Show Search Form

Search Results

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

Search

1315398

registered interest
date	18/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What assessment he has made of trends in the level of self-harm in women's prisons in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
uin	900161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2021 answer text <p>The self-harm rate increased by 13% in the 12 months to December 2020. In the most recent quarter, self-harm rates decreased by 19% on the previous three months. Despite recent improvements, the level of self-harm in women’s prisons remains too high and we will continue to prioritise improving safety outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>We have established a Women’s Estate Self-Harm Taskforce and the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model, while expanding therapeutic services and improving gender-specific training for staff.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 18/05/2021 16:19:23 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1314574

registered interest
date	13/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	High Down Prison
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Report on a scrutiny visit to HMP High Down by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (23 March and 7 – 8 April 2021), what were the (a) sequence of events and (b) reasons for HM Prison and Probation Service's decisions in connection with the re-categorisation of that prison.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	1036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2021 answer text <p>The HMPPS Reconfiguration Project is a whole-system approach across the adult male prison estate. It aims to rebalance existing prison capacity and planning for the best use of new-build capacity (as it comes online) to ensure there is a sufficient supply of suitable prison places to meet demand. Over time, reconfiguration will reduce local (reception) prison places and increase much-needed category B training places. It will also help to smooth transition from prison to the community by increasing category C capacity and access to resettlement places.</p><p>We remain absolutely committed to ensuring reconfiguration takes place safely as soon as it is operationally possible. The stability of the prison estate remains our priority and no prison will re-role until it is safe and ready to do so.</p><p>Therefore, we continue to work with HMP High Down, as well as with other key stakeholders, to prepare for its re-role to a category C training/resettlement prison. The prison and all stakeholders are involved in the readiness processes to ensure that the courts currently serving HMP High Down only transfer to HMP Wandsworth when all parties are satisfied that they are ready, and it is safe to do so.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 18/05/2021 16:16:17 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1314623

registered interest
date	13/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Remand in Custody
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) male and (b) female defendants were remanded in custody for their own (i) protection and (ii) welfare as an exception to bail under the Bail Act 1976 in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	1031
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>Information about the reasons for remand decisions is not centrally held within the Court Proceedings database. It is therefore not possible to identify whether defendants were remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare as an exception to bail under the Bail Act 1976 from the established remands data. This information may be obtained through a manual search of court records, but to do so would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice has published more general information on remand status at both magistrates’ and Crown Courts, up to December 2019, available in the following data tools:</p><p> </p><p>Magistrates’ Court:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888658/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2019.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888658/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2019.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>Crown Court:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888657/remands-crown-court-tool-2019.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888657/remands-crown-court-tool-2019.xlsx</a></p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 21/05/2021 09:45:26 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1313905

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to review pay rates for prison officers who joined the Prison Service (a) before and (b) after 2010.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	949
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>Prison Officer pay rates are reviewed annually through the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) process. This process reviews pay rates for those who joined the Prison Service before and after 2010. The PSPRB process for 2021/22 is currently underway.</p><p> </p><p>PSPRB information be found on the Gov UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prison-services-pay-review-body.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 21/05/2021 09:43:34 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1314062

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
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 ensure timely publication of data on prison education services and outcomes, including for (a) April 2018 to March 2019 Offender Learning and Skills Service contracts, (b) April 2019 to March 2020 Prisoner Education Framework contracts, and (c) April 2020 to March 2021 Prisoner Education Framework contracts.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>We plan to publish data from both the first year of the Prisoner Education Framework contracts (April 2019 to March 2020) and the final year of the Offender Learning and Skills Service contracts (April 2018 to March 2019) during the summer of 2021.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 21/05/2021 09:43:33 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1314063

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bedford Prison: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Report on a scrutiny visit to HMP Bedford by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 2 February and 16-17 March 2021, published in March 2021, what steps he is taking to (a) improve prison safety, (b) improve staff-prisoner relationships, (c) restore key work support, (d) restore effective offender management support with progression, (e) restore direct support aimed at promoting positive family relationships, (f) increase the speed of the implementation of in-cell telephones and (g) increase the uptake of education in HMP Bedford.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice welcomes the findings of HMIP’s report and takes the concerns raised seriously. The Inspectorate found positive practices during their visit, but we recognise that the establishment still has a long way to go.</p><p>We are committed to making all our prisons decent and safe for all those who live and work there. Further easing of the restrictions will enable us to work on embedding additional improvements. We will continue to ensure that action is taken to improve conditions for those in our prisons and their outcomes on release.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 21/05/2021 09:44:56 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1314078

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the number of new entrants to the prison service who have little or no experience of prison regimes prior to the outbreak of covid-19 on (a) the recovery from covid-19, (b) prison safety, (c) rehabilitation and (d) resettlement.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	664
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>From 23 March 2020 (when the national lockdown was introduced) to 31 March 2021 there were 4,293 new entrants to either HM Prison Service or the Youth Custody Service, and of these 3,797 were still in post as at 31 March 2021. As at 31 March 2021 the headcount in HM Prison Service and the Youth Custody Service was 37,671, and therefore the new entrants still in post as at 31 March 2021 made up 10% of all HMPS and YCS staff. Of the 3,797 new entrants since 23 March 2020 that are still in post on 31 March 2021, 186 had worked for HMPPS previously, prior to 23 March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the 12 months to 31 March 2021 there have been significant restrictions to prison regimes due to Covid-19. These restrictions have been necessary in order to prevent the spread of Covid across the prison estate. Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons and probation, and re-introducing them where necessary, will be guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can be safely implemented, whilst ensuring we can keep staff and prisoners safe. We are focused on ensuring that we recover, expand regimes and begin to address the backlog of activity created by Covid-19 restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so, and in a way that supports our staff and prisoners. Staff training and professional development is also being prioritised as we emerge from the pandemic.</p><p>We do not underestimate the challenges faced by everyone working in prisons throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and providing prison staff with the right support, training and tools to empower them to do their jobs, including the roll-out of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), a peer to peer support programme for staff designed to assist people to deal effectively with the effects of a traumatic event.</p><p>To support staff who have joined in the past 12 months, we are focusing on supporting new recruits in their early days. Following training, all new starters receive an in-house support programme designed to meet the specific needs of their establishment, and in line with Prison Safety Policy. Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) has also continued to be as robust and thorough as prior to the pandemic to prepare new entrants for the role of a Prison Officer in a non-pandemic situation. Support for new joiners will continue to be provided for them as regime restrictions change.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst staff who have joined in the 12 months to 31 March 2021 will have had less experience delivering some key elements of the regime than those who joined prior to Covid-19, we have prioritised restarting activities focused on offender management / 1-1 activity, rehabilitation, education, progression and resettlement. POELT training and ongoing support at establishments will continue to aid new joiners to deliver these important aspects of the regime successfully.</p><p> </p><p>As part of a body of work looking at learning and recovery from Covid-19, we are feeding learning into prison safety and wellbeing initiatives, regime redesign, planning and ongoing mitigations for prisoners. Prisons are also using lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise resources to focus on safety and wellbeing, adapt provision, reinforce fair and decent behaviours and to show visible leadership. We are building on learning with a programme of events happening this month which will be an opportunity for operational staff to further share and reflect on learning from Covid to inform practice and both recovery and future reforms. Experienced staff as well as staff who joined in the 12 months to 31 March 2021 will be involved in these in order to best inform discussions.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 665 question first answered 21/05/2021 09:39:34 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1314080

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of current prison staff that (a) began work after covid-19 regime restrictions were introduced in March 2020 and (b) have no experience of prison regimes prior to the outbreak of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	665
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>From 23 March 2020 (when the national lockdown was introduced) to 31 March 2021 there were 4,293 new entrants to either HM Prison Service or the Youth Custody Service, and of these 3,797 were still in post as at 31 March 2021. As at 31 March 2021 the headcount in HM Prison Service and the Youth Custody Service was 37,671, and therefore the new entrants still in post as at 31 March 2021 made up 10% of all HMPS and YCS staff. Of the 3,797 new entrants since 23 March 2020 that are still in post on 31 March 2021, 186 had worked for HMPPS previously, prior to 23 March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the 12 months to 31 March 2021 there have been significant restrictions to prison regimes due to Covid-19. These restrictions have been necessary in order to prevent the spread of Covid across the prison estate. Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons and probation, and re-introducing them where necessary, will be guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can be safely implemented, whilst ensuring we can keep staff and prisoners safe. We are focused on ensuring that we recover, expand regimes and begin to address the backlog of activity created by Covid-19 restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so, and in a way that supports our staff and prisoners. Staff training and professional development is also being prioritised as we emerge from the pandemic.</p><p>We do not underestimate the challenges faced by everyone working in prisons throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and providing prison staff with the right support, training and tools to empower them to do their jobs, including the roll-out of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), a peer to peer support programme for staff designed to assist people to deal effectively with the effects of a traumatic event.</p><p>To support staff who have joined in the past 12 months, we are focusing on supporting new recruits in their early days. Following training, all new starters receive an in-house support programme designed to meet the specific needs of their establishment, and in line with Prison Safety Policy. Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) has also continued to be as robust and thorough as prior to the pandemic to prepare new entrants for the role of a Prison Officer in a non-pandemic situation. Support for new joiners will continue to be provided for them as regime restrictions change.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst staff who have joined in the 12 months to 31 March 2021 will have had less experience delivering some key elements of the regime than those who joined prior to Covid-19, we have prioritised restarting activities focused on offender management / 1-1 activity, rehabilitation, education, progression and resettlement. POELT training and ongoing support at establishments will continue to aid new joiners to deliver these important aspects of the regime successfully.</p><p> </p><p>As part of a body of work looking at learning and recovery from Covid-19, we are feeding learning into prison safety and wellbeing initiatives, regime redesign, planning and ongoing mitigations for prisoners. Prisons are also using lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise resources to focus on safety and wellbeing, adapt provision, reinforce fair and decent behaviours and to show visible leadership. We are building on learning with a programme of events happening this month which will be an opportunity for operational staff to further share and reflect on learning from Covid to inform practice and both recovery and future reforms. Experienced staff as well as staff who joined in the 12 months to 31 March 2021 will be involved in these in order to best inform discussions.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 664 question first answered 21/05/2021 09:39:34 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1313060

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Residential Women's Centres: South Wales
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 suitability of the (a) Atlantic Hotel site in Porthcawl and (b) Sunnyside site in Bridgend as locations for a Women's Residential Centre in South Wales.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Dr Jamie Wallis
uin	458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>The Residential Women’s Centre in south Wales will offer women an intensive residential support package in their own community to address the underlying causes of their offending.</p><p> </p><p>Following an extensive search earlier this year, the Atlantic Hotel and Sunnyside House were two of the properties put on a shortlist of possible suitable sites for the Residential Women’s Centre.</p><p> </p><p>We have now completed further technical assessments of the Atlantic Hotel. Following consideration of the changes that would be needed to make it suitable for the vulnerable women with whom we will be working, we have decided the site is no longer an option for the residential women’s centre.</p><p> </p><p>We are still reviewing the results of the technical assessments of Sunnyside House.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 17/05/2021 16:53:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4766 label Biography information for Dr Jamie Wallis

1313247

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Euthanasia: Prosecutions
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 sections (a) 2(1) and (b) 2(A) of the Suicide Act 1961 between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2020.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>The Government has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the effectiveness of provisions in the Suicide Act 1961.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view remains that if there is a requirement for any change to the law in this area it must be for individual Parliamentarians to consider as an issue of conscience, rather than a decision for Government.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 17/05/2021 16:30:24 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter