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1186433

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
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 halt drug supplies into prisons.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	32068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>We are taking decisive action to improve security to: stop illicit items being smuggled in by prisoners, staff and visitors; to strengthen staff resilience to corruption; and to target organised criminals who exploit prisons as a lucrative illicit market. This package of measures is being funded through the £100m investment to tackle crime behind bars, announced by the Prime Minister last summer.</p><p> </p><p>Enhanced gate security is being deployed to the most challenging prisons in the estate. Cutting-edge x-ray body scanners will target prisoners internally smuggling illicit items into prisons. We recently announced the first 16 sites to receive this equipment.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the vast majority of our staff are honest and hardworking, we are also investing new resource to step up our counter corruption capability and strengthen (in scale and reach) intelligence-led operations and investigations with law enforcement partners against those that present the greatest threat of harm to prison security and the community.</p><p> </p><p>We will also equip sites with new technology and staff to enhance staff and visitor searching at the gate. We have already announced the first 7 sites for this provision.</p><p> </p><p>We are fully supporting the Right Hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham’s Private Member’s Bill on Prisons (Substance Testing) which is due to have its second reading on the 15 May. This Bill will improve our ability to test for drugs across the estate and provide the appropriate support to prisoners using drugs.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/03/2020 15:37:22 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1186457

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to protect prison officers from covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	32135
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>Prisons have existing, well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. We have procedures agreed with our public health colleagues for protecting staff in the workplace but, like any member of the community, some prison staff may need to self-isolate in line with public health advice, or may become infected. All staff working in prisons have clear advice on the steps they should take should they become unwell, or if they have been exposed to COVID-19 risk. That includes specific advice on how establishments should work together with public health authorities and the NHS to control any outbreaks which may occur.</p><p> </p><p>Together with Public Health England (PHE) we have identified what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required to keep staff safe. We are working with providers to ensure the continued supply of PPE and cleaning and hygiene products, so that staff are protected and our establishments are hygienic.</p><p> </p><p>We are also taking steps to boost staff availability, this includes operationally qualified staff in HMPPS HQ returning to prisons to support continuity of service. The will help us to maintain as normal a regime as possible within prisons.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 32136 question first answered 24/03/2020 17:55:54 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1186458

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
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 assessment has he made of the availability of personal protection equipment for prison staff during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	32136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>Prisons have existing, well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. We have procedures agreed with our public health colleagues for protecting staff in the workplace but, like any member of the community, some prison staff may need to self-isolate in line with public health advice, or may become infected. All staff working in prisons have clear advice on the steps they should take should they become unwell, or if they have been exposed to COVID-19 risk. That includes specific advice on how establishments should work together with public health authorities and the NHS to control any outbreaks which may occur.</p><p> </p><p>Together with Public Health England (PHE) we have identified what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required to keep staff safe. We are working with providers to ensure the continued supply of PPE and cleaning and hygiene products, so that staff are protected and our establishments are hygienic.</p><p> </p><p>We are also taking steps to boost staff availability, this includes operationally qualified staff in HMPPS HQ returning to prisons to support continuity of service. The will help us to maintain as normal a regime as possible within prisons.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 32135 question first answered 24/03/2020 17:55:54 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1186560

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Cemeteries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what economic assessment he has made of the effect of transferring closed burial grounds from the Church of England to local authorities.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
uin	32213
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>Historically, the Church of England has made burial provision for local communities, and continues to do so. The transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities returns the accountability for their maintenance to the community as a whole. Local authority spending priorities are a matter for local discretion.</p><p>Data on the transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities is not held centrally.</p><p>The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider streamlining and modernising the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 32214 32215 32216 question first answered 27/03/2020 10:07:22 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1186561

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Cemeteries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding is available for local authorities to maintain burial grounds.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
uin	32214
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>Historically, the Church of England has made burial provision for local communities, and continues to do so. The transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities returns the accountability for their maintenance to the community as a whole. Local authority spending priorities are a matter for local discretion.</p><p>Data on the transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities is not held centrally.</p><p>The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider streamlining and modernising the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 32213 32215 32216 question first answered 27/03/2020 10:07:22 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1186562

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Churches: Staffordshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many closed churchyards have been transferred from the Church of England to local authorities in Staffordshire since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
uin	32215
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>Historically, the Church of England has made burial provision for local communities, and continues to do so. The transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities returns the accountability for their maintenance to the community as a whole. Local authority spending priorities are a matter for local discretion.</p><p>Data on the transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities is not held centrally.</p><p>The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider streamlining and modernising the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 32213 32214 32216 question first answered 27/03/2020 10:07:22 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1186117

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
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, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of legal aid available for (a) civil cases and (b) people on low incomes.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	31554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2020 answer text <p>Legal aid statistics are published quarterly, and include assessments of recent and long-term trends. These can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>In February 2019 we published the Post-Implementation review of LASPO to review the effectiveness and accessibility of legal aid in England and Wales. Alongside the PIR, and to tackle the issues raised, we published a Legal Support Action Plan. This set out the government’s vision for the future and set out a number of changes to legal aid and legal support designed to improve the accessibility of legal aid and legal support, particularly for those on low incomes. These changes include a comprehensive review of the legal aid means tests, improvements to the exceptional case funding scheme, the removal of mandatory element of the Civil Legal Advice telephone gateway, and the launch of a campaign to raise awareness of legal support, including legal aid.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/03/2020 12:00:44 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1186174

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to isolate (a) convicted and (b) remand prisoners on the prison estate in the event that those prisoners have symptoms of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	31487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2020 answer text <p>Prisons have existing, well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. These policies and procedures are being built upon in response to the specific risks posed by COVID-19 and we have put in place robust contingency plans, which are informed by Public Health authorities. HMPPS has introduced a procedure for the protective isolation of both convicted and remand prisoners when it is considered that they may be potentially infected with the virus, this has been communicated to all prison staff.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 26/03/2020 13:20:37 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1186177

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Mortuaries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate has the Department made of the size of mortuary space in (a) England, (b) Greater London and (c) the London Borough of Barnet.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	31488
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>Government is putting in place a range of measures to ensure the UK is prepared to manage the impacts of a Covid-19 outbreak. Part of this planning is ensuring we are prepared for higher numbers of people dying over the period of the pandemic.</p><p>Ensuring the deceased are treated with dignity and respect whilst minimising the risks to public health is at the forefront of Government planning. Measures underway will increase capacity at a local level to manage additional demand.</p><p>The Government’s Action Plan (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan</a>) sets out planning principles that underpin the response to the Covid-19 outbreak. As part of this response, provisions have been included in the Coronavirus Bill which will ensure the sector can manage the impact of the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 27/03/2020 16:12:31 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1186291

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to protect jurors and other members of the justice system during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	31653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2020 answer text <p>HMCTS is following the public health guidance to minimize the risk of COVID-19 to court staff and users and has set out its priorities for managing the response: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation</a></p><p>This morning (23 March 2020), the <a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/review-of-court-arrangements-due-to-covid-19-message-from-the-lord-chief-justice/" target="_blank">Lord Chief Justice has announced a temporary pause on new jury trials in the Crown Court</a> while measures are put in place to ensure that physical hearings can take place safely and in accordance with advice on social distancing.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 26/03/2020 12:02:32 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West