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1688660

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Alcoholic Drinks
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 address alcohol harm in prisons.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	13789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure that all prisoners who need it have access to high-quality alcohol and substance misuse treatment. As part of the government’s 10-year drug strategy, DHSC has made a record £532 million of additional investment through to 2024/25 to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services</p><p><br> The MoJ is also investing to tackle drug and alcohol misuse and engage more offenders in treatment, including recruiting Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons to coordinate a whole-system approach, and Health and Justice Coordinators in every probation region to improve links between prison and local drug and alcohol treatment services. <br> <br> We are also expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs and alcohol, with regular drug testing and incentives. We now have over 60 of these wings across the estate, and are aiming to reach up to 100 by March 2025. This will dramatically expand the number of prisoners who have access to these wings.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to tackling the supply of drugs and alcohol into prison. Our £100m Security Investment Programme completed in March 2022 and delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners, resulting in full coverage across the closed male estate. We have also installed 84 X-ray baggage scanners at 49 sites, building on the rollout of our body scanners, drug trace detection machines and metal detection archways.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 19/02/2024 14:10:00 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1688661

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Sentencing
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 help ensure that people convicted of a crime in which alcohol was an aggravating factor are provided with harm reduction (a) support and (b) education as part of their sentence.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	13790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is committed to tackling the underlying causes of offending, including alcohol misuse, as it is crucial to reducing reoffending. Between 2011/12 and 2021/22, the overall proven reoffending rate has decreased from 31.3% to 25.2% and we are continuing taking action to drive down the reoffending rate even further.</p><p> </p><p>In the community, we want to make the best use of alternatives to custody to ensure that offenders with substance misuse needs are diverted to treatment wherever appropriate. Offenders can be given an Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) as part of a community sentence, and we are committed to increasing the use of these. The Department for Health and Social Care are investing £532m to increase drug and alcohol treatment and recovery places and we have recruited new Health and Justice Coordinators in every probation region to improve links between probation and local drug and alcohol treatment services.</p><p> </p><p>We are also piloting three Intensive Supervision Courts where offenders will be subject to regular reviews with a judge, drug testing, incentives and sanctions.</p><p> </p><p>In custody, we have recruited Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons to ensure a focus on tackling drug and alcohol misuse. Staying in treatment on release is crucial and so we are also rolling out more secure video calling technology, providing prisoners with the opportunity to engage with community treatment pre-release. We are also expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs and alcohol, with regular drug testing and incentives. We now have over 60 of these wings across the estate and are aiming to reach up to 100 by March 2025. This will dramatically expand the number of prisoners who have access to these wings.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 19/02/2024 14:11:12 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1679521

registered interest
date	05/01/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Women
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 21 of his Department's publication entitled Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan 2022–25, published in January 2023, what is his planned timetable for the publication of the Young Women's (18–25) Strategy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	8040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>We remain committed to delivering the commitments in our Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan by 2025. This includes working towards the publication of the Young Women’s Strategy, that will take a system-wide approach to improving outcomes for young women, and for girls who transition to the adult estate. The strategy will be informed by the young adult women’s pilots at HMP Bronzefield and HMP Styal, and the <em>Operational guidance for working with young adult women in custody</em>, which sets out the approach to supporting young women in prison.</p><p>We will publish a One Year On report on the Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan shortly, which will report on progress against all commitments in the Plan.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 15/01/2024 14:47:22 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1678221

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
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 estimate of the cost to the criminal justice system of alcohol use.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	7062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice do not currently hold data on these costings. However, the Government is committed to tackling alcohol misuse, including within the Criminal Justice System. There are a range of sentencing options to support those who have committed alcohol-related crime to overcome their misuse and reduce reoffending. Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) as part of a community sentence require the offender to attend treatment and supervision. The total number of ATRs commenced rose from 5,100 in 2021, to 5,800 in 2022, an increase of 14.2% (700). Alcohol tags can be used to monitor compliance with an alcohol ban imposed as a requirement of a community sentence or restrictions imposed on licence. Since introducing alcohol tags in October 2020, 17,332 new alcohol monitoring orders have been imposed.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/12/2023 14:36:07 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1642102

registered interest
date	06/06/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children: Trials
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 allow children impacted by abuse to pre-record their evidence for trial as soon as possible after the incident has occurred, in the context of timeliness of access to psychological services.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	188045
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2023 answer text <p>Pre-recorded cross-examination has been available to children and vulnerable adults in all Crown Courts since November 2022, under section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.</p><p>The aim of section 28 is to enhance the quality and reliability of evidence by improving the witness experience of cross-examination and enhancing event recall by reducing the time between complaint and cross-examination. Judges consider on a case-by-case basis whether using section 28 is in the interests of justice, will improve the quality of the witness’s evidence and will materially advance the date for the cross-examination.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 14/06/2023 09:46:03 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1641729

registered interest
date	05/06/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Victim Support Schemes: Offences against Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department provides funding for pre-trial therapy for child victims of (a) sexual abuse and (b) other forms of trauma.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	187745
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is more than quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10.</p><p>This includes grant funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. It is at PCCs’ discretion to allocate this funding for local services, based on their assessment of local need. This will include a range of different services to victims and could include various types of therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse and other forms of trauma.</p><p>Victim support services are available to all victims of crime at any stage, whether or not they have chosen to engage with the criminal justice system.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 13/06/2023 12:48:28 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1639298

registered interest
date	22/05/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people in the criminal justice system have immediate access to pre-trial trauma services.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	186181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/05/2023 answer text <p>Supporting victims of crime remains a top priority of this Government. Victim support services are available to all victims of crime at any stage, whether or not they have chosen to engage with the criminal justice system.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that victims are able to access the support they need, 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 annual grant funding for Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types.</p><p> </p><p>This funding will also build resilience into services, ensuring consistency in the support that victims receive and will ensure that high quality support is available to victims when needed.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 30/05/2023 11:51:16 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

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

1599395

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reoffenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to work with people who are waiting for their case to come to court to help ensure they do not commit crimes.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	153857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>We have interpreted this question as referring to court bail. Whether to remand an individual into custody or to grant court bail is solely a matter for the independent judiciary.</p><p>A grant of bail can either be unconditional or conditional. Any conditions set are imposed by the independent judiciary in order to mitigate risks the individual might pose, including the risk of reoffending while on bail.</p><p>One such condition could be a residence requirement. Where the individual does not have a suitable address, HMPPS provides temporary accommodation in the form of Approved Premises for high-risk individuals or Community Accommodation Services-2 for medium to low-risk individuals. Other conditions such as a curfew or an exclusion zone may be electronically monitored where this will enable a defendant’s risk to be managed in the community rather than in custody, where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 06/03/2023 17:47:41 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell