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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