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1384536

registered interest
date	03/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reason was for the time elapsed between 18 June 2021 and the termination of the contract with MTC to run Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre; and how much funding from the public purse has been transferred to MTC in connection with that contract since (a) the date in May 2021 when the contract with MTC was originally due to expire and (b) 18 June 2021.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	86540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>The time elapsed between 18 June 2021 and the termination of the contract with MTC to run Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre was to allow for options to be considered on the future of the contract with MTC.</p><p> </p><p>The decision to extend MTC’s contract was made in November 2019, more than a year before the Urgent Notification was invoked by inspectors. At the time Ofsted’s assessment was that Rainsbrook ‘requires improvement’. While this is not the level of performance we would expect from any of our providers, it did not give rise to the concerns which became apparent much later in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>Payments to MTC have been solely to ensure staff are paid and that the fabric and security of the Rainsbrook building are maintained. MTC has received no additional payments from which they can profit. The centre was operating in a limited capacity beyond June 2021.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 13/12/2021 17:19:54 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383914

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bullingdon Prison: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Bullingdon, published on 1 December 2021, what lessons have been learned from the events during the week beginning 12 April that the Board describes as unsafe, including in relation to the impact of (a) extended covid restrictions on prison regimes, (b) staff inexperience and (c) staffing shortages.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	85222
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>The events described by the Independent Monitoring Board during the week beginning 12 April were especially challenging, due to a combination of factors at that time as a number of particularly complex prisoners needed support through Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) processes. Covid-19 impacted on regimes, and we recognise that this was both frustrating and distressing for prisoners. The Healthcare team also had staff shortfalls due to an agency staff issue which has now been resolved.</p><p>In April 2021 the prison had only just come out of a COVID outbreak, where the regime was significantly curtailed. It has improved since then, and HMP Bullingdon are now preparing plans to progress to Stage 1 of the National Framework which will increase time unlocked and purposeful activity for prisoners. The healthcare team have recruited additional staff to fill their vacancies, particularly in the mental health service. HMP Bullingdon will continue monitor staffing levels to ensure this doesn’t impact on the regime they can safely deliver.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 09/12/2021 17:42:41 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383915

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bullingdon Prison: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Bullingdon, published on 1 December 2021, what assessment he has made of the reasons why levels of violence at HMP Bullingdon reduced less as a result of covid restrictions than was the case at other prisons.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	85223
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>The safety of staff and prisoners remains our priority. Staff at HMP Bullingdon are working hard to reduce the number and severity of violent incidents and data is analysed on a weekly basis to understand local trends and themes. We know, for example, that debt and issues outside of the prison are key drivers of violence at HMP Bullingdon. A link has also been identified between on-wing violence and wing-based workers and, as a result, the prison has changed work allocation procedures to better manage that risk. Staff are also working more closely with the mental health team to better support and manage identifying incidents.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 09/12/2021 17:41:24 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383916

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bullingdon Prison: Construction
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Bullingdon, published on 1 December 2021, whether the new building planned at HMP Bullingdon will be used to reduce chronic overcrowding at the prison, or to accommodate additional prisoners; and whether it will be included in the Government’s target for additional prison places.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	85224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>The delivery of a new building to accommodate more prisoners at HMP Bullingdon is to meet projected future demand.</p><p> </p><p>Crowding in prisons is a longstanding issue that will not be easily addressed. We are investing £3.8 billion over the next three years to deliver 20,000 additional modern prison places (inclusive of the places at Bullingdon), including 2,000 temporary prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s. These additional prison places will have a positive impact on lowering the proportion of crowding within the prison estate by providing accommodation that is safe, decent and uncrowded. However, the extent to which the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation will ultimately reduce will always be dependent on levels of demand in the system.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 09/12/2021 17:39:55 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383917

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bullingdon Prison: Prisoners' Release
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Bullingdon, published on 1 December 2021, what assessment he has made of the impact of prison leaver housing support measures taken during the outbreak of covid-19 on the proportions of prison leavers entering (a) settled accommodation and (b) transient accommodation; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the fall in the proportion of prison leavers from HMP Bullingdon entering settled accommodation from 56 per cent in July 2019 to June 2020 and 50 per cent in July 2020 to June 2021.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	85225
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Justice provided up to 56 nights’ accommodation per individual to prison leavers at risk of homelessness. Data shows that 12% of offenders released from custody in the year to March 2021 were recorded as homeless or rough sleeping, which presents a decrease compared to the 16% recorded homeless or rough sleeping in the preceding year (2019/20)</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Accelerator Prisons Project, HMP Bullingdon have been trialling the role of a Housing Specialist to strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders and reduce the number of prison leavers released with no fixed abode. The Housing Specialist has been in post from August 2021.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 09/12/2021 17:37:55 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1382898

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Wealstun Prison: Smuggling
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 27 October 2021 to Question 58346 on Wealstun Prison: Smuggling, and with reference to the Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Hull by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published on 2 November 2021, page 12, whether all prisoners arriving at HMP Hull are checked with the X-ray body scanner; whether checking all prisoners with that scanner is compatible with the Use of X-ray body scanners (adult male prisons) Policy Framework, published on 19 May 2020; and whether he plans to amend that Policy Framework (a) to enable routine use of X-ray body scanners, (b) to enable random use of X-ray body scanners or (c) otherwise.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	83282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2021 answer text <p>The use of X-ray technology must be approved in line with the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/1769/contents" target="_blank">Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004</a> (as amended). For HMPPS, the Justifying Authority is the Secretary of State for the Home Office. Approval from the Justifying Authority has been issued on the condition that a set of Requirements for Practice for Prisons are complied with and they state that each scan must only be conducted where there is intelligence or reasonable grounds to suspect that an item is being concealed by a person internally. The intelligence can be HMPPS owned intelligence and/or intelligence received from external agencies, either linked to specific prisoners or cohorts. A person must not be scanned routinely or on a random basis and at present there are no current plans to extend this criteria although we continually assess the best ways to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 07/12/2021 16:48:52 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383117

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bedford Prison: Young Offenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/YOI Bedford, published on 26 November 2021, whether it remains his policy to open a specific wing for young prisoners at HMP/YOI Bedford; and what his planned timescale is for that project.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	83285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2021 answer text <p>HMP Bedford intends to introduce a residential unit to support young adults aged 18-21 who exhibit complex needs. We are keeping the timescale under review and will provide an update in due course.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 07/12/2021 16:49:59 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383120

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Reform
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release of 20 July 2021, Lord Chancellor sets out reform vision for justice, what steps he has taken to consult criminal justice sector organisations in relation to a forthcoming prisons white paper; and what further consultation he plans to undertake (a) in advance of and (b) following the publication of that white paper.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	83288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2021 answer text <p>In July 2021 we announced our intention to publish a Prisons White Paper before the end of the year. Officials in MoJ and HMPPS led roundtables in July with criminal justice sector organisations to seek views on future reforms to the prison system, and stakeholders were invited to provide written feedback following the roundtables. A Ministerial roundtable chaired by the Minister for Prisons was held in November on potential policy proposals for the White Paper.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to continued stakeholder engagement. The White Paper includes consultation questions inviting views from stakeholders to which we will issue a response. We will also hold additional engagement with criminal justice sector organisations following publication.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 07/12/2021 17:05:36 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1383121

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Coronavirus
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 26 November 2021 to Question 77407 on Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Coronavirus, what his timetable is for the work underway to explore (a) the use of prison as a place of safety, (b) whether it is used solely in respect of concerns over mental health, or in conjunction with other factors such as the offending history of the individual, (c) how that information is recorded and (d) the extent to which that information can be quantified.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	83289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2021 answer text <p>My department are working with officials in the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and Improvement to improve our understanding of, and develop solutions to these operational challenges. In January 2022, we will be publishing an action plan in response to the recommendations in the Joint Thematic Inspection of the Criminal Justice Journey of Individuals with Mental Health Needs and Disorders. This includes a recommendation to end the use of prison as a place of safety and ensure that alternatives to prison are available for sentencers in line with the Mental Health Act White Paper.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 07/12/2021 17:01:40 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1382372

registered interest
date	25/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Prison population projections: 2021 to 2026, published on 25 November 2021, for what reason the adult female prison population projected in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025 is lower than that projected in the publication Prison Population Projections: 2020 to 2026, published on 26 November 2020.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	81906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2021 answer text <p>The starting point for the prison population projections published November 2021 (population as at end of July 2021) is lower than previously projected because of the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional lockdowns and extended social distancing measures restricted the courts’ ability to process cases which means the criminal justice system has not recovered as quickly as previously forecast. For this reason, the population projections for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 are not directly comparable between the 2020 and 2021 publications.</p><p> </p><p>The projections published in November 2020 assumed a female population based on historical proportions from the overall population, split by sentence length bands. The latest projections (published in November 2021) were produced with new determinate modelling, which has allowed more gender-specific assumptions around offence types and sentence lengths.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 06/12/2021 12:54:07 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown