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1253278

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding required to maintain the effectiveness of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service over the next 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	117325
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is in discussion with the Treasury about the department’s overall settlement, including funding for Cafcass in 2021/22. No decisions have yet been made.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass when established in 2001 was the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor’s Department. That responsibility transferred to the former Department for Education and Science in 2004 before transferring in 2014 to the Ministry of Justice. The Government’s assessment in 2014 was that the work Cafcass does in supporting vulnerable children, and ensuring their voice is heard in court proceedings, is essential and that bringing Cafcass into the Ministry of Justice would be of great benefit to the family justice system.</p><p> </p><p>There is no evidence that a further transfer of responsibility for Cafcass is necessary, nor that it would have any benefits. Indeed, it would likely be an unhelpful distraction. The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Department for Education in relation to Cafcass and the role of local authority children’s services in public law children proceedings. Ministers in both departments have oversight of the performance of the wider family justice system and agree key priorities through the national Family Justice Board.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 117327 question first answered 23/11/2020 15:39:11 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1253279

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (a) management, (b) staff, (c) trade union representatives, (d) users and (e) other stakeholders on maintaining the effectiveness of that service.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	117326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice monitors the effectiveness of Cafcass thorough a partnership relationship which includes regular contact between Departmental officials and senior Cafcass executives. The Ministry of Justice is represented on a weekly Programme Board held by Cafcass to monitor the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on its performance, staff and users. The Permanent Secretary, as Principal Accounting Officer, has also been in regular communication with the Chief Executive and Chair of Cafcass to discuss how services to users can be effectively maintained, and how Cafcass staff are being supported, during current restrictions. Ministers have oversight of the performance of the wider family justice system and agree key priorities through the national Family Justice Board which includes Cafcass and relevant stakeholders in the family justice area.</p><p>Cafcass, as an Arms’ Length Body (ALB) of the MoJ, employs and regulates relations with its staff independently of the Ministry of Justice. As an ALB, discussions with trade union representatives are a matter for Cafcass only.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 23/11/2020 15:43:21 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1253280

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	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 effect of moving responsibility for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to the Department for Education on the effectiveness of that service.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	117327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is in discussion with the Treasury about the department’s overall settlement, including funding for Cafcass in 2021/22. No decisions have yet been made.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass when established in 2001 was the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor’s Department. That responsibility transferred to the former Department for Education and Science in 2004 before transferring in 2014 to the Ministry of Justice. The Government’s assessment in 2014 was that the work Cafcass does in supporting vulnerable children, and ensuring their voice is heard in court proceedings, is essential and that bringing Cafcass into the Ministry of Justice would be of great benefit to the family justice system.</p><p> </p><p>There is no evidence that a further transfer of responsibility for Cafcass is necessary, nor that it would have any benefits. Indeed, it would likely be an unhelpful distraction. The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Department for Education in relation to Cafcass and the role of local authority children’s services in public law children proceedings. Ministers in both departments have oversight of the performance of the wider family justice system and agree key priorities through the national Family Justice Board.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 117325 question first answered 23/11/2020 15:39:11 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271420

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and the Humber, what steps he is taking to help avoid the necessity for Cafcass to trigger that prioritisation protocol elsewhere.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130169
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130170 130171 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271421

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and the Humber, what estimate he has made of the additional financial resources necessary to (a) stabilise Cafcass in South Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) avoid the necessity for Cafcass to trigger that prioritisation protocol elsewhere.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130170
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130171 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271423

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humber, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effect of the prioritisation protocol on children and families in (a) South Yorkshire and Humber and (b) other regions.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130171
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130170 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271426

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humber, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the effectiveness of Cafcass and (b) increase Cafcass staff retention.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130172
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130170 130171 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1300302

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2021
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2021 to Question 158908, Prison Officers: Pay, if he will place a redacted copy of that Equality Impact Assessment in the Library.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	164558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>In line with the practice of successive administrations, the Government does not routinely publish Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). The scope of the legal advice in the EIA was surrounding options that the Department was considering as part of the its decision-making regarding prison officer pay and allowances. These options were ultimately not pursued as they were not cost viable.</p><p> </p><p>The EIA recognised that rejecting recommendation 3 from the PSPRB 20/21 report would adversely impact staff on Fair &amp; Sustainable (F&amp;S) terms and conditions, who (as per the data published on 2 March) are a more diverse staffing group than their counterparts on closed-grades terms. The Government’s consideration of recommendation 3 took this into account, alongside other factors such as the exceptional costs associated with implementing this recommendation, the impact on the overall pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Department identified as part of the EIA that the adverse impact of rejecting recommendation 3 would be addressed by efforts to close the pay differential between staff on closed-grades terms and those on F&amp;S terms. This remains a key component of the Department’s longer-term pay strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Public Sector pay restraint policy for the current (2021/22) financial year was announced by the Chancellor on the 25 November 2020. He detailed that pay rises in the public sector will be restrained and targeted, and that anyone earning less than £24,000 will be protected and will receive a minimum uplift of £250, or the National Living Wage (whichever is the higher) should they qualify. An equalities impact assessment was undertaken as part of the Chancellor’s decision and it did not find that the implementation of public sector pay restraint will result in any unjustified differential impact to individuals with protected characteristics. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-spending-review-public-sector-pay-policy-full-impact-assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The national equivalent basic pay of Band 3 prison staff on F&amp;S terms (our largest staffing group), as well as both F&amp;S and closed grade Band 2 operational support grades is below the protected earnings floor of £24,000. The Department’s proposals on how the uplift should apply to prison staff will be published and submitted to the PSPRB for their consideration shortly.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 164559 164560 164562 question first answered 11/03/2021 17:22:26 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1300303

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2021
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2021 to Question 158908, Prison Officers: Pay, what the scope of the legal advice contained in that Equality Impact Assessment is.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	164559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>In line with the practice of successive administrations, the Government does not routinely publish Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). The scope of the legal advice in the EIA was surrounding options that the Department was considering as part of the its decision-making regarding prison officer pay and allowances. These options were ultimately not pursued as they were not cost viable.</p><p> </p><p>The EIA recognised that rejecting recommendation 3 from the PSPRB 20/21 report would adversely impact staff on Fair &amp; Sustainable (F&amp;S) terms and conditions, who (as per the data published on 2 March) are a more diverse staffing group than their counterparts on closed-grades terms. The Government’s consideration of recommendation 3 took this into account, alongside other factors such as the exceptional costs associated with implementing this recommendation, the impact on the overall pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Department identified as part of the EIA that the adverse impact of rejecting recommendation 3 would be addressed by efforts to close the pay differential between staff on closed-grades terms and those on F&amp;S terms. This remains a key component of the Department’s longer-term pay strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Public Sector pay restraint policy for the current (2021/22) financial year was announced by the Chancellor on the 25 November 2020. He detailed that pay rises in the public sector will be restrained and targeted, and that anyone earning less than £24,000 will be protected and will receive a minimum uplift of £250, or the National Living Wage (whichever is the higher) should they qualify. An equalities impact assessment was undertaken as part of the Chancellor’s decision and it did not find that the implementation of public sector pay restraint will result in any unjustified differential impact to individuals with protected characteristics. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-spending-review-public-sector-pay-policy-full-impact-assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The national equivalent basic pay of Band 3 prison staff on F&amp;S terms (our largest staffing group), as well as both F&amp;S and closed grade Band 2 operational support grades is below the protected earnings floor of £24,000. The Department’s proposals on how the uplift should apply to prison staff will be published and submitted to the PSPRB for their consideration shortly.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 164558 164560 164562 question first answered 11/03/2021 17:22:26 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1300308

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2021
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2021 to Question 158908, Prison Officers: Pay, what risks involving the impact of rejecting the recommendation on (a) eliminating unlawful discrimination and (b) advancing equality of opportunity were identified in that Equality Impact Assessment.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	164560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>In line with the practice of successive administrations, the Government does not routinely publish Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). The scope of the legal advice in the EIA was surrounding options that the Department was considering as part of the its decision-making regarding prison officer pay and allowances. These options were ultimately not pursued as they were not cost viable.</p><p> </p><p>The EIA recognised that rejecting recommendation 3 from the PSPRB 20/21 report would adversely impact staff on Fair &amp; Sustainable (F&amp;S) terms and conditions, who (as per the data published on 2 March) are a more diverse staffing group than their counterparts on closed-grades terms. The Government’s consideration of recommendation 3 took this into account, alongside other factors such as the exceptional costs associated with implementing this recommendation, the impact on the overall pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Department identified as part of the EIA that the adverse impact of rejecting recommendation 3 would be addressed by efforts to close the pay differential between staff on closed-grades terms and those on F&amp;S terms. This remains a key component of the Department’s longer-term pay strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Public Sector pay restraint policy for the current (2021/22) financial year was announced by the Chancellor on the 25 November 2020. He detailed that pay rises in the public sector will be restrained and targeted, and that anyone earning less than £24,000 will be protected and will receive a minimum uplift of £250, or the National Living Wage (whichever is the higher) should they qualify. An equalities impact assessment was undertaken as part of the Chancellor’s decision and it did not find that the implementation of public sector pay restraint will result in any unjustified differential impact to individuals with protected characteristics. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-spending-review-public-sector-pay-policy-full-impact-assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The national equivalent basic pay of Band 3 prison staff on F&amp;S terms (our largest staffing group), as well as both F&amp;S and closed grade Band 2 operational support grades is below the protected earnings floor of £24,000. The Department’s proposals on how the uplift should apply to prison staff will be published and submitted to the PSPRB for their consideration shortly.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 164558 164559 164562 question first answered 11/03/2021 17:22:26 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts