in drug and alcohol treatment is vital to reduce reoffending and we are working with health partners on a range of interventions to strengthen continuity of care for prison leavers. We have recruited over 50 Health and Justice Co-ordinators nationwide to improve links between prison and community treatment services, procured 650 laptops to enable prisoners to speak to community treatment providers before release and we are rolling out the Probation Notification Actioning Project (PNAP) which will make probation aware of prison leavers who have been referred to community treatment so probation can support continued engagement.</p><p>The lower-level offenders released on ECSL will have a release plan put together by probation, and where appropriate this release plan will include access to drug and alcohol treatment. It remains at the discretion of the prison service to block or delay the ECSL release of any prisoners where doing so would result in losing access to essential services such as drug and alcohol treatment.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 27/03/2024 13:03:05 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1697851

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Family Conciliation Services
	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 21 March 2024 to Question 18955 on Family Conciliation Services, whether his Department monitors the number of therapists offering reunification therapy services in England and Wales who help with cases of family breakdown.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
	uin	19764
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of therapists offering reunification therapy in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 02/04/2024 16:29:13 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1697873

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Cycling: Convictions and Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in Greater London for (i) dangerous cycling in contravention of section 28, (ii) careless and inconsiderate cycling in contravention of section 29 and (iii) cycling when under the influence of drink or drugs in contravention of section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last three years for which information is available.
	tabling member constituency	Christchurch
	tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
	uin	19765
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales for the following offences:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>13711 - Reckless and dangerous driving by pedal cyclist - Contrary to section 28(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.</p></li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><p>13712 - Careless driving by pedal cyclist - Contrary to section 29 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.</p></li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><p>13713 - Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs - Contrary to section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.</p></li></ul><p> </p><p>These can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab and using the HO Offence Code filter to select the above offences in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65bd0675704282000d752143/outcomes-by-offence-june-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence data tool</a>.</p><p>The police force area filter enables you to select specific areas, in this case, select ‘Metropolitan’.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 26/03/2024 16:34:05 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
	tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1697938

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs and Mobile Phones
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the smuggling of (a) drugs and (b) communication devices into prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	19817
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to tackling the smuggling of all illicit items into prisons, including drugs and communication devices such as mobile phones.</p><p>We completed the £100 million Security Investment Programme in March 2022, which included funding to bolster physical security measures. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners, resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2023, we had recorded 46,925 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply of drugs and mobile phones into prisons. We also deployed Enhanced Gate Security to 42 high-risk prisons under this investment, implementing routine searching of staff and visitors. This included 659 dedicated staff, 154 drug sniffing dogs and over 200 pieces of equipment.</p><p>We have 165 drug trace detection machines across the prison estate to prevent the smuggling of drugs, such as psychoactive substances, through the mail. The rollout of an additional 20 next-generation devices was completed in March 2024, meaning every public section prison now has this next-generation equipment.</p><p>X-ray baggage scanners have been installed at 49 sites (45 prisons and 4 learning centres) building on the rollout of our X-ray body scanners, gate security and drug trace detection machines.</p><p>New airspace restrictions took effect on 25 January 2024 to create 400 metre flight restriction zones around all closed prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales. These will ensure swift action is taken against criminal drone activity, including the smuggling of illicit items.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 28/03/2024 15:32:41 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1697954

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Probation: Resignations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of new probation officers left the service within a year of joining in each year since 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
	tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
	uin	19896
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>A considerable majority of Probation Officers first join the Probation Service as Trainee Probation Officers. During their time as a trainee, they will spend around 15-21 months training before potentially taking up a post as a Band 4 Probation Officer. As a result of this trainee pipeline, there will only be new Probation Officers with less than one year in the Probation Service if they joined the service as a qualified Probation Officer and then left within 12 months.</p><p>Retention of Probation staff is a priority for the service. A national standardised approach to exit interviews has been implemented to better understand the key drivers of attrition and feedback from these interviews helps shape and determine retention interventions at a local and national level.</p><p>The Probation Service is in its second year of a multi-year pay deal for staff. Salary values of all pay bands will increase each year, targeted at key operational grades to improve a challenging recruitment and retention position. The pay increases differ for each job role, but to provide an example Probation Officers will see their starting salary rise from £30,208 in 2021/22 to £35,130 by 2024/25.</p><p>The table below shows only those Probation Officers who joined the service as qualified Probation Officers and so will not include any Probation Officers who joined as trainees (who will all have been in the service for longer than a year by the time they qualify as a Probation Officer). The Probation Service unified in June 2021, bringing together the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies. As a result, figures pre- and post-June 2021 are not comparable because of the change in the workforce makeup.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1 - Number of Band 4 Probation Officer joiners to HMPPS and those who left HMPPS within 1 year: 2022-2023</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>All joiners</p></td><td><p>Staff who left within 1 year</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>42</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>44</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 27/03/2024 13:04:21 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1698022

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	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 His Majesty's Government what is their strategy for ensuring public safety and efficacious offender management in respect of hyper-prolific offenders.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
	uin	HL3516
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>For the most persistent and problematic offenders in the community, Integrated Offender Management has received a 3-year investment of up to £30 million to ensure those that commit burglary, robbery and theft offences receive robust cross-agency supervision by Police and Probation, and to commission services that will seek to support and address risks and needs of this cohort. We are also piloting three Intensive Supervision Courts which aim to target the root cause of offending behaviour through supervision and interventions delivered by a multi-agency team, overseen by a single judge who will regularly review each participant’s progress.</p><p>The courts have a wide range of options to deal with this group of offenders and relevant previous convictions are a statutory aggravating factor which the courts must consider at the point of sentencing. While custody will often be appropriate for these offenders, and in fact is the most common sentence given to prolific offenders, it is right that our courts have the ability to pass an appropriate sentence based on the case in front of them. Robust research has shown lower reoffending rates for sentences served in the community when compared to short custodial sentences.</p><p>Through the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme, we are also taking steps to understand better which factors are most important in leading to reduced reoffending for prolific offenders, in order to help us target our approach for this cohort.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 09/04/2024 09:27:16 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1698023

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Overcrowding
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the early release of prisoners with a custodial sentence of less than 12 months, in order to alleviate overcrowding in the prison estate, on (1) reoffending rates, (2) public safety and (3) the operational effectiveness of the Probation Service.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
	uin	HL3517
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>Delivering public protection and reducing reoffending is not just about custody. The Probation Service plays a vital role in protecting the public and reducing reoffending. For some less serious offenders, suspended and community sentences are more effective for rehabilitation.</p><p>Community requirements can help to deter reoffending, drive swift consequences for non-compliance, protect the public, and ensure offenders feel the weight of crime. Probation assess an offender’s risk prior to, and throughout sentences, to ensure that offenders are appropriately monitored and supervised, following robust risk assessment measures to ensure public safety.</p><p>Evidence shows that 55% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months are convicted of further offences. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24%. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend sentences of under 12 months, however judges will still be able to exercise their discretion to impose custody in exceptional circumstances. We have also included exemptions to the presumption where there is a significant risk of harm to an individual or where the offender has breached an order of the court, as is the case for many repeat and prolific offenders.</p><p><br> We know there are existing challenges and will be additional demands on the Probation Service as a result of the presumption to suspend short sentences. That is why we have increased funding for the Probation Service by an additional £155 million a year to recruit record levels of staff so that we can bring down caseloads and deliver better and more consistent supervision of offenders in the community. We continue to accelerate recruitment of Probation Officers, with over 4,000 trainees joining the service since 2020 and an overall increase in staffing levels across the board. We are also resetting probation to prioritise early engagement and supervision in the first two-thirds of an offender’s sentence, a critical period during which probation staff can have the greatest impact on public protection and reducing reoffending.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 09/04/2024 09:31:28 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1698024

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand the built prison estate to account for the estimated population increases to 2035 and beyond.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
	uin	HL3518
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>We are delivering 20,000 additional, modern prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, helping to cut crime and protect the public. These places are being delivered through the construction of six new prisons, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate and temporary accommodation. To date, we have delivered c.5,900 of these places and are on track to have delivered c.10,000 by the end of 2025.</p><p>In October 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced funding of up to £30 million to start acquiring land that will be required for future prison capacity.</p><p>The Department has taken a number of steps to identify land for potential prison sites. We have commissioned a property agent to search the market for land in the North West and South East, our areas of greatest forecast demand for prison places; officials have started discussions with significant private and public sector landowners and continue to assess a shortlist of sites for planning risk and strategic and operational fit. In parallel, officials are engaged in strategic conversations with local and regional leaders to identify areas where communities would welcome the economic and employment benefits of a new prison.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 09/04/2024 09:33:54 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1698025

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Accommodation and Sentencing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any research on a causal link between (1) an expansion of prison places and more custodial sentences, and (2) a reduction in violent and other serious crime episodes in a given period of time.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
	uin	HL3519
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not commissioned research looking directly at any causal link of the kind mentioned in the question. However, the MoJ continues to carefully monitor the use of the prison estate and the sentencing framework to ensure that the most serious offenders are appropriately punished, and that the public are kept safe.</p><p>That is why we are embarking on the largest expansion of our prison estate since the Victorian era, investing £4 billion toward the delivery of 20,000 additional, modern places. By the end of 2025, we are on track to have delivered around 10,000 places in total.</p><p> </p><p>Reducing crime and protecting the public, however, is not only about increased custody. Evidence shows that 55% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months go on to be convicted of further proven offences in the following 12 months. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24%. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend sentences of under 12 months. However, judges will still be able to exercise their discretion to impose custody in exceptional circumstances. We have also included exemptions to the presumption where there is a significant risk of harm to an individual or where the offender has breached an order of the court, as is the case for many repeat and prolific offenders.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 09/04/2024 09:38:47 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1697491

	registered interest
	date	20/03/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Women's Centres: Swansea
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on establishment of the residential women’s centre in Swansea.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	19654
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>Planning approval for the Residential Women’s Centre at the Trehafod site in Cockett, Swansea, was granted by the Welsh Government’s Planning Environment Decisions Wales in August 2023, following an appeal by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Due to delays and uncertainty in securing this planning approval, the MoJ has a number of ongoing steps to re-mobilise the project and continues to work closely with partners in Wales.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 25/03/2024 15:24:20 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts