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1144087

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	Summary Offences
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of defendants sent summary offence notices under the single justice procedure fail to enter a plea; what is their assessment of the reasons for the level of such failures; and what steps they are taking to address that issue.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL17575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Current response rates vary dependant on the individual prosecutors, with an average of 72% of defendants failing to enter a plea. Whilst an individual is at liberty to not enter a plea without reason, Her Majesty’s Courts &amp; Tribunals Service is actively working with prosecution authorities and our partners in the Criminal Justice System to understand the reasons why defendents do not respond and to improve engagement rates.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:28:07 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1144088

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	Eastwood Park Prison
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take following the report of the Chief Inspector of Prison Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Eastwood Park; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for the failure to prevent the conditions disclosed in the report arising.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL17576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ recent report on HMP/YOI Eastwood Park was published on 28th August 2019. HMPPS take all recommendations made by the HM Chief Inspector seriously. A<br>detailed action plan has been produced to address the recommendations in the report. The action plan has been published on the prison finder website and has been provided for my noble Lord</p><p>We are aware of the deterioration of unit 2 due to leaking showers as highlighted in the report. Bids for funding have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice’s Projects Team to address the issues. In<br>the meantime, the Prison Governor continues to meet monthly with Gov Facility Services Limited and the Service Delivery Manager to assess conditions across the prison and ensure those areas<br>needing remedial works are addressed promptly.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:22:16 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1144105

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	Domestic Abuse: Sentencing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that victims of domestic violence, following the sentencing of an offender, receive (1) the precise sentence outcome, (2) accurate and relevant information about the possible impact of a sentence, and (3) the date of an offenders bail and prison release, to ensure that safeguarding mechanisms can be put in place; and what plans they have to enable victims of such violence to appeal sentencing decisions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL17593
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Under the Code of Practice for Victim’s of Crime, all victims have the right to be notified of the offender’s sentence and receive a short explanation about the meaning and effect of the sentence. We committed in the Victims Strategy published last year to review the process for informing victims of offenders’ sentences and what they mean and we are currently consulting on proposals for revising the code, which will be followed by a consultation on a draft revised code.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory National Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme is available to victims of violent and sexual offences, where the offender receives a sentence of 12 months or more. The Scheme provides victims with information and advice about the criminal justice process – including explaining the sentence to them and ensuring that they are informed of the offender’s release.</p><p> </p><p>In such cases, victims also have the statutory right to request conditions that can be attached to the offender's release licence. These can include a no contact condition, and an exclusion zone covering areas where the victim lives, works, or travels too frequently. The offender risks being recalled to prison should they breach any of their licence conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Offenders who have committed an eligible sexual or violent offence and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment will be managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Under MAPPA, the Prison, Probation and Police Services are required to work together to assess and manage the risks presented by such offenders. Thus, the MAPPA plan for managing the risk to such offenders must include measures to protect previous victims from further harm.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) develop strategies to help and protect domestic abuse victims at high risk of murder or serious harm. Agencies including the Police, providers of probation services, health and child protection, as well as Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, share information and develop actions to protect the victim.</p><p> </p><p>In respect of appealing sentencing decisions, the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme enables anyone, including victims, the ability to ask the Attorney General to consider referring sentences for certain offences which he believes to be unduly lenient, to the Court of Appeal. The offences covered by the scheme are indictable only offences that are heard in the Crown Court, and certain triable either way offences when heard in the Crown Court. The scheme has a statutory 28-day time limit for referrals to be made. The scheme ensures there is a route for victims, their families, and the public, to question sentences imposed by the court for certain cases.</p><p> </p><p>If a case is referred, it will be a matter for the Court of Appeal to determine whether the sentence should remain as it is, be increased, or whether guidance should be issued for future cases.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:34:20 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1144106

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	Mental Capacity
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to amend the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice to comply with the judgment in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v. MM case so that there is no longer a presumption that welfare deputyship by relatives should be restricted to people with learning disabilities and autism.
tabling member printed	Baroness Browning
uin	HL17594
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The statutory Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of Practice provides practical guidance on the operation of the MCA, including on when the Court of Protection may appoint a deputy to make decisions on behalf of and in the best interests of someone who lacks capacity to make those decisions. The Code is currently under review, to establish the extent to which it should be revised to reflect changes in case law and lessons learned through practical use of the code since its publication in 2007. We sought input from a range of interested stakeholders through a call for evidence in spring 2019 and propose to consult on a revised Code in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:28:42 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	236 label Biography information for Baroness Browning

1144123

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	Solicitors: Assessments
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination in inculcating and testing legal writing skills.
tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
uin	HL17611
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>As the legal profession in England and Wales, and the bodies that regulate it, are independent from government, we have not made any assessment of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. As set out in the Legal Services Act 2007, it will be a matter for the Legal Services Board to determine whether to approve proposals for changes to the qualification arrangements for solicitors brought forward by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL17612 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:31:27 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1144124

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	Solicitors: Assessments
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of exclusively multiple choice testing in the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination as a way of maintaining standards of legal service to consumers.
tabling member printed	Baroness Deech
uin	HL17612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>As the legal profession in England and Wales, and the bodies that regulate it, are independent from government, we have not made any assessment of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. As set out in the Legal Services Act 2007, it will be a matter for the Legal Services Board to determine whether to approve proposals for changes to the qualification arrangements for solicitors brought forward by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL17611 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:31:27 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3756 label Biography information for Baroness Deech

1144191

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	Tommy Robinson
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 30 July (HL17224), which Department was responsible for reaching the decision that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon should be imprisoned in HMP Belmarsh; whether a Minister was involved in that decision; and if so, which.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL17679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Judiciary oversee the Courts and Tribunal Services (CTS) in England and Wales and it is their responsibility to hand down sentencing following a successful conviction. Mr Yaxley-Lennon appeared before the Central Criminal Court (CCC) on 12 July 2019, where he was sentenced to 19 week imprisonment for committing contempt of court. It is the responsibility of HMP Belmarsh to serve the CCC in its function as a Core Local Prison and therefore in line with Court Committal Directions Mr Yaxley-Lennon was allocated to HMP Belmarsh.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 14:25:51 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

1144225

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	Prisons: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what use his Department has made of mindfulness-based techniques for (a) reducing stress and (b) improving well-being among prison staff.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	286127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Mindfulness workshops forms part of a range of mental and physical health wellbeing workshops on offer to prison staff, with over 200 wellbeing days provided to prison establishments over the last two years. The workshops are also available on request through the HMPPS bespoke wellbeing initiative, <em>Wellness Together</em> programme which provides a series of workshops to selected prison establishments over a 12-week period.</p><p> </p><p>Some prisons also provide local independently organised staff mindfulness training sessions for instance, at lunch times.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, confidential counselling, wellbeing/lifestyle advice, wellbeing workshops, training and coaching to prison staff are also available to prison staff.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/09/2019 13:51:00 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

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

1144261

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	Prisons: Publications
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 Howard League for Penal Reform's review of access to books in prisons; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	286080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.</p><p>There may be several operational reasons why books posted to a prisoner would be returned to sender, including volumetric control on property or if the item fails security screening (for example if it’s impregnated with psychoactive substances). Governors may also restrict an individual’s access to some specific reading material on a case-by-case basis in accordance with HMPPS’s Public Protection Manual, in light of the prisoner’s offence or offending behaviour work.</p><p>In April we launched new education contracts to enable prisons to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF). Family and friends of prisoners are able to send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.</p><p>Prisons must provide the opportunity for prisoners to rehabilitate, which will ultimately reduce reoffending – access to books forms an extremely important part of this.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/09/2019 13:45:56 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching