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1714166

registered interest
date	26/04/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) drug use and (b) synthetic drug use in prisons.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	23903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The latest information on random mandatory drug testing in prisons can be found in the HMPPS Annual Digest here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2022-to-march-2023" target="_blank">HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p>All prisons have a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, and we are highly aware of the threat synthetic substances present. In response, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continue to develop capabilities to drug test prisoners who are suspected to have used, or are at risk of using, these dangerous substances. In addition, all prisons have been provided with access to forensic testing of items seized or found within the estate.</p><p>Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. Under this programme, all public sector sites have also been provided with next-generation drug trace detection machines. This technology enables prisons to detect attempts to convey drugs into prisons. The equipment is effective in identifying drugs that have been soaked onto letters, clothing and other items.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 08/05/2024 14:04:58 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1714167

registered interest
date	26/04/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has piloted a harm reduction approach to drug use in prisons.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	23904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that all prisoners who need it have access to high-quality substance misuse treatment.</p><p>This includes:</p><ul><li>increasing the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units from 25 in summer 2022 to 80 now. Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units are prison wings providing a dedicated, supportive environment for prisoners who want to live drug-free in prison. They provide additional support to prisoners struggling with addiction to engage with treatment, using regular drug testing alongside incentives to ensure prisoners stay drug free;</li><li>recruiting up to 50 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons which will ensure prisons are recovery focused, bringing together health and security-focused activity. This builds on the £100 million already invested from our Security Investment Programme which aims to reduce crime in prisons and the conveyance of illicit substances;</li><li>rolling out nasal naloxone to prison staff, which is the lifesaving medication to reverse an opiate overdose.</li></ul> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 08/05/2024 14:05:54 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1714169

registered interest
date	26/04/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Bail
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is available to courts on the impact of bailing people to live at their home address.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	23905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The Adult Court Bench Book provides guidance for magistrates who sit in the adult court dealing mainly with defendants aged 18 or over. The Bench Book covers bail and remand and indicates the considerations that must be taken on whether to bail or remand a defendant. If a bail application is made, the magistrates must satisfy themselves that they have been provided with all the relevant information to decide whether to bail or not, including that of accommodation.</p><p>The rollout of the Bail Information Service, which has received £53 million of funding until 2028, means that dedicated Bail Information Officers will provide courts with bail information reports which contain relevant and factual information to enable the court to reach an informed yet independent decision on whether bail should be granted to a defendant. This will include any recommendations on the suitability of their accommodation or whether alternatives need to be considered.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 08/05/2024 14:06:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1714171

registered interest
date	26/04/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Bail
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that perpetrators of violent crimes who live close to their victims are not bailed to their home address.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	23906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The decision to remand an individual in custody or to grant bail is solely a matter for the independent judiciary acting in accordance with the law. The Ministry of Justice therefore cannot intervene in any decision made by the court. The procedures for considering bail and custodial remand are set out in the Bail Act 1976. The Bail Act 1976 sets out the statutory rules which govern the making of judicial decisions on whether to grant bail or remand in custody. The Act creates the presumption in favour of bail for all defendants involved in criminal proceedings.</p><p>The courts have the power to impose a broad range of robust bail conditions as part of a bail package. This includes electronically monitored exclusion zones and curfews. Courts will ensure that they have all information concerning the possible imposition of conditions such as suitable accommodation and proximity to victims, before they make a decision on final bail conditions. The rollout of the Bail Information Service, which has received £53 million of funding until 2028, means that dedicated Bail Information Officers will provide courts with bail information reports which contain relevant and factual information to enable the court to reach an informed yet independent decision on whether bail should be granted to a defendant. This will include any recommendations on the suitability of their accommodation or whether alternatives need to be considered.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 08/05/2024 14:07:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699087

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an estimate of the number of probation officers required to support prisoners granted early release.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	20693
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We have increased funding for the Probation Service by an extra £155 million a year and onboarded over 4,000 trainee probation officers over the last three years.</p><p>As announced on 11 March, we will reset probation so that practitioners prioritise early engagement at the point where offenders are most likely to breach their licence conditions, allowing frontline staff to maximise supervision of the most serious offenders.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:50:18 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699088

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the (a) number of housing placements available for prisoners on early release and (b) potential impact of the early release scheme on social housing waiting lists.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	20694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is committed to preventing homelessness and works closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government to do so. Prisons and probation have a statutory duty to refer someone at risk of homelessness to a local authority for assistance, and we have worked closely with DLUHC on the design and delivery of their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme. We have set up a Cross-Whitehall Accommodation Board, attended by officials from MoJ, HMPPS, Welsh Government and DLUHC, to ensure collaboration across policy and operational areas.</p><p>In July 2021, we launched our groundbreaking Community Accommodation Service Tier-3, to guarantee up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation to prison leavers subject to probation supervision who are at risk of homelessness on release, including those released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence measure. From July 2023 the service was expanded across all probation regions in England and Wales and continues to bring new beds online as the service embeds.</p><p>In 2022-23, 86% of prison leavers were in accommodation on their first night of release from custody.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:22:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699089

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on steps to help prisoners on early release find employment.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	20695
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Department of Work and Pensions to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers.</p><p>We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why I am pleased to say that the rate of prison leavers in employment six months after release has more than doubled in the two years to March 2023, from 14% to over 30%.</p><p>All offenders released on End of Custody Supervised Licence will have a release plan put together by probation that helps support them in their journey into employment.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:24:30 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699090

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions
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 young offender institutions; and whether he has made a comparative assessment with secure children's homes.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	20696
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The secure estate for children and young people is composed of different types of establishment, in order to provide for the differing needs and risks of individual children and young people remanded or sentenced to custody. The effectiveness of all establishments in the estate is continually assessed through internal and external quality audits and performance metrics, which are published regularly.</p><p>Our Children and Young People Strategy, which is in development, will be based on an assessment of the range of provision currently and potentially available. It will set out our longer-term goals for the future of the youth estate, and delivery of services and support to children. These aims include investing in smaller settings, such as the secure children’s home sector, and the new secure school.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 10:25:13 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1699092

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offenders: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that young offenders are provided therapeutic support (a) in the community and (b) in secure settings.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	20697
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are central to supporting children in the community who are on the cusp of offending, as well as those who have already offended. Working as multi-agency teams, with representatives from police, probation, education, health and social services, and specialist workers, such as accommodation officers and substance misuse workers, they are able to tailor their interventions and referrals based on an assessment of a child's vulnerabilities, risk and needs. YOTs are increasingly moving towards becoming a ‘trauma-informed’ service, and most have access to a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services practitioner who will assess children and provide early intervention to young people coming into contact with the justice system.</p><p>In secure settings, in collaboration with Health partners, the Youth Custody Service is committed to the delivery of an individualised, trauma-informed model of care for every child in custody across England and Wales. This approach ensures every child has access to a needs-based programme of therapy, interventions, treatment, and education. Interventions include a range of cognitive behavioural programmes, counselling psychology services and Family Therapy to promote desistance from future offending.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/04/2024 09:51:52 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696788

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Secure Accommodation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of moving children from youth offenders institutes into secure children homes.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19101
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>The youth secure estate currently has three distinct types of establishments: young offender institutions (YOIs), secure training centres and secure children’s homes (SCHs). We will also open a Secure School this spring, which is also a registered SCH. This enables the Youth Custody Service (YCS) to make placements that are best suited to the needs of the individual child or young person. SCHs accommodate boys and girls aged between 10 and 17 who have complex needs. These placements can be made by local authorities. In addition, children and young people who have been sentenced or remanded to custody may be placed by the YCS in eight of the 14 SCHs in England and Wales. A SCH can decline to accept a placement if it feels it is not able to meet the needs of the individual child, or if accepting the placement would inhibit its ability to meet the needs of other children already accommodated at the home.</p><p>The YCS Placement Team considers each child’s placement on a case-by-case basis. It reviews information provided by the child’s Youth Offending Team, looking at the child’s needs, as well as any possible risks to, or originating with the child. The team will also try to consider geographical location and proximity to home as part of their decision making, though other factors may take precedence in terms of decision making. This evidence, together with the child’s immediate presentation following the court appearance, is considered in order to identify a placement that will meet the best interests of the child.</p><p>Children and young people are likely to be more suited to one type of accommodation than another. For example, a SCH placement could be more suitable for children with a lower level of maturity, or with complex needs that require a higher level of support; a YOI placement might be considered appropriate where the young person has been observed to pose a risk towards peers and/or members of staff, or needs to access a specific programme or programmes provided at the YOI.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 27/03/2024 13:01:06 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell