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1550943

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Drugs: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing jail terms for repeat drug offenders.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	109564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2022 answer text <p>The law provides a robust framework of drug offences to address a variety of behaviours. The most serious of these carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts, in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines – issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The Council issued revised guidelines for drug offences in 2021.</p><p> </p><p>In England and Wales, when deciding what sentence to impose the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence, the offender and any aggravating and mitigating factors which might lead to an increase or decrease in sentence. The law states that where there is a relevant previous conviction the court must consider this to be an aggravating factor when sentencing.</p><p> </p><p>In recognition of the seriousness of drug offences, the law provides for a minimum custodial sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment following a third conviction for a Class A drug trafficking offence in England and Wales. Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 strengthened existing legislation to ensure that the courts always impose at least the minimum term unless there are exceptional circumstances which justify not doing so.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 20/12/2022 10:59:16 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1550947

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
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 probate applications submitted in the last 12 months were processed and received a response within 30 working days.
tabling member constituency	Chesham and Amersham
tabling member printed	Sarah Green
uin	109690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>All applicants using the digital service receive confirmation of receipt at the point of submission and, if required, once we receive the original will or other supporting documents. In the last 12 months 56% (158,510) of all applications were either stopped or had their grant issued within 30 days of receipt of the documents needed to assess the case.</p><p>HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand following an increased number of estates requiring probate and is further increasing resourcing to further bring down overall timeliness on digital and paper applications.</p><p>The improvement of the online probate system remains a priority for HMCTS, to ensure more applications can be issued first time and resources can be focused on reducing waiting times.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 19/12/2022 15:54:26 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4918 label Biography information for Sarah Green

1550950

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Dominic Raab
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds any records of (a) informal complaints and (b) formal grievances raised about the conduct of the right Hon. Member for Esher and Walton.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	109588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>The department holds records of complaints about the Rt Hon. Member for Esher and Walton. The Prime Minister has appointed Adam Tolley KC to conduct an independent investigation into complaints about the conduct of the Deputy Prime Minister and it would not be appropriate to comment further during the investigation.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 19/12/2022 15:53:25 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1550966

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK's departure from the EU on their ability to deliver successful policy outcomes.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Sir Bill Wiggin
uin	109464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2022 answer text <p>Leaving the EU has provided the UK with the freedom to conceive and implement laws and policies that put the UK first. At the start of this year, the Government set out its plans to maximise the benefits of Brexit across each major sector of the economy and transform the UK into the best regulated country in the world.</p><p>Leaving the EU has also meant that the UK is free to pursue its own independent trade policy and trade agreements. The Ministry of Justice represents the UK legal sector’s interests overseas by improving and maintaining market access for UK lawyers practicing internationally by securing legal services provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Since leaving the EU we have secured legal services provisions in a number of FTAs including with Australia and New Zealand. We will continue to seek world leading provisions on legal services in ongoing and upcoming FTA negotiations where this will deliver benefit to the UK legal services sector.</p><p>I am also actively engaging with key stakeholders in the sector both at home and abroad, including the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, the American Bar Association, and law firms across the UK, to understand the sector’s priorities. This is to ensure that we [HMG] are working effectively with the sector to remove barriers to trade in legal services and to increase UK legal services exports globally.</p><p>The UK is a global leader in Private International Law (PIL) and outside the EU we have now regained competence in PIL matters. Private International Law arrangements support the confidence of businesses to trade and invest across borders, underpinning economic growth and access to justice.</p><p>That is why we are taking advantage of new freedoms to sign agreements and seek opportunities to strengthen arrangements with our international partners. The government has published a consultation on whether the UK should be party to the Hague 2019 convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgements and in due course we will be publishing the government response to the consultation on whether the UK should sign and ratify the 2018 Singapore Convention on Mediation to support our world-leading mediation sector.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 21/12/2022 09:25:52 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1550996

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Energy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which energy provider supplies energy to their Department; how much carbon dioxide was emitted by their Department in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria their Department uses to select an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly that supplier is; and what recent steps their Department has taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	109717
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2022 answer text <p>The Department’s energy is supplied through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Energy Framework. Under this framework, EDF supply electricity and TotalEnergies supply gas.</p><p>The Department’s total carbon emissions for 2021/22 were 248,134 tonnes. The list of Executive Agencies &amp; ALBs &amp; NDPBs in scope for this reporting are: MoJ Headquarters, HM Prison Service, Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Children and Family Court Advisory Services, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Judges Lodgings, Legal Aid Authority, Office of the Public Guardian, Official Solicitor and Public Trustee.</p><p>The Department is not responsible for selecting its energy supplier. It is mandated to use the energy suppliers procured by CCS. CCS is responsible for developing the award criteria used to select and appoint Government’s energy suppliers.</p><p>MoJ has been investing in energy efficiency measures (such as replacing lighting with LEDs and fitting smart meters) and installing renewable technology. This has contributed to the Department reducing its overall carbon emissions by 33% since 2017/18 against a target of 41% by March 2025.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 20/12/2022 13:43:23 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1551005

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Five Wells Prison
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects HMP Five Wells to be able to hold offenders to its designed capacity.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	109659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>We are working closely with G4S, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to achieve full operational capacity as early as possible.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 109660 question first answered 19/12/2022 14:08:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1551006

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Five Wells Prison
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when HMP Five Wells will be contractually required to be able to hold its full planned number of prisoners.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	109660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>We are working closely with G4S, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to achieve full operational capacity as early as possible.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 109659 question first answered 19/12/2022 14:08:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1551007

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Berwyn Prison
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HMP Berwyn is operating at its full capacity.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	109661
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>As at 25 November 2022, Berwyn was operating at very near full capacity. Exact figures are published on a monthly basis and can be found via the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2022</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/12/2022 14:09:42 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1551036

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Crimes against the Person
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 12 December 2022 to Question 102864 on Ministry of Justice: Crimes against the Person, whether any grievances against Ministry of Justice Ministers for which the reason included (a) harassment - sex and (b) bullying were (i) upheld and (ii) partially upheld in each year since 2018.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	109589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>The department can confirm that no complaints were upheld or partially upheld against Ministry of Justice Ministers since 1 January 2018. These include the reasons of (a) harassment - sex and (b) bullying.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 19/12/2022 16:44:04 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1551064

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers: Drugs
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 prison officers caught smuggling drugs into prisons in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	109593
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity which is often as a result of conditioning and manipulation by prisoners.</p><p>There have been a total of 80 outcomes (Criminal Justice, Dismissal or Exclusion) for Prison Officers linked to conveyance of drug related offences since 1 January 2020. Below is a table showing the breakdown by outcome type over the three-year period to 14 December 2022:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="5"><p><strong>Prison Officers</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>CJS Outcomes</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Exclusions</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Dismissals</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>11</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>34</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>27</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: Linkspace Case Management System</p><p>HM Prison &amp; Probation Service has a zero-tolerance policy to drugs conveyed into prisons and take appropriate action to a small number of prison staff who break the rules. Our £100m Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones, was completed in March 2022. This included increased resource to pursue corruption, as well as establish a new ‘Prevent’ function, aimed at building staff resilience against corruption.</p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1) The new Counter Corruption Unit came into being in April 2019, with a new structure and a change to ways of working. During the initial transition period, and prior to the introduction of the new Case Management System, it is possible that not all outcomes were being captured. Data has been provided in this response from 1<sup>st</sup> January 2020.</p><p>2) Outcome data is shared as we cannot assume guilt during an ongoing case. Due to the length of time a case can take to progress through the criminal justice system and the appeals system, the numbers of outcomes may increase or decrease as the years progress.</p><p>3) Exclusions and Dismissal – These figures quoted are subject to the progress of the case and counted separately.</p><p>4) Cases are dependent on information being reported through our reporting systems. Therefore, the outcomes only reflect the instances reported and developed through the CCU process.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/12/2022 14:05:34 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed