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1354291

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Overcrowding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Chapter 9 Table 2.2 of the HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2020 to March 2021, published on 29 July 2021, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the higher crowding rate in contracted out prisons than in public prisons.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	45826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The 2020/21 HMPPS Annual Digest shows that, compared to 2019/20, levels of crowding decreased across the prison estate, within each category of prison, and in both the public sector prison (PSP) and privately managed prison (PMP) estate. It is not unusual for the PMP estate to have higher levels of crowding than the PSP estate and it has done so since 1999. The main reason for this is that the PMP estate contains a higher proportion of Reception prisons than the PSP estate. The HMPPS 2020/21 Annual Digest shows that these prisons, regardless of their operator, are the most likely to be crowded, and they are therefore over-represented in the smaller sample of PMPs.</p><p>We are investing more than £4 billion to make significant progress in delivering 18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s.This includes creating four new prisons over the next six years whilst also expanding a number of other prisons over the next three years. Additionally, construction is well underway on HMP Five Wells, the new prison in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, and Glen Parva in Leicestershire, creating more than 3,300 places.</p><p>This additional capacity will have a positive impact on lowering the proportion of crowding within the prison estate. However, the extent to which the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation will reduce will always be dependent on levels of demand in the system.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 45827 question first answered 15/09/2021 16:05:03 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1354292

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Overcrowding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Chapter 9 Table 2.2 of the HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2020 to March 2021, published on 29 July 2021, what steps he is taking to reduce crowding over the next two years.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	45827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The 2020/21 HMPPS Annual Digest shows that, compared to 2019/20, levels of crowding decreased across the prison estate, within each category of prison, and in both the public sector prison (PSP) and privately managed prison (PMP) estate. It is not unusual for the PMP estate to have higher levels of crowding than the PSP estate and it has done so since 1999. The main reason for this is that the PMP estate contains a higher proportion of Reception prisons than the PSP estate. The HMPPS 2020/21 Annual Digest shows that these prisons, regardless of their operator, are the most likely to be crowded, and they are therefore over-represented in the smaller sample of PMPs.</p><p>We are investing more than £4 billion to make significant progress in delivering 18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s.This includes creating four new prisons over the next six years whilst also expanding a number of other prisons over the next three years. Additionally, construction is well underway on HMP Five Wells, the new prison in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, and Glen Parva in Leicestershire, creating more than 3,300 places.</p><p>This additional capacity will have a positive impact on lowering the proportion of crowding within the prison estate. However, the extent to which the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation will reduce will always be dependent on levels of demand in the system.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 45826 question first answered 15/09/2021 16:05:03 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1354353

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Berwyn Prison: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent comparative assessment his Department has made of staffing levels at HMP Berwyn and required staffing levels as set by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	45891
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2021 answer text <p>Staffing levels at all public sector prisons are reviewed regularly. A full review of resourcing was undertaken for HMP Berwyn in 2019, and a follow-up review took place in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Additional operational resources were allocated to Berwyn in June 2020, introducing enhanced gate security and search capability, and in May 2021, by extending professional visits and use of video courts. Staffing levels at HMP Berwyn were most recently reviewed in August 2021 following the transition of former Interserve employees into Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with all reviews, these were agreed in accordance with HMPPS staffing procedures and signed off by the Governor and trade unions.</p><p> </p><p>HMP Berwyn is working towards full staffing levels through continued recruitment, with HMPPS supporting by sending experienced staff on detached duty from other establishments, and offering opportunities for overtime. The prison is also looking forward to receiving the support from the network of experienced staff in the Standards Coaching Team when this is re-mobilised later in the year.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/09/2021 19:01:28 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1354360

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been recorded among inmates at each prison in Wales in each month since 1 January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	45893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is provided in the attached spreadsheet.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked closely with Public Health Wales throughout the pandemic and have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases. This means prisons and probation services are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. These measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers, compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals, and introducing an extensive testing programme to test staff and prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>We are also supporting the NHS to deliver the vaccination programme to staff and prisoners to reduce transmission risks and to protect the population from serious illness and fatalities. Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons and probation (and re-introducing them where necessary) are and will be guided by public health.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/09/2021 19:18:07 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer attachment 1 file name 2021-09-14 PQ 45893 Data.xlsx title PQ 45893 Data
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1353926

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Listed Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the (a) properties classified as heritage assets by his Department, (b) most recent estimate of the value of those properties and (c) annual income derived from those properties.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	45034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>The MoJ is advised on the management of designated heritage assets in its portfolio by Historic England’s Government Historic Estate Unit.</p><p> </p><p>Further details can be found here:</p><p>https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/our-planning-services/advice-for-government-historic-estates/</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ does not collect or collate data on the property value.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/09/2021 15:34:48 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

1353932

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HMICFRS report, Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System report, published on 15 July 2021, what steps his Department is taking to develop a strategy for neurodiversity in the criminal justice system.
tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
tabling member printed	Steven Bonnar
uin	45267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>We welcomed the Evidence Review Report on Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System, which has highlighted the importance of gaining a better understanding of the needs of people with neurodivergent conditions across the criminal justice system.</p><p>The report suggests that potentially half of the adult prison population has some form of neurodivergence. The report identifies current gaps in provision and areas of good practice, and it provides six recommendations as to how current provision might be improved.</p><p>The first recommendation is to develop a cross government overarching neurodiversity strategy across the criminal justice system. An action plan in response to the report is due to be published in October 2021 and my department is currently engaging in discussions with all of the relevant departments to identify appropriate steps to work towards this key recommendation.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 15/09/2021 15:38:13 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4748 label Biography information for Steven Bonnar

1353302

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate: Standards
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 the adequacy of the time taken to grant probate; and what plans he has to improve that service.
tabling member constituency	New Forest West
tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
uin	44159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>The most recently published information regarding combined waiting times for a grant of probate, on paper and digital cases, covers January 2021 to March 2021 and is published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly (Table 25):</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021</a></p><p>Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the probate service during the Covid 19 pandemic, and as a result of HMCTS increasing resources to meet demand, the average length of time taken for a grant of probate following receipt of the documents required has been maintained at between four to six weeks.</p><p>HMCTS continues to invest in the improvement of the online Probate system which was developed as part of the wider HMCTS Reform Programme to further streamline ways of working resulting in a system that is simpler and easy to understand for applicants; is accessible; and more efficient and robust to run.</p><p>Further information regarding how HMCTS is collaborating with service users to enhance the service can be found at <a href="https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/2021/08/06/collaborating-is-key-to-enhancing-probate-users-experience-of-using-myhmcts/" target="_blank">https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/2021/08/06/collaborating-is-key-to-enhancing-probate-users-experience-of-using-myhmcts/</a></p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 10/09/2021 16:00:23 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1353309

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to tackle the increase in the number of cases being withdrawn as a result of court delays and case backlogs.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	44434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>Recovering the courts from the impact of Covid is a key priority for this Government. We allocated over a quarter of a billion pounds on recovery last financial year, making court buildings safe, rolling out new technology for remote hearings, recruiting additional staff and opening Nightingale courtrooms. We are encouraged by the level of cases now flowing through the courts, with our most recently published data showing reductions in the Crown Court’s outstanding caseload.</p><p> </p><p>We are now focused both on increasing capacity and maximising use of that which we already have. There is no limit on the number of days Crown Courts can sit this financial year and we are supporting temporary changes to court operating hours, where the local judge wants to use this, to hear more cases. The relaxing of social distancing means around 60 existing courtrooms in the Crown Court estate have been reopened, and we are extending our 32 Crown Nightingale courtrooms until April 2022.</p><p> </p><p>In further attempts to prevent cases from being withdrawn, we have increased funding for victim support services, with £151 million this year, including £27 million to increase the number of independent advisors for sexual violence and domestic abuse victims by over 40 per cent. Beyond significant increases in funding to victims’ services, the Government has taken a range of actions to ensure that victims and witnesses receive the support they need.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 15/09/2021 14:38:15 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1353315

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Crimes of Violence: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to improve support in the justice system for the victims of violence against women and girls in (a) Newport West constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	44439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The new Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets. The commitments in the strategy include the introduction of a new full-time National Policing Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls. In addition, Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 has been rolled out to Crown Courts to enable pre-recorded cross-examination and re-examination for vulnerable witnesses</p><p>Also, for 2021-22, the Ministry of Justice will provide just under £151m for victim and witness support services. This funding includes:<br>• £1m for rape support centres across Wales;<br>• Over £6.6m for the four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales - including Gwent, which covers Newport West; and<br>• Investment in 36 new Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers posts across Wales</p><p>All of these services will help victims feel informed and supported at every stage of their recovery journey, including their interaction with the justice system.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 15/09/2021 14:39:27 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1353325

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people prosecuted for TV licence evasion in each year since 2015 were women.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	44372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions for TV licence evasion in England and Wales, up to December 2020, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, which can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987715/outcomes-by-offence-2020.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987715/outcomes-by-offence-2020.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>For prosecutions of women for this offence, follow the steps below.</p><ul><li>Select ‘191A Television licence evasion’ in the Offence filter</li><li>To view male and female prosecutions, click anywhere in the table to bring up the pivot table field list and drag ‘sex’ into the rows field.</li><li>The number of males prosecuted will be found on Row 24 and the number of females prosecuted will be found on Row 25.</li></ul> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 15/09/2021 16:13:46 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald