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1608529

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reparation by Offenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on establishing a pilot programme to understand where there are gaps in provision of restorative justice.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Elliot Colburn
uin	176712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>We are committed to supporting restorative justice as a way to help victims cope and, as far as possible, recover from the impact of crime. That is why, under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (‘the Victims’ Code’), all adult victims must be told about the option of restorative justice and how to access it. We also provide Police and Crime Commissioners with grant funding for victim support services, including restorative justice services. They are best placed to assess local need and commission services based on the needs of the population in the local area. Restorative justice services should be targeted to the most appropriate cases, where we have clear evidence for the benefits of that approach and should only take place when both the victim and the offender agree, and it is considered safe.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS has work underway to look at how to better support MoJ funded restorative justice. This work is aimed at identifying the factors supporting quality practice and to test effective, evidence-based access to, and delivery of RJ services.  HMPPS will also work with PCC areas to improve referrals to RJ services. Once complete HMPPS will share the lessons learned more widely.</p><p> </p><p>We do not currently plan to publish a restorative justice action plan because it is not clear that this is necessary or an appropriate fit with the existing activity to improve the consistent and targeted provision of restorative justice services at a local level.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 176713 question first answered 17/04/2023 08:18:31 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4775 label Biography information for Elliot Colburn

1608569

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Damages
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government Response to the Twenty-first Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2017-19, Proposal for a draft Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (Remedial) Order 2019, HC 2225, what progress has been made on extending eligibility for bereavement damages under Section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 to fathers of illegitimate children.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham South
tabling member printed	Lilian Greenwood
uin	176607
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to extend availability to other family members (including fathers of illegitimate children) whose relationship to the deceased person may be less close may require a fundamentally different approach which would permit enquiries into the nature of the relationship in individual cases. This could lead in some cases to intrusive and upsetting investigation of the claimant’s relationship with the deceased person and could also increase the cost and complexity of the proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>The context is important - bereavement damages are widely recognised and accepted as a fixed payment in acknowledgment of grief and are in no way intended to try to reflect the value of the life lost in monetary terms. They are only one element of the damages that may be awarded in a particular case, which for example can also include damages for dependency.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory sum for bereavement damages was increased in 2020 (to £15,120).</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 176608 176609 question first answered 17/04/2023 08:10:09 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4029 label Biography information for Lilian Greenwood

1608570

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Fatal Accidents Act 1976
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason fathers of illegitimate children are not eligible for bereavement damages under Section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham South
tabling member printed	Lilian Greenwood
uin	176608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to extend availability to other family members (including fathers of illegitimate children) whose relationship to the deceased person may be less close may require a fundamentally different approach which would permit enquiries into the nature of the relationship in individual cases. This could lead in some cases to intrusive and upsetting investigation of the claimant’s relationship with the deceased person and could also increase the cost and complexity of the proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>The context is important - bereavement damages are widely recognised and accepted as a fixed payment in acknowledgment of grief and are in no way intended to try to reflect the value of the life lost in monetary terms. They are only one element of the damages that may be awarded in a particular case, which for example can also include damages for dependency.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory sum for bereavement damages was increased in 2020 (to £15,120).</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 176607 176609 question first answered 17/04/2023 08:10:09 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4029 label Biography information for Lilian Greenwood

1608571

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Fatal Accidents Act 1976
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to take steps to increase the statutory amount of bereavement damages in Section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham South
tabling member printed	Lilian Greenwood
uin	176609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>The Government’s position remains that it believes the existing legal framework, involving a fixed level of award and clear eligibility criteria, represents a reasonable, proportionate and practical approach.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to extend availability to other family members (including fathers of illegitimate children) whose relationship to the deceased person may be less close may require a fundamentally different approach which would permit enquiries into the nature of the relationship in individual cases. This could lead in some cases to intrusive and upsetting investigation of the claimant’s relationship with the deceased person and could also increase the cost and complexity of the proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>The context is important - bereavement damages are widely recognised and accepted as a fixed payment in acknowledgment of grief and are in no way intended to try to reflect the value of the life lost in monetary terms. They are only one element of the damages that may be awarded in a particular case, which for example can also include damages for dependency.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory sum for bereavement damages was increased in 2020 (to £15,120).</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 176607 176608 question first answered 17/04/2023 08:10:09 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4029 label Biography information for Lilian Greenwood

1608608

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children
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 enable child victims of sexual violence to (a) provide video evidence ahead of a trial and (b) receive counselling immediately.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	176631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>Child victims of sexual violence are eligible for special measures, including pre-recording their evidence, under Section 16 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (YJCEA), which considers all children as vulnerable witnesses. This enables the recording to be presented during the trial without the witness needing to attend, which helps them give their best evidence to the court and mitigate some of the stress associated with giving evidence. The aim is to enhance the quality and reliability of evidence by improving experiences of cross-examination and enhancing event recall by reducing the time between complaint and cross-examination.</p><p>Under the Victims’ Code, all victims, including children, have the right to receive information about and be referred to support services, including therapy and counselling, regardless of whether anyone has been charged or convicted of a criminal offence, or whether they decide to report the crime to the police or do not wish to cooperate with the investigation.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice is more than quadrupling funding for victims and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10. This includes funding for Police and Crime Commissioners to commission services supporting victims of sexual violence, including services providing counselling to children.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice is currently recommissioning the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, to make sure it meets the needs of all victims in the most effective way, including child victims of sexual violence. This funding is available to specialist, community-based sexual abuse support services to deliver a range of help, including counselling, to child and adult victims to cope, recover, build resilience and move forward with daily life.</p><p>Additionally, NHS England commissions 48 Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across England with at least one in each county/region to ensure equitable spread. SARCs offer medical, practical and emotional support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, including child victims of sexual violence.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 17/04/2023 08:13:48 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1608609

registered interest
date	29/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Victims: Children and Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Victims Bill will include provisions on (a) mental and emotional wellbeing and (b) other support for children and young people.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	176632
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>Victims are likely to experience a range of impacts following a crime and may require advice, recovery and support services, which could be medical, therapeutic, practical and/or emotional. The Victims and Prisoners Bill will improve the support offered to children and young people. Child victims are covered by the definition of victim in Part 1 of the Bill and are already covered in the current Victims’ Code. The Bill’s definition of a victim has been amended to align with the full Part 1 definition of domestic abuse as it appears in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which will also be set out in the new Victims’ Code. This clearly defines child victims who see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse as victims in their own right. Child victims will continue to be covered in the new Victims’ Code as well as being covered from the full suite of measures in Part 1 of the Bill. For example:</p><p>The Bill recognises the role that ISVAs (Independent Sexual Violence Advisors) and IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) have in working with children, young people, and their families.</p><p>The Bill will place a duty on Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities and Integrated Care Boards in England to collaborate when commissioning victim services. This includes a range of services which may support victims with a range of emotional mental health support.</p><p>In response to pre-legislative scrutiny, we emphasised where the needs of children should be considered by requiring commissioners to specifically have regard to any assessments they have carried out that reflect the needs of child victims, as distinct from adult victims.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 17/04/2023 08:15:25 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1607120

registered interest
date	24/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Pre-sentence Reports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his Department's policy to encourage the use of Standard Delivery formats in Pre-Sentence Reports.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	173091
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>The Probation Service is responsible for producing Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) when they are requested by the Court. A PSR includes a sentencing recommendation based on an offender's individual circumstances and consideration of public protection concerns, alongside suitable rehabilitative and punitive requirements.</p><p>A PSR can be delivered to Courts in a range of formats including the longer written Standard Delivery Report (SDR), and the Short Format Report (SFR) which can be delivered in written or oral format.</p><p>The key principles for decisions on the format of report delivery to Court are:</p><ol><li>What information is available to the PSR author and the Court on the day of sentence. Access to information regarding risk from other agencies does inform the risk assessment and so can affect proposals to the court. Where this information is not available on the day, the impact of this needs to be assessed to determine whether a longer adjournment is needed.</li><li>Complexity of the risk assessment. The presence of factors that require additional assessment, professional discussion, and / or multiple enquiries to aid risk assessment has an important bearing on whether reports should be delivered on the day of request or adjourned for further assessment.</li></ol><p>As a general rule all report types are suitable for use across the sentencing thresholds. Guidance is available for probation staff to assist them in determining when to request for a longer adjournment to facilitate an SDR report.</p><p>The Probation Service is working on a range of initiatives to increase the number of cases in which the Courts receive written reports. These are:</p><ul><li>A pilot scheme across fifteen courts, aimed at targeting written reports at specific cohorts where a more detailed exploration of complex issues relating to trauma, maturity and the loss of liberty may be needed.</li><li>Rolling out across England and Wales a scheme to provide PSRs on committal from magistrates’ courts to the Crown Court, following a successful pilot in Bristol. The Probation Service continues to utilise a PSR before plea process, which enables PSRs to be prepared on cases ahead of the first hearing if an indication of an intended guilty plea is given.</li><li>Supporting case progression in appropriate cases with PSRs prepared in advance of first hearing at both Crown and Magistrates’ Courts.</li></ul> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 29/03/2023 16:45:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1606884

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Catalytic Converters: Theft
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of prosecutions for theft of catalytic converters in Greater Manchester in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	172538
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 29/03/2023 16:51:10 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1606432

registered interest
date	22/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Catalytic Converters: Theft
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 number of prosecutions for theft of catalytic converters in London in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Elliot Colburn
uin	171567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 29/03/2023 16:49:54 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4775 label Biography information for Elliot Colburn

1605445

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Undocumented Workers: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of the offence of illegal working since that offence was introduced under the 2016 Immigration Act.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	169433
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of convictions between 2017 and 2021 in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113400/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-revised-2.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2021</a>.</p><p>Information on the number of people convicted prior to 2017 can be found in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063892/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020-revised.xlsx" target="_blank">Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool</a>, however, there are no convictions for illegal working in this period.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/03/2023 08:47:34 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome