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1171792

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific offences are categorised as a hate crime; and what are the criteria for such categorisation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL554
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>The law responds to hate crime in four ways by:</p><ul><li>providing for additional “aggravated” offences with longer sentences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 if an offender demonstrated hostility or was motivated by hostility based on race or religion.</li><li>prohibiting conduct that is likely to stir up hatred on grounds of race, or intended to do so on grounds of religion or sexual orientation in the Public Order Act 1986.</li><li>providing for enhanced sentencing under sections 145 and 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 if hostility is motivated by any of the five protected characteristics: disability, transgender status, race, religion or sexual orientation; and</li><li>providing Sentencing guidelines. Section 125(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requires that a sentencing judge must follow any sentencing guideline which is relevant to their case. This includes, for example, consideration of whether the offence was motivated by racial or religious hostility, or if it was motivated by or demonstrated hostility towards the victim based on one or more of several of the victim’s characteristics: age, sex, gender identity (or presumed gender identity), disability (or presumed disability) or sexual orientation.</li></ul><p>The Government have invited the Law Commission to review the law relating to hate crime and to make recommendations to the Government for its reform. The review began in March 2019.</p><p> </p><p>Specifically, the Law Commission have been asked to consider the current range of offences and aggravating factors in sentencing, and to make recommendations on the most appropriate models to ensure that the criminal law provides consistent and effective protection from conduct motivated by hatred towards protected groups or characteristics. The review will also take account of the existing range of protected characteristics, identifying any gaps in the scope of protection currently offered under the law and making recommendations to promote a consistent approach.</p><p> </p><p>The Law Commission plan to issue a consultation on this matter in early 2020. Further information on the review can be found on the Law Commission webpage at: <a href="https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/" target="_blank">https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/</a></p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 29/01/2020 13:53:46 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1135067

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Abortion: Autism and Learning Disability
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Court of Protection has ordered the termination of a pregnancy in a woman with a learning disability or autism in the last ten years; and on how many occasions this has been against the wishes of the woman or her family.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hollins
	uin	HL16694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/07/2019 14:48:10 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4190 label Biography information for Baroness Hollins

1172208

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Abortion: Convictions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929, how many people have been convicted in each category of offence of child destruction for performing abortions on other people in each of the last 30 years.
	tabling member constituency	Congleton
	tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
	uin	6068
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on the number of convictions for child destruction. This is available for each year since 2008 up to 2018, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><ul><li>Select ‘4.3 Child Destruction’ in the Offence filter; convictions can be found in row 25.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The number of convictions for child destruction in the years between 1992 (the earliest available in the court proceedings database) and 2007, can be found in the attached table.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 28/01/2020 18:00:08 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp attachment 1 file name PQ 6068 table.xlsx title Table
	tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

1134671

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Abortion: Mental Illness
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Court of Appeal ruling overturning the decision of the Court of Protection to allow a mentally ill woman to be given an abortion against her wishes; what implications they consider that case to have for the rights of those with learning disabilities to become parents; and what steps, if any, they intend to take in the light of the Court of Appeal's ruling.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL16638
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>This is an extremely difficult and sensitive case, and the Government will consider the Court of Appeal judgment carefully.</p><p> </p><p>The Court of Protection hears cases about some of the most vulnerable people in society, making decisions about personal welfare – including serious medical treatment - where the person lacks capacity to do so for themselves. In doing so it must follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). In particular the MCA stipulates that decisions must be in the person’s best interests, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, including the wishes, feelings, beliefs and values of the person, and must be the least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that such serious and difficult decisions – particularly where there is disagreement about what is in the person’s best interests - are made by the independent judiciary.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory MCA Code of Practice provides practical guidance on the operation of the MCA and is currently under review. We have sought input from a range of interested stakeholders through a call for evidence in January and propose to consult on a revised Code towards the end of this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 10/07/2019 11:30:53 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1122317

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes in courts staffing and courts closures on access to justice.
	tabling member constituency	Heywood and Middleton
	tabling member printed	Liz McInnes
	uin	910445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>Any decision to close a court is not taken lightly, but in circumstances where 41% of our courts operated in 2016-17 at half their available capacity and where we are investing £1 billion in courts and bringing them up to date, the Ministry of Justice has to think carefully about where our court resources are most effectively and efficiently spent.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 23/04/2019 16:35:26 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4342 label Biography information for Liz McInnes

1167129

	registered interest
	date	29/10/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adjournments have taken place in each month in 2019 in the (a) criminal, (b) civil and (c) family courts.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	7111
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The information sought in respect (a) criminal and (b) civil courts is provided in the table below. The equivalent information for (c), the family courts, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Cases Adjourned January to June 19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Magistrates</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Crown</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Civil</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan-19</p></td><td><p>53,671</p></td><td><p>13,529</p></td><td><p>2,843</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-19</p></td><td><p>46,389</p></td><td><p>12,472</p></td><td><p>2,521</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mar-19</p></td><td><p>48,881</p></td><td><p>13,383</p></td><td><p>2,586</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-19</p></td><td><p>48,844</p></td><td><p>13,204</p></td><td><p>2,706</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May-19</p></td><td><p>51,143</p></td><td><p>13,967</p></td><td><p>2,868</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jun-19</p></td><td><p>47,813</p></td><td><p>12,545</p></td><td><p>2,628</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>Data are: (i) taken from a live management information system and can change over time; (ii) management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics; and (iii) the most recent available and, therefore, might differ slightly from any previously published information.</p><p>Data are provided to June 2019, the most recent period for which official statistics have been published.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 04/11/2019 17:34:08 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1169208

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of 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 potential merits of increasing Crown courtroom availability; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking a review of criminal justice system resources.
	tabling member constituency	Orpington
	tabling member printed	Mr Gareth Bacon
	uin	1086
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2020 answer text <p>Sitting days are kept under close review to ensure changes in demand are met by the court system. In November, we allocated an extra 700 days to the Crown Court for this financial year in response to an increase in the number of cases coming to court.</p><p>Sitting days are monitored and assigned based on the number of cases we expect the courts to receive annually. This approach has enabled us to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court in England and Wales by almost 40% since 2014.</p><p>We are also considering options for a Royal Commission on the criminal justice process, which could deliver a fundamental review of some of the key issues which are affecting the system now, or may do in the future.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 1090 1091 1092 question first answered 15/01/2020 14:25:05 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon

1144229

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice and Prisons: Mental Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of any pilot projects undertaken by his Department on the use of mindfulness-based therapies in prisons and the justice system.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	286131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Mindfulness-based therapy techniques are used in prisons in England and Wales. A summary of evidence relating to the impact of mindfulness on people in prison and on probation has been published and can be found at the following link; <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mindfulness-in-prison-and-probation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mindfulness-in-prison-and-probation</a> In addition to this, HMPPS Wales commissioned 2 studies in 2016 evaluating the impact of a mindfulness intervention at HMP Parc, Wales and within the National Probation Service Wales. Both staff and offenders took part in these studies. The research was led by Swansea University and the full reports, alongside a report from findings in the community, will be published later this year.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our work on mindfulness is just part of our efforts to reduce recidivism and improve the prison estate. Over the past 3 years, we have invested £100m to provide additional Prison Officers to improve frontline safety, security and rehabilitation.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 286125 question first answered 09/09/2019 13:35:55 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1142392

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Artificial Intelligence
	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 potential merits of the Law Society’s recommendation that the Government create (a) a statutory code of practice for the use of algorithms in the justice system and (b) a national register of algorithms in the justice system.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	282346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>We have noted the Law Society of England and Wales’ report with interest. We recognise the importance of ethics when designing AI systems for use in the criminal justice system. The Government is committed to the better use and management of data and algorithmic tools.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 09/09/2019 09:02:31 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1172093

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Czechia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with his Czech Republic counterpart on the criminal justice system in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Southend West
	tabling member printed	Sir David Amess
	uin	5318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>Whilst the Lord Chancellor and UK Justice Ministers regularly meet counterparts from around the world, there has been no recent bilateral meeting or discussion with the Czech Republic Justice Ministers.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 23/01/2020 17:08:52 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	44 label Biography information for Sir David Amess