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1130929

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Internet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many UK nationals have been convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262240
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262241 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130930

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Sentencing
	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 adequacy of sentences for people convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262241
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262240 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130931

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of sentence (a) awarded and (b) served has been for individuals found guilty of the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262242
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262240 262241 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130920

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the rate of self-inflcted deaths among (a) people serving sentences under imprisonment for public protection and (b) the prison population.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government publishes quarterly statistics on self-inflicted deaths in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, which is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 1.1 of the document ‘Deaths in prison custody 1978-2018’ shows the rate of self-inflicted deaths for the prison population in each calendar year. In 2018 the rate was 1.12 per 1000 prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1.11 of the same document shows the number of self-inflicted deaths among those serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection in each calendar year. In 2018 there were 5 such deaths. This was at a rate of 1.38 per 1,000 IPP prisoners. Figures such as this for rates should be considered with caution when derived from relatively small numbers of events.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons, including redoubling our efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. This is allowing us to implement the key worker role, allowing staff dedicated time to provide support to individual prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>We are improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody and working to improve the multi-disciplinary ACCT case management process for those at risk of suicide or self-harm.</p><p>We have rolled out a revised and improved Introduction to Suicide and Self-harm Prevention course. This is being completed by all new staff and as refresher training by all existing staff. Nearly 25,000 staff have already begun this training and over 14,000 have completed all six modules.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 14:35:56 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130923

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	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 15 May 2019 to Question 251411 on Prisons: Contracts, through what management information requirements is information on staffing levels submitted.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Controllers at each privately-managed prison hold regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect staffing, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition and any concerns are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the relevant Controller and escalated within HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice.</p><p> </p><p>Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 15:03:05 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1132156

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts and Probation: ICT
	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 11 March 2019 to Question 227393, whether the review into the causes of the probation and courts IT systems failure in January 2019 has been completed; and if he will publish that report.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	264473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The independent review commissioned by the Permanent Secretary was finalised in May. To protect the department’s security and commercial interests we will not be publishing this report. I can confirm that the report found that three separate and unrelated issues occurred at the same time, creating significant business impact. Steps have already been taken to learn lessons from these incidents. We are working closely with our suppliers to make sure that diligent care is taken of the department's infrastructure, accompanied by a more robust internal capability to control and manage our vital services.</p><p> </p><p>An updated business continuity plan for the department will be completed this month; that plan will include specific scenarios around significant IT failure covering one or more of our agencies. We are also reviewing the monitoring applied to the core networking infrastructure to provide us with earlier sight of any future problems. There was no evidence of any foul play, and no data was lost during the incident.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 16:49:16 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1132157

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what records his Department holds on the staff to prisoner ratio in privately operated prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	264474
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>As we have previously stated all staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with Contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.</p><p> </p><p>Prison population statistics are regularly published and can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>The table below displays the most recent figures that the Ministry of Justice has for the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison and the dates that these relate to.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Altcourse</p></td><td><p>Ashfield</p></td><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>Bronzefield</p></td><td><p>Doncaster</p></td><td><p>Dovegate</p></td><td><p>Forest Bank</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>287.12</p></td><td><p>76.2</p></td><td><p>302</p></td><td><p>157</p></td><td><p>218.5</p></td><td><p>260</p></td><td><p>267</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>01/06/19</p></td><td><p>31/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/03/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td><td><p>31/05/19</p></td><td><p>31/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lowdham Grange</p></td><td><p>Northumberland</p></td><td><p>Oakwood</p></td><td><p>Parc</p></td><td><p>Peterborough</p></td><td><p>Rye Hill</p></td><td><p>Thameside</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>228.2</p></td><td><p>234.5</p></td><td><p>284</p></td><td><p>306</p></td><td><p>320.4</p></td><td><p>146</p></td><td><p>217</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td><td><p>01/04/19</p></td><td><p>01/05/19</p></td><td><p>31/05/19</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 16:50:42 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1132022

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have received a custodial sentence for failure to pay the television license fee in the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	264316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Failure to pay television licence fees is not an imprisonable offence. However, courts have power to commit to prison for failure to pay criminal fines, which can be imposed for non-payment of television licence fees.</p><p>The number of committals to prison imposed in the last five years for failure to pay fines imposed for non-payment of the BBC licence fee can be viewed in the table.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 16:53:07 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland attachment 1 file name PQ 264316_final.xlsx title Table
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1131042

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Berwyn Prison
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to ensure that the capacity at HMP Berwyn is fully utilised.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	262449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>We are increasing the population at Berwyn at a measured rate that ensures the safety of prisoners and staff. As with any new prison, there has been a deliberate phased population increase at Berwyn since opening.</p><p> </p><p>Berwyn is already operating as a large prison so we are regularly reviewing plans to ensure its increase in population is done safely whilst maintaining good order and control.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 16:51:55 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1131043

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Berwyn Prison
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department applies when deciding which prisoners are located at HMP Berwyn; and what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of that criteria.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	262450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>HMP Berwyn is a Category C training and resettlement prison and when fully rolled out it will also have a reception and remand function for prisoners from mid Wales, North Wales and the North West of England. In doing so it will meet the needs of the courts and the prison population for Mid and North Wales and enable men to be closer to home geographically. Berwyn will also serve as a training prison for men from across England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 15:01:24 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts