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1345698

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Industrial Disputes
	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 effect of strike action on prison education in respect of the industrial dispute between the University and College Union and Novus at custodial establishments.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	31488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2021 answer text <p>Contingency plans were put in place and enacted by Novus to manage the potential impact of industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU). There was limited impact on education delivery during the action.</p><p> </p><p>Novus provide services under the Prison Education Framework contract which enables HMPPS to penalise providers for any non-delivery of education at site level where applicable. We continue to encourage UCU and Novus to engage proactively to resolve this dispute.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 31489 31490 question first answered 15/07/2021 16:24:08 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1345699

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Industrial Disputes
	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 whether financial penalties could potentially be invoked against Novus in the event that prison education is disrupted as a result of strike action.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	31489
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2021 answer text <p>Contingency plans were put in place and enacted by Novus to manage the potential impact of industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU). There was limited impact on education delivery during the action.</p><p> </p><p>Novus provide services under the Prison Education Framework contract which enables HMPPS to penalise providers for any non-delivery of education at site level where applicable. We continue to encourage UCU and Novus to engage proactively to resolve this dispute.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 31488 31490 question first answered 15/07/2021 16:24:09 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1345700

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Industrial Disputes
	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 help resolve the industrial dispute between the University and College Union and Novus at custodial establishments.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	31490
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2021 answer text <p>Contingency plans were put in place and enacted by Novus to manage the potential impact of industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU). There was limited impact on education delivery during the action.</p><p> </p><p>Novus provide services under the Prison Education Framework contract which enables HMPPS to penalise providers for any non-delivery of education at site level where applicable. We continue to encourage UCU and Novus to engage proactively to resolve this dispute.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 31488 31489 question first answered 15/07/2021 16:24:09 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1345333

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Reoffenders: Children
	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 reoffending rate of children released from custodial establishments.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	29865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2021 answer text <p>The average number of children in custody has fallen by 73% between 2010/11 and 2020/21 and their reoffending rate fell from 73.8% to 65.2% between 2008 and 2018 (most recent data).</p><p>Many of the children sentenced to custody have committed very serious crimes. However, they are also often very vulnerable, with complex needs, and require significant levels of support to enable them to positive, crime-free lives. The government is determined to reduce their reoffending further. We are providing all prison officers in the youth estate with the opportunity to receive a degree-level qualification to become youth justice specialists; in partnership with the NHS, we are rolling out a new approach to care that provides children in custody with greater psychological support; and we are trialling secure schools, a new form of youth custody that puts education and healthcare at the centre of the custodial experience for children.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 29866 question first answered 13/07/2021 15:09:48 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1345341

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Reoffenders: Children
	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 levels of reoffending rates of children released from custodial establishments over the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	29866
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2021 answer text <p>The average number of children in custody has fallen by 73% between 2010/11 and 2020/21 and their reoffending rate fell from 73.8% to 65.2% between 2008 and 2018 (most recent data).</p><p>Many of the children sentenced to custody have committed very serious crimes. However, they are also often very vulnerable, with complex needs, and require significant levels of support to enable them to positive, crime-free lives. The government is determined to reduce their reoffending further. We are providing all prison officers in the youth estate with the opportunity to receive a degree-level qualification to become youth justice specialists; in partnership with the NHS, we are rolling out a new approach to care that provides children in custody with greater psychological support; and we are trialling secure schools, a new form of youth custody that puts education and healthcare at the centre of the custodial experience for children.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 29865 question first answered 13/07/2021 15:09:48 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

1300313

	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 assessment he has made of the potential effect of imposing a pay freeze on prison officers earning more than £24,000 on (a) unlawful discrimination and (b) advancing equality of opportunity.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	164562
	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 164560 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

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