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1275706

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Service: Resignations
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 Service Pay Review Body’s Nineteenth Report on England and Wales 2020, section 3.35, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of new recruits leaving the Prison Service after less than two years of service.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	136497
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>New recruits leaving the prison service after less than two years is detrimental to the running of our prisons. This represents both a financial and non-financial loss that is difficult to quantify, hence this is something my department do not calculate.</p><p>My efforts are instead focused on retaining our staff, by upholding a fair and competitive salary; investing in training and professionalisation; and maintaining and improving the safety and security of prisons, for example with tools like PAVA and body-worn cameras.</p><p>This year, staff wellbeing is ever more important. This remains a fundamental part of retaining our staff, particularly for new officers as they settle into their challenging roles. All staff have access to support, including 24/7 counselling, trauma support and occupational health assessments, which provide the critical pathways of support for both mental and physical health needs for staff.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/01/2021 14:54:41 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1275708

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers: Pay
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 Service Pay Review Body’s Nineteenth Report on England and Wales 2020, Recommendation 3, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing annual pay for Fair and Sustainable National Band 3 Prison Officers by £3,000.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	136498
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>The 20/21 PSPRB report included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on F&amp;S terms by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately rejected by the government and this was announced on 10 December 2020. Nonetheless, this was the third year in a row that prison staff have benefitted from an award of at least 2% - which delivered an above inflation increase.</p><p>The Department estimates the total cost of increasing annual pay for all Fair and Sustainable Band 3 Prison Officers by £3,000 to be around £35.3m. However, the total cost of this £3,000 increase would be around £46.8m, as the £3,000 uplift would also be applied to non-operational prison service colleagues paid within the same band.</p><p>Prison Officers working in the 31 ‘Market Supplement’ sites (primarily in London and the South East), already receive a supplement of £3,000 - £5,000 to support recruitment and retention.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/01/2021 14:56:03 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1275734

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Driving under Influence: Death
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to increase to life imprisonment the maximum penalty for people who cause death by dangerous driving and death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.
tabling member constituency	Rossendale and Darwen
tabling member printed	Jake Berry
uin	136509
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>As set out in the government’s white paper, <em>A Smarter Approach to Sentencing,</em> published on 16 September 2020, we will be increasing the maximum penalties for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs to life imprisonment. We will also create a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.</p><p>We will introduce legislation on these changes in the near future.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/01/2021 17:08:15 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4060 label Biography information for Sir Jake Berry

1275771

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
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, with reference to the agreement of the G4S board to a £3.8bn takeover bid from Allied Universal, what assessment he has made of (a) the ability of Allied Universal to operate HMP Five Wells and (b) the potential merits of awarding the contract to run HMP Five Wells to the public sector.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	136677
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>We are working closely with G4S to ensure there is no impact or disruption to the delivery of the services and obligations under each of G4S’ contracts with the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. This includes the mobilisation of HMP Five Wells to the agreed delivery plan, ready to accept its first prisoners in January 2022. We will also continue to work closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure we understand and can consider any implications that arise through the takeover process.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 20/01/2021 17:18:05 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1275772

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hearings have taken place (a) physically, and (b) virtually in court in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	136678
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>The following table sets out the number of physical compared to remote hearings in 2020. This data is unpublished and for internal management purposes.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>May</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>June</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>July</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>August</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Sept</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Oct</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Nov</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Dec</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Physical</p></td><td><p>6,927</p></td><td><p>22,642</p></td><td><p>51,201</p></td><td><p>57,012</p></td><td><p>81,267</p></td><td><p>87,427</p></td><td><p>84,853</p></td><td><p>67,004</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Remote</p></td><td><p>49,857</p></td><td><p>96,511</p></td><td><p>94,292</p></td><td><p>83,410</p></td><td><p>91,473</p></td><td><p>86,316</p></td><td><p>85,008</p></td><td><p>60,453</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Cloud Video Platform (CVP) has been rolled out to over 150 Magistrates and 70 Crown Courts nationally. As of 8 January 2021, there have been over 70,000 hearings over CVP in the magistrates’ and Crown Court.</p><p> </p><p>The decision to deal with a hearing or part of a hearing remotely is a matter for the judiciary, who have been considering restrictions, transmission rates, social distancing concerns and the nature of audio and video since the beginning of the pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/01/2021 17:06:53 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1275774

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Transfers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been transferred (a) between prisons and (b) from prison to court in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	136679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) use private contractors to transfer prisoners across the prison estate. A breakdown of the numbers of transfers between prison establishments, and between prisons and courts that took place in each month during the last year is set out in the table below. The data for December 2020 has not yet been collated and therefore not currently available.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Dec 19</p></td><td><p>Jan 20</p></td><td><p>Feb 20</p></td><td><p>Mar 20</p></td><td><p>Apr 20</p></td><td><p>May 20</p></td><td><p>Jun 20</p></td><td><p>Jul 20</p></td><td><p>Aug 20</p></td><td><p>Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Oct 20</p></td><td><p>Nov 20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Inter Prison Transfer</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4722</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5496</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5059</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4930</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>972</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2375</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2776</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3198</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3509</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4099</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4434</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4414</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Prison to Court</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11178</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13655</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>12739</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>9938</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>523</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1310</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2691</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5552</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7300</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>6910</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7788</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7457</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate. HMPPS continues to closely monitor the performance of all providers.</p><p> </p><p>The safety of our staff and those under our supervision remains our top priority, and we have taken quick and decisive action – backed by Public Health England and Wales – to limit the spread of the virus. Regular testing of prisoners upon reception at prison establishments continues to be conducted, along with the use of Reverse Cohorting Units to limit possible spread from new arrivals.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 20/01/2021 17:12:14 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1275869

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Special Guardianship Orders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on expanding the scope of legal aid to cover special guardianship orders in private family proceedings as set out in Legal Support Action Plan (February 2019); and if he will meet interested parties.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	136465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>In February 2019 as part of the Legal Support Action Plan, we committed to bringing special guardianship orders into scope of legal aid.</p><p>Work to progress this specific action has been delayed, most recently, due to the focus on the ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the prioritisation of justice recovery.</p><p>We now intend to re-start the work - looking at the scope for extending legal aid to special guardians in private law proceedings. To ensure we approach this in the appropriate way, we plan to include consideration of further representations from expert stakeholders including the Cross-Party Parliamentary Taskforce on Kinship Care, the Family Rights Group and the Law Society.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 18/01/2021 14:17:03 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1275875

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of covid-19 infection in prisons.
tabling member constituency	Coventry North West
tabling member printed	Taiwo Owatemi
uin	136634
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>The safety of our staff and those under our supervision remains our top priority. We have taken quick and decisive action – backed by Public Health England and Wales – to limit the spread of the virus.</p><p>Our measures have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. A comprehensive regular testing regime of both staff and prisoners is also in place and is key in helping to prevent the spread of the virus. We are also working closely with the NHS to support the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations for eligible groups in custody. Our experience and evidence gathering provides an indication that these measures have had a positive impact on limiting deaths and the transmission of the virus in prisons.</p><p>Due to the current risk level posed by Covid-19, all adult prisons are currently operating a Stage Four regime, as outlined in our National Framework (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services</a>). This involves restrictions to reduce contact between people and therefore reduce the chance of transmission. We are keeping the level of restriction necessary under close review. We must continue to respond in a measured way in line with public health advice to ensure our approach is proportionate and legitimate, as we have done throughout.</p><p>This is now a familiar way of working for the operational line and wider stakeholders, and it also appropriately balances our different risks, including the physical and mental health of staff and prisoners; violence and major disorder; and the loss of staff confidence.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 20/01/2021 17:10:04 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4779 label Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi

1275879

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hardship payments have been claimed by legal aid providers to date; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those payments in supporting advocates.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	136505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>Between 1 May 2020 to 8 January 2021, a total of 2,343 hardship claims were received, which includes those made by both litigators and advocates. The LAA made payment in respect of over 99% of these claims. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MoJ brought in Regulation changes which substantially lowered the thresholds at which a hardship claim can be submitted.</p><p>The LAA keeps the criminal legal aid market under constant review. We have contacted all providers where the majority of their income from publicly funded work is dependent upon the Crown Court. The small minority that reported that they had financial concerns are being monitored on a regular basis.</p><p>The long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid market will be the focus of an independent review, to launch in January 2021. This is the latest step in the Criminal Legal Aid Review, which has already led to up to £51m per year in new payments for the sector that was announced in the summer. It forms part of wider work to ensure criminal defence remains an enduringly attractive career for practitioners.</p><p>In addition to the support schemes offered by the government, the LAA has introduced a number of measures to allow providers to be paid more quickly. All of the measures taken by the LAA are set out on our gov.uk page: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-legal-aid-agency-contingency-response#financial-relief-page" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-legal-aid-agency-contingency-response#financial-relief-page.</a></p><p>Across the LAA’s civil funding schemes, namely family mediation, legal help, controlled legal representation, and civil representation, there were 277,829 live cases unbilled as at the 30 September 2020, which is the latest period for which these figures are available. The LAA statistics compiled and published on a quarterly basis, as yet the December 2020 figures are not yet finalised.</p><p>The LAA is unable to provide volumes on unbilled criminal legal aid work within the costs limit. This is because our systems do not have a ‘final bill indicator’ that would enable automated searches meaning we would be required to conduct case by case searches. Therefore, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 136506 136507 136508 question first answered 18/01/2021 14:20:05 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1275882

registered interest
date	12/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of low volumes of Crown Court completions on the viability of the criminal legal aid market.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	136506
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>Between 1 May 2020 to 8 January 2021, a total of 2,343 hardship claims were received, which includes those made by both litigators and advocates. The LAA made payment in respect of over 99% of these claims. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MoJ brought in Regulation changes which substantially lowered the thresholds at which a hardship claim can be submitted.</p><p>The LAA keeps the criminal legal aid market under constant review. We have contacted all providers where the majority of their income from publicly funded work is dependent upon the Crown Court. The small minority that reported that they had financial concerns are being monitored on a regular basis.</p><p>The long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid market will be the focus of an independent review, to launch in January 2021. This is the latest step in the Criminal Legal Aid Review, which has already led to up to £51m per year in new payments for the sector that was announced in the summer. It forms part of wider work to ensure criminal defence remains an enduringly attractive career for practitioners.</p><p>In addition to the support schemes offered by the government, the LAA has introduced a number of measures to allow providers to be paid more quickly. All of the measures taken by the LAA are set out on our gov.uk page: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-legal-aid-agency-contingency-response#financial-relief-page" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-legal-aid-agency-contingency-response#financial-relief-page.</a></p><p>Across the LAA’s civil funding schemes, namely family mediation, legal help, controlled legal representation, and civil representation, there were 277,829 live cases unbilled as at the 30 September 2020, which is the latest period for which these figures are available. The LAA statistics compiled and published on a quarterly basis, as yet the December 2020 figures are not yet finalised.</p><p>The LAA is unable to provide volumes on unbilled criminal legal aid work within the costs limit. This is because our systems do not have a ‘final bill indicator’ that would enable automated searches meaning we would be required to conduct case by case searches. Therefore, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 136505 136507 136508 question first answered 18/01/2021 14:20:05 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner