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79431

registered interest
date	22/07/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Police Cautions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what types of indictable-only offence a caution was issued in each year since 2009; and how many cautions were issued for each type of offence in that period.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	206955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2014 answer text <p><ins class="ministerial"></ins><ins class="ministerial"></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">This Government has taken action to end the cautions culture and to make sure serious offenders do not receive penalties seen as soft options. The use of cautions is at its lowest point for thirty years.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are changing the law to ban simple cautions for all of the indictable only offences - the most serious criminal offences which must be tried in the Crown Court, including rape, manslaughter and robbery. We are also banning simple cautions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon, supplying Class A drugs and a range of sexual offences against children. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Further, we announced proposals in November 2014 for a new out of court disposal framework that would see an end to cautions and warnings and would require offenders to take actions to comply with their disposals. Elements of this new framework are being piloted in Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and Leicestershire before a decision is taken on whether to implement the new framework across England and Wales. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Ministry of Justice issues guidance on the process to be followed by the police when they are administering simple cautions for adult offenders. The latest guidance, issued in November 2013 following the Simple Cautions Review, states that the use of a simple caution for indictable-only offences, such as rape, should only be given following authorisation by a senior police officer of at least the rank of Superintendent and the Crown Prosecution Service. These will be cases where there are exceptional circumstances which would mean that it is not in the public interest to prosecute.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> Latest information on cautions issued by offence type is publicly available online at the Ministry of Justice’s statistics portal. This data is contained in Q2.3 of the Out of Court Disposals table: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-september-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-september-2014</a></ins></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">Simple cautions are a non-statutory disposal available to the police to dispose of any offence committed by an adult and designed for dealing with low level, mainly first time offending. The Ministry of Justice issues guidance on the process to be followed by the police and the CPS when they are administering simple cautions for adult offenders. This guidance states that the use of a simple caution for indictable only offences should only be given following authorisation by the CPS. These will be cases where there were exceptional circumstances which would mean that it was not in the public interest to prosecute.</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">Since 2007 the overall number of simple cautions issued has halved. The cautioning rate, that is, the number of offenders cautioned as a percentage of offenders who were either cautioned or convicted, in 2013 was 20 per cent; which has declined from a peak of 31 per cent in 2007.</del></p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 05/09/2014 15:19:10 question first ministerially corrected 24/03/2015 11:55:13 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning attachment 1 file name 206955 - table.xls title number of indictable only cautions issued 2009-13 previous answer version 18652 answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

60619

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Open Prisons
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in an open prison have previously breached a licence condition while released on temporary licence.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	199722
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p>Keeping the public safe is our priority. That is why this Government has taken action on both releases on temporary licence (ROTL) and absconds from prison.</p><p> </p><p>We commissioned a fundamental review of ROTL policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they take effect immediately; particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken.</p><p> </p><p>Absconds have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded.</p><p><ins class="ministerial">My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. I will write to you in due course. </ins></p> answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright question first answered 16/06/2014 16:59:29 question first ministerially corrected 09/10/2014 13:55:00 answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright previous answer version 1732 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

62369

registered interest
date	17/06/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bronzefield Prison
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) the prison governor or (b) another official gave permission for the performance of Sister Act in HMP Bronzefield in February and March 2014.
tabling member constituency	Tooting
tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
uin	201121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">Former employees of the Trusts have transferred to the new organisations, namely the National Probation Service (NPS) and the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies. A small number of Chief Executives have taken early retirement or are due to do so over the next few weeks. There have also been a number of departures at Assistant Chief Officer (ACO) level. These were part of the normal turnover of staff; details of these are not held centrally.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">HM Prison Bronzefield is a private (contracted out) prison and therefore any activities in the establishment are the decision of the Director of that prison. The production of the performance of Sister Act was arranged between Sodexo Justice Services and the respective parties. Therefore this is not part of the contractual agreement between Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Sodexo Justice Services.</ins></p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 23/06/2014 16:46:18 question first ministerially corrected 25/06/2014 12:03:56 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes previous answer version 4697 answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

91068

registered interest
date	08/09/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Bail
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been collected in sureties when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given on their behalf before bail was granted in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	208509
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2014 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted:</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £247,834.46</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £739,192.35</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £433,398.54</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">The value of bail monies forfeited in 2013-14 is lower than the value of forfeitures in 2012-13 due to a lower number of bail terms being breached.</del></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted:</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £14,251.10</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £16,952.50</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £57,771.86</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">A surety is a promise (by a third party) to pay a sum of money should a defendant fail to surrender to the court when ordered to do so. Where a bail surety is agreed as a condition of bail and the defendant subsequently fails to attend, the court can make an order to forfeit all or part of these sums. Unpaid sureties are subject to enforcement action in the same way as unpaid fines.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The value of sureties collected in 2011-12 was particularly high due to a higher than usual number of defendants failing to surrender to the court when ordered to do so following the period of civil unrest in August 2011.</ins></p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 13/10/2014 12:59:44 question first ministerially corrected 13/01/2015 12:58:29 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara previous answer version 21352 answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

64819

registered interest
date	30/06/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Police Cautions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cautions have been issued for offences of (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) sexual assault, (d) robbery and (e) burglary in (i) each year between 2010 and 2013 and (ii) each month since January 2013.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Jenny Chapman
uin	203136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p>The number of offenders (including young people) cautioned, for offences of rape, sexual assault, robbery and burglary, by months in England and Wales from 2010 to 2013 (latest available) can be viewed in the table. There were no cautions administered for murder.</p><p><del class="ministerial">Simple cautions (previously police cautions) are a non-statutory disposal available to the police to dispose of any offence committed by an adult and designed for dealing with low level, mainly first time offending. The Government does not believe that cautions are appropriate for serious offences. We issued new guidelines on 14 November 2014 following a detailed review of how cautions were being used by police forces, and are strengthening the law to prevent cautions being used for serious offences.</del></p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice issues guidance on the process to be followed by the police and the CPS when they are administering simple cautions for adult offenders. This guidance states that the use of a simple caution for indictable only offences, such as rape, should only be given following authorisation by the CPS. These will be cases where there were exceptional circumstances which would mean that it was not in the public interest to prosecute.</p><p> </p><p>The overall number of simple cautions issued has halved since 2007. The cautioning rate, that is, the number of offenders cautioned as a percentage of offenders who were either cautioned or convicted, in 2013 was 20 per cent; this has declined from a peak of 31 per cent in 2007.</p><p>The Government is clear that serious offences should always be brought to court and to ensure that there is increased public confidence in the justice system last year announced limits on the use of simple cautions. These changes restrict the use of cautions for indictable only offences and certain serious either way offences unless there are exceptional circumstances and a senior police officer, as well as the CPS for certain cases, has agreed that a caution should be administered.</p><p>The MOJ guidance on Adult Simple Cautions was amended in November last year to reflect these changes, and we are currently legislating in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill to place statutory restrictions around their use.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Ashford answering member printed Damian Green question first answered 07/07/2014 15:20:18 question first ministerially corrected 28/08/2014 11:45:56 answering member 76 label Biography information for Damian Green attachment 1 file name Offenders cautioned(1)(2) for selected offences, by month, England and Wales, 2010-2013(3).xls title Offenders cautioned for selected offences -2010-13 previous answer version 9230 answering member constituency Ashford answering member printed Damian Green answering member 76 label Biography information for Damian Green attachment 1 file name Offenders cautioned(1)(2) for selected offences, by month, England and Wales, 2010-2013(3).xls title Offenders cautioned for selected offences -2010-13
tabling member	3972 label Biography information for Baroness Chapman of Darlington

79430

registered interest
date	22/07/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Open Prisons
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many indeterminate sentenced prisoners were held in open prisons in the years ending 31 March (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	206954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2014 answer text <p>The number of indeterminate sentenced prisoners held in open prisons in England and Wales, for financial years 2012 - 2014, can be found in table 1.</p><p> </p><p>A life sentence is mandatory on conviction for murder. Under a life sentence, and an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP), the court determines the minimum period to be served in prison for the purposes of punishment and deterrence. Prisoners serving these indeterminate sentences have no automatic right to be released. If released they are subject to recall for the rest of their life or, in the case of an offender serving an IPP, for at least 10 years. Public protection is the priority and the release of indeterminate sentence prisoners once they have served their minimum term is entirely a matter for the Parole Board.</p><p>Progression to open conditions is never automatic and only follows a satisfactory assessment of risk, generally involving the independent Parole Board in the case of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences.</p><p>The Parole Board may recommend such prisoners for open conditions if, for example: they have successfully completed any offending behaviour programmes identified in their sentence plan as essential to the risk reduction process; their behaviour in custody is such that it is considered that a move is appropriate; and their risks are manageable in open conditions.</p><p>Once allocated to open prison, prisoners continue to be monitored and are returned to closed prison immediately if there are any concerns about their suitability for low security conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Open prisons have been used since 1936, because they are the most effective means of ensuring that prisoners are suitably risk-assessed before they are released into the community under appropriate licence conditions. When a prisoner moves to the less rigid structure of open conditions an assessment can be made in a relatively safe environment of how the prisoner will adapt to increasing responsibility. For many prisoners, in particular those such as life sentence prisoners, who have spent a considerable amount of time in custody; these are essential components for successful reintegration in the community and therefore an important factor in protecting the public.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/09/2014 16:35:02 question first ministerially corrected 04/12/2014 11:34:33 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous attachment 1 file name PQ 206954 - table.pdf title Indeterminate Sentenced Prisoners in open prisons previous answer version 18219 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

45112

registered interest
date	25/03/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his plans are for HMP The Verne.
tabling member constituency	Brent Central
tabling member printed	Sarah Teather
uin	193595
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>HM Prison The Verne started taking immigration detainees as scheduled from 24 March 2014. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will retain The Verne as a prison in the short term but its population will comprise immigration detainees as planned with the Home Office.</p><p> </p><p>NOMS intends to review the designation of The Verne later this year, with the intention of completing the re-designation to an immigration removal centre by the end of September 2014.</p><p> </p><p>All foreign national offenders (FNOs) sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office are committed to working together to expedite the removal of foreign criminals. NOMS will always supply sufficient prison places for those committed by the courts.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright question first answered 03/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright previous answer version 3879 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright
tabling member	1170 label Biography information for Sarah Teather

45113

registered interest
date	25/03/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what restrictions, by category of prisoner, are placed on access to (a) a prisoner's own books and (b) books from the prison library in the first four weeks of a prison sentence.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Mr David Blunkett
uin	193597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time. Prisoners may have additional books stored locally at the prison. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. </em></p><p> </p><p><em>Access to books is not determined by category of prisoner and nor does it differ for those in the first four weeks of their sentence.</em></p> answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright question first answered 03/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright previous answer version 3863 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright
tabling member	395 label Biography information for Lord Blunkett

45330

registered interest
date	26/03/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that the probation contracts in England and Wales are let without risk to the public or waste of public money.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	193895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>Under our reforms the market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. Protecting the public must remain our top priority,and the new National Probation Service will manage all offenders who pose a high risk of harm to the public or have committed the most serious offences. The Secretary of State will continue to issue national standards for the management of offenders, and the Government will place contractual requirements on Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to ensure that the risk of harm posed by offenders is effectively managed. Providers bidding to run CRCs will need to demonstrate in their bids how they would deliver high quality rehabilitative support to offenders, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. Bidders will also need to demonstrate how they will maintain a workforce with appropriate levels of competence and training to deliver these services.</p><p> </p><p>Our proposals will be affordable within the context of the MoJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014/15. We plan to make efficiency savings through the use of competition, the introduction of private and voluntary sector providers, and by consolidating back-office functions within the public sector. Releasing these efficiency savings will enable us to invest in rehabilitation and extend provision to support supervision to a wider group of offenders.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright question first answered 03/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright previous answer version 3882 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

45349

registered interest
date	26/03/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
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 availability of books to prisoners; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
tabling member printed	Tom Blenkinsop
uin	193995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>There have been no changes in the availability of books in prisons Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.</p><p> </p><p>The National Offender Management Service works closely with schemes such as the Shannon Trust Reading Network,which includes peer mentoring.</p> answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright previous answer version 3880 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright
tabling member	4037 label Biography information for Tom Blenkinsop