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1132240

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Race and Ethnicity Board
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are members of the Race and Ethnicity Board that was established as a result of the Lammy Review; how many hours the members of that Board have worked in the last 12 months; what the budget is of that Board; and whether the Budget has remained the same in each year since that Board was established.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	264755
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s response to the Lammy Review, we have set up a Race and Ethnicity Board to oversee progress on the recommendations, and the wider agenda of race disparity. The Board currently has circa 22 members and is chaired by the Ministry of Justice Director General for Policy, Communications and Analysis. Membership of the Board includes senior level representation from departmental policy groups (from Ministry of Justice and other government departments), operational bodies such as HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, and the Crown Prosecution Service, and external members. It is not possible to isolate individual time spent on race disparity work, as the board members hold these positions as part of their wider work responsibilities. However, the board was set up in January 2018 and has since met on a quarterly basis. The board does not have a dedicated budget as work is resourced separately by the various organisations responsible for actions to address racial disparities.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 19/06/2019 16:04:02 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1126970

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Trials: Ethnic Groups
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) BAME and (b) white defendants who enter guilty pleas.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	254792
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The proportion of guilty pleas (where plea was known) has slowly been declining, from 74% in 2014 to 69% for white defendants, and from 61% in 2014 to 57% for BAME defendants in 2018.</p><p>Data is only available for defendants dealt with at Crown Court (not all defendants) for indictable offences.</p><p>The proportion of defendants who entered a guilty plea by ethnicity (2008 – 2018) can be found in the Crown court data tool at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802313/crown-court-tool-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802313/crown-court-tool-2018.xlsx</a></p><ul><li>Remove the ‘Values’ field from Rows</li><li>Drag the ‘Ethnicity’ field into Rows</li><li>Drag the ‘Total for Trial’ field into Values</li><li>Filter to ’01: Guilty Plea’ in the ‘Plea at Crown Court’ field for the number of defendants that entered a guilty plea</li><li>Filter to ’01: Guilty Plea’ and ’02: Not Guilty plea’ in the ‘Plea at Crown Court’ field number of defendants that entered a plea overall (where plea was known)</li><li>The number of BAME defendants can be defined by combining ’02: Black’, ’03: Asian’, ’04: Mixed’ and ’05: Chinese and other’ rows. The number of white defendants who entered a guilty plea each year can be found in the ‘01: White’ row.</li><li>The proportion of defendants who entered a guilty plea can be found by dividing the number of guilty pleas by the number of overall pleas for the relevant ethnicity rows.</li></ul> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 22/05/2019 16:46:56 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1126089

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Telephone 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 9 May 2019 to Question 249921 on Ministry of Justice: Telephone Services, how many calls did each of those helplines receive in the last year.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	253551
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The table below includes the number of calls received from May 2018 – April 2019.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Ministry of Justice</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Public Enquiry Line</p></td><td><p>30,223</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>HMCTS</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Divorce</p></td><td><p>550,338</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Employment and Tax Tribunals</p></td><td><p>40,940</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Family and Civil</p></td><td><p>468,118</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Immigration and Asylum</p></td><td><p>139,669</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- London Magistrates</p></td><td><p>154,420</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Money Claims</p></td><td><p>265,653</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Probate</p></td><td><p>13,360</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Single Justice System</p></td><td><p>39,971</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Social Security Child Support</p></td><td><p>478,163</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Video Hearings</p></td><td><p>453</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>HMPPS</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Public Enquiry Line</p></td><td><p>15,644</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Customer Service Centre</p></td><td><p>182,496</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Office of the Public Guardian</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Call Centre Helpline</p></td><td><p>361,749</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Legal Aid Agency</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Calls</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Crime Contact Centre</p></td><td><p>116,079</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Civil Contact Centre</p></td><td><p>165,954</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>- Civil Legal Advice</p></td><td><p>55,340</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/05/2019 15:34:06 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1124150

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Telephone 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 29 March 2019 to Question 235313 on Courts: Telephone Services, which helplines were included in that figure for the number of calls received in February 2019; and how many calls were directed to each helpline.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	249923
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The helplines included were Social Security and Child Support, Divorce, Probate and Single Justice Service. Calls answered on each line in February 2019 are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Social Security and Child Support</p></td><td><p>33,411</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Divorce</p></td><td><p>14,454</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Probate</p></td><td><p>1,538</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Single Justice Service</p></td><td><p>3,848</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 13/05/2019 15:27:53 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1124265

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on consultancies in each financial year between 2014 and 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	249998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Consultancy spend data for the Ministry of Justice for the periods 2010-11 to 2016-17 is available on gov.uk and can be accessed using the following links.</p><p> </p><p>2010-11 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2011-12 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2012-13 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2013-14 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2014-15 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2015-16 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2016-17 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>The data for the periods 2008-09 and 2009-10 is not centrally held.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 249996 249997 question first answered 13/05/2019 15:07:55 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1124264

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on consultancies in each financial year between 2011 and 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	249997
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Consultancy spend data for the Ministry of Justice for the periods 2010-11 to 2016-17 is available on gov.uk and can be accessed using the following links.</p><p> </p><p>2010-11 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2011-12 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2012-13 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2013-14 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2014-15 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2015-16 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2016-17 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>The data for the periods 2008-09 and 2009-10 is not centrally held.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 249996 249998 question first answered 13/05/2019 15:07:55 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1124263

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on consultancies in each financial year between 2008 and 2011.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	249996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Consultancy spend data for the Ministry of Justice for the periods 2010-11 to 2016-17 is available on gov.uk and can be accessed using the following links.</p><p> </p><p>2010-11 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2011-12 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2012-13 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2013-14 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2014-15 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2015-16 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2016-17 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>The data for the periods 2008-09 and 2009-10 is not centrally held.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 249997 249998 question first answered 13/05/2019 15:07:55 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1126558

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Sick Leave
	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 officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	254067
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The total number of staff<strong><em><sup>1</sup></em></strong> working days lost due to sickness<sup>2</sup>, and more specifically stress, between April 2018 and March 2019 is as follows</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Total Number of staff</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Working Days Lost</strong><strong><sup>3</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total Staff (FTE) - average over 12 months</strong></p></td><td><p>69,783</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All Sickness (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>38,989</p></td><td><p>600,051</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Of which Stress (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>2,764</p></td><td><p>83,918</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of total staff</strong></p></td><td><p>4%</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of all sickness</strong></p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em>Notes</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>1 </sup></em></strong><em>This analysis covers MoJ and the Executive Agencies (including HMPPS and HMCTS).</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>2 </sup></em></strong><em>Absences are categorised according to International Classification of Diseases, which is an approach used across the civil service.</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>3</sup></em></strong><em>The cost to the Department is reflected in the total number of working days lost.</em></p><p> </p><p>The MoJ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all its employees, and to reducing sickness absence levels including those which are stress-related. Staff can seek advice and support from our comprehensive occupational health service and employee assistance programme which offers 24/7 help.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 22/05/2019 16:38:48 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1124340

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Hepatitis
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to improve continuity and cooperation between the courts, prisons and probation services to ensure that offenders have their hepatitis C medication with them when transferred between different settings.
	tabling member constituency	Worthing West
	tabling member printed	Sir Peter Bottomley
	uin	249816
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2019 answer text <p>We recognise the unique opportunity that custody offers to identify and encourage individuals with Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) to engage in treatment. NHS England are responsible for commissioning and delivering health services in prisons and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) are responsible for enabling access to healthcare services for those in custody. We are fully supportive of the work being done by NHS England and Public Health England to meet the 2025 target for the elimination of Hepatitis C in England.</p><p> </p><p>An opt-out policy for BBV testing was introduced in 2013, under the previous National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England (NPA) between NHS England (NHSE), Public Health England (PHE) and HMPPS (then NOMS). Full implementation of the opt-out testing policy for BBVs in all adult prisons in England was achieved in March 2018. Since opt-out testing was introduced, the uptake of BBV testing in prisons has increased from a baseline of 4% to 29%. This figure is an aggregate for all prisons, with some far exceeding the average uptake. This shared commitment to tackling the spread of infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, in prisons was reaffirmed in the new NPA between NHSE, PHE, HMPPS, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and MoJ, published in April 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with our health partners to identify points of attrition and barriers to testing uptake, as well as with organisations, such as the Hepatitis C Trust, to raise awareness among prison staff and prisoners about the importance of testing for BBV.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently reviewing the process by which defendants access essential medication whilst in the custody of the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services to ensure that it is fit for purpose and to consider further improvements. Additionally, current processes for Discharge Planning will be enhanced as a part of the Hepatitis C Pathways work being carried out by NHS England. This will ensure that individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis C who leave prison, transfer between prisons and attend court have their medication with them and have detailed instructions about accessing treatment specialists in the community. Treatment for Hepatitis C uses high value drugs, and ensuring that the full course follows the individual through the criminal justice system is a high priority for NHS England. Current processes will also be augmented by Hepatitis C Trust community peer workers engaging with people leaving prison, and through enhanced continuity of care arrangements under RECONNECT as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 249814 249815 question first answered 14/05/2019 15:39:22 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	117 label Biography information for Sir Peter Bottomley

1124339

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Viral Diseases
	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 address the variation in (a) practice and (b) uptake of opt-out testing for blood borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Worthing West
	tabling member printed	Sir Peter Bottomley
	uin	249815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2019 answer text <p>We recognise the unique opportunity that custody offers to identify and encourage individuals with Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) to engage in treatment. NHS England are responsible for commissioning and delivering health services in prisons and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) are responsible for enabling access to healthcare services for those in custody. We are fully supportive of the work being done by NHS England and Public Health England to meet the 2025 target for the elimination of Hepatitis C in England.</p><p> </p><p>An opt-out policy for BBV testing was introduced in 2013, under the previous National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England (NPA) between NHS England (NHSE), Public Health England (PHE) and HMPPS (then NOMS). Full implementation of the opt-out testing policy for BBVs in all adult prisons in England was achieved in March 2018. Since opt-out testing was introduced, the uptake of BBV testing in prisons has increased from a baseline of 4% to 29%. This figure is an aggregate for all prisons, with some far exceeding the average uptake. This shared commitment to tackling the spread of infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, in prisons was reaffirmed in the new NPA between NHSE, PHE, HMPPS, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and MoJ, published in April 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with our health partners to identify points of attrition and barriers to testing uptake, as well as with organisations, such as the Hepatitis C Trust, to raise awareness among prison staff and prisoners about the importance of testing for BBV.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently reviewing the process by which defendants access essential medication whilst in the custody of the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services to ensure that it is fit for purpose and to consider further improvements. Additionally, current processes for Discharge Planning will be enhanced as a part of the Hepatitis C Pathways work being carried out by NHS England. This will ensure that individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis C who leave prison, transfer between prisons and attend court have their medication with them and have detailed instructions about accessing treatment specialists in the community. Treatment for Hepatitis C uses high value drugs, and ensuring that the full course follows the individual through the criminal justice system is a high priority for NHS England. Current processes will also be augmented by Hepatitis C Trust community peer workers engaging with people leaving prison, and through enhanced continuity of care arrangements under RECONNECT as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 249814 249816 question first answered 14/05/2019 15:39:22 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	117 label Biography information for Sir Peter Bottomley