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1063917

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Divorce
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for a divorce were lodged between Christmas 2018 and New Year 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	223057
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2019 answer text <p>The National Statistics publication ‘Family Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2018’ which includes the number of divorce petitions will be published on Gov.uk:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly</a> .</p><p> </p><p>The latest figures available cover the period up to September 2018 and are found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 27/02/2019 17:16:19 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1077122

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Education
	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 (a) availability and (b) quality of offender learning and skills in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	225506
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>We set out our intentions in the prisoner Education and Employment Strategy, published last year. In April 2019, the new prison education contracts commence. The services these contracts deliver have been chosen by prison governors to ensure that the learning available to prisoners is both relevant for their own development needs and linked to labour market information, supporting employment outcomes. The new contracts, and increased local and national management of the education providers, will provide better and more immediate information on the quality of the service being delivered and provide better levers for governors to manage underperformance.</p><p>In addition to these main contracts, our prison education Dynamic Purchasing System allows prison governors to commission specific, short-term education provision to meet niche and other learning needs their prisoners have, or to commission training to address employers’ bespoke training requirements. This will allow prisoners to take advantage of labour market opportunities on release.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 05/03/2019 17:32:11 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086481

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when criminal legal aid remuneration rates were last raised in real terms for legal professionals.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230737
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and the Government greatly values their contribution.</p><p> </p><p>Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid. In addition, following consultation with the profession, we increased overall funding of the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) by £23m and brought forward a 1% increase in fees which came into effect along with the new scheme on 31 December 2018. This represents a 10% increase on AGFS spend in 2016-17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we are conducting a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee schemes, which will report back by the end of Summer 2020. This will go far beyond our previous proposals, including pre-charge advice at the police station, advice and advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court, and litigation and advocacy services in the Crown Court.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:17:14 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086482

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	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 effect of low remuneration rates for criminal solicitors on recruitment to the profession.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230738
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Defence solicitors carry out valuable work and we are determined to ensure publicly-funded criminal defence work remains a sustainable and attractive profession.</p><p> </p><p>That is why a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee schemes is currently underway. This will go far beyond our previous proposals, including pre-charge advice at the police station, advice and advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court, and litigation and advocacy services in the Crown Court, and will report back by the end of Summer 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on a regular basis and takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:19:55 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086483

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who his Department is consulting with as part of its review into criminal legal aid fees.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>We will be working with a range of agencies and stakeholders – and the criminal defence profession in particular – to gather the necessary evidence to ensure this review is as robust and wide-ranging as possible.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently scoping the review and are already working with the professions to determine the specific issues that the review should consider. A defence practitioner advisory panel has been established to ensure practitioners’ views are carefully considered as part of the review.</p><p> </p><p>This includes representatives from the:</p><ul><li>Bar Council</li><li>Bar Council Young Barristers' Committee</li><li>Big Firms’ Group</li><li>Chartered Institute of Legal Executives</li><li>Bar Circuit Leaders</li><li>Criminal Bar Association</li><li>Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association</li><li>Law Society</li><li>Law Society Junior Lawyers Division</li><li>Legal Aid Practitioners Group</li><li>London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association</li><li>Public Defender Service</li><li>Solicitors’ Association of Higher Court Advocates</li><li>Young Legal Aid Lawyers</li></ul><p> </p><p>We will also engage with wider stakeholders, including relevant experts and user engagement groups.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:31:49 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086484

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	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 ensure the continued viability of the criminal legal aid sector while his review of criminal legal aid fees is ongoing.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230740
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government is clear that there are sufficient solicitors and barristers to undertake criminal legal aid-funded cases and will make sure this continues to be the case. The Legal Aid Agency monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis. Where issues are identified, the LAA takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:36:55 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086485

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	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 effect on justice of the limit on what can be paid through the Legal Aid Agency for experts’ reports in criminal cases.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230741
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>We must continue to ensure that every aspect of fee remuneration represents value for money for the taxpayer. This includes the fees currently paid to experts.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that in some specific areas, it is necessary to pay a particular level of rates to secure the necessary expertise. Therefore, the rates for some specific expert types vary, based on the nature of the expertise. Furthermore, solicitors can apply for higher expert fees under exceptional circumstances in cases where an expert’s evidence is key to the client’s case, and where either an expert with a high degree of seniority is required due to the complexity of the material, or the material is of a specialised and unusual nature that only very few experts are available to provide the necessary evidence.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:37:46 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1088333

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Crime: Victims
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the steps the Government is taking to ensure that victims of serious crimes receive more frequent updates on the progress of their cases.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	232017
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2019 answer text <p>In England and Wales, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) outlines the services victims are entitled to receive, including updates on the progress of their case. Generally, victims are entitled to receive information within 5 working days of specified events, such as when a suspect is arrested or released without charge. Victims of the most serious offences are entitled to receive those updates within 1 working day of the relevant event. Victims are also entitled to be informed how often they will receive updates on the status of the case following discussion with the police. Ultimately how much contact to have above that required by the Victims’ Code is an operational matter.</p><p> </p><p>In September last year we published the first cross-government Victims Strategy. In the strategy we committed to hold agencies to account for compliance with the Victims’ Code through improved reporting, monitoring and transparency on whether victims are receiving entitlements. This goes hand in hand with amending the Victims’ Code to make sure that the entitlements victims receive are the right ones in the first place. That’s why we also committed to consult on a revised Victims’ Code, and consult on victim focussed legislation. We are planning to publish the consultations over the course of this year.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/03/2019 14:29:25 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1088335

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Probation: Private Sector
	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 private sector probation companies.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	232018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) in England and Wales has been disappointing and needs to improve. We have taken decisive action to end current CRC contracts early and made changes to existing contracts to improve service delivery. We have also conducted a public consultation on proposals for future arrangements and are carefully considering the responses we received.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to developing a more stable and resilient system, where public, private and voluntary sectors providers can work together effectively to protect the public and tackle reoffending. We will set out our plans later this year.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 20/03/2019 17:08:39 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1088336

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Officers: Labour Turnover
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish statistics by (a) age and (b) gender of prison officers recruited in each of the last three years; and what the retention rate has been of prison officers in that same time period.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	232019
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2019 answer text <p>The number of band 3-5 prison officers that were recruited in the last three years, by age and gender are provided in table 1 below. The leaving rate of band 3-5 officers for the same period is provided in table 2.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Band 3-5 prison officers<sup>1</sup> joiners, by age and gender, 2016-2018</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Headcount</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2016</p></td><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2017</p></td><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gender</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>519</p></td><td><p>1,243</p></td><td><p>1,885</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>1,018</p></td><td><p>2,989</p></td><td><p>3,825</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Age</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Under 30</p></td><td><p>1,004</p></td><td><p>2,525</p></td><td><p>3,432</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>30-39</p></td><td><p>323</p></td><td><p>1,067</p></td><td><p>1,446</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>40-49</p></td><td><p>172</p></td><td><p>482</p></td><td><p>627</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>50-59</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>150</p></td><td><p>198</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>60+</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1,537</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4,232</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5,710</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Table 2: Underlying leaving<sup>2</sup> rate of permanent<sup>3</sup> band 3-5 officers<sup>1</sup>, 2016-2018</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Headcount</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Leavers<sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>Average staff in post</p></td><td><p>Leaving rate (%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2016</p></td><td><p>1,786</p></td><td><p>18,860</p></td><td><p>9.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2017</p></td><td><p>1,967</p></td><td><p>19,590</p></td><td><p>10.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>12 months to 31 December 2018</p></td><td><p>2,406</p></td><td><p>22,229</p></td><td><p>10.8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Notes:</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7"><p>1. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="8"><p>2. Movements due to machinery of Government changes or due to staff transferring to or from the private sector as a result of changes in the management of establishments are not included in these tables. Such movements are 151 FTE staff transferring with Medway Secure Training Centre when HMPPS took over running it in July 2016 and 59 FTE transferring in to the newly created Youth Custody Centre in September 2017.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>3. Staff with a permanent contract of employment with HMPPS.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>4. Does not include voluntary early departure or redundancy.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.</p><p> </p><p>We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 20/03/2019 16:43:07 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon