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1254123

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Rape: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received representations on the potential merits of the Scottish Government bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure the anonymity of rape victims in Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	118514
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>Whether to bring forward legislation to ensure the anonymity of rape victims in Scotland would be a matter for the Scottish Government, which has not made representations on the subject to the Ministry of Justice.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/11/2020 17:30:13 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1286868

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Funerals: Costs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average cost of a funeral.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	154602
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Competition and Market Authority’s recently published funeral sector report noted that the average cost of funeral directors’ professional fees is £2,501, with burial disbursements (e.g. floral tributes, catering, minister of religion or celebrant fees and newspaper announcements) costing £2,268 and cremation disbursements (e.g. local authority fees and doctors fees) costing £1,170.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 01/03/2021 15:45:25 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1300241

	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	Prisons: Crimes of Violence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many violent incidents were recorded in August (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020 in the following prisons (i) Hull, (ii) Humber, (iii) Leeds, (iv) Lindholme, (v) Moorland, Hatfield Woodhouse, South Yorkshire, (vi) Wealstun, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, (vii) Nottingham, (viii) Ranby, Nottinghamshire, (ix) Wormwood Scrubs, and (x) Isis, south-east London.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	164425
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2021 answer text <p>The number of assaults in each of the prisons listed for the months requested can be found in the Safety in Custody summary tables available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2020</a>.</p><p>Despite the progress made, the level of violence in prisons remains too high. We are continuing work to address this by giving all staff the tools and training needed to help them reduce violence.</p><p>We are spending £100 million across the estate to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence and crime behind bars.</p><p>We are also giving officers tools like PAVA pepper spray and body-worn cameras to make their jobs safer.</p><p>Violence in prison is a crime and will never be tolerated. Any prisoner who commits an act of violence should expect to have action taken against them, including being imprisoned for far longer.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 16/03/2021 17:32:41 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1300243

	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 Service: Training
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officials in the Prison Service have completed a military-style leadership course while in employment.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	164426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2021 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) would not characterise any of its leadership offer as ‘military-style’ and so the answer is none.</p><p>Since 2016 HMPPS has, however, built a successful partnership with the Ministry of Defence Academy, Shrivenham. Fifty-two leaders from across all parts of HMPPS, including the Prison Service, National Probation Service and Youth Custody Service have attended the Command, Leadership and Management course at Shrivenham. This is a one-week stand-alone leadership course which, for the military attendees, is part of a one-year programme.</p><p> </p><p>Breakdown of numbers of HMPPS delegates by year is given below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of HMPPS leaders in attendance.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>This has been targeted for those in senior roles (i.e. Prison Governors) or those with the potential to move to this level.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 16/03/2021 17:35:27 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1300362

	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	Prisons: Drugs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of illegal drugs tests were positive in August (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 in the following prisons (i) Hull, (ii) Humber, (iii) Leeds, (iv) Lindholme, (v) Moorland, Hatfield Woodhouse, South Yorkshire, (vi) Wealstun, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, (vii) Nottingham, (viii) Ranby, Nottinghamshire, (ix) Wormwood Scrubs and (x) Isis, south-east London.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	164427
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2021 answer text <p>Provided below is the number of random mandatory drug testing (MDT) tests, which includes both illegal drugs and misused legal drugs, that were positive, and the proportion of total MDT tests administered in the prisons listed across August of 2018 and 2019:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="4"><p>Aug-18</p></td><td colspan="5"><p>Aug-19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Reporting Unit</p></td><td><p>Total number of samples tested</p></td><td><p>No of positives (all drugs)</p></td><td><p>% of positives (all drugs)</p></td><td><p>No of positives (traditional drugs only)</p></td><td><p>% of positives (traditional drugs only)</p></td><td><p>Total number of samples tested</p></td><td><p>No of positives (all drugs)</p></td><td><p>% of positives (all drugs)</p></td><td><p>No of positives (traditional drugs only)</p></td><td><p>% of positives (traditional drugs only)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hull</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td><td><p>49</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Humber</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>26%</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Isis</p></td><td><p>31</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>23%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td><td><p>32</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>25%</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>25%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Leeds</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>54</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lindholme</p></td><td><p>46</p></td><td><p>18</p></td><td><p>39%</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Moorland</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>27%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Nottingham</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td><td><p>41</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ranby</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td><p>33%</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wealstun</p></td><td><p>41</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>32%</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td><td><p>44</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wormwood Scrubs</p></td><td><p>60</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>33%</p></td><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>28%</p></td><td><p>54</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>MDT in prisons and young offender institutions seeks to inform HMPPS on the prevalence of drug use through random testing. The key objective of MDT is to provide a means of identifying prisoners with ongoing drug problems and ensure they are offered the appropriate treatment, as well as providing evidence that can be used in prisons disciplinary procedures. MDT is continually reviewed to determine its effectiveness.</p><p> </p><p>Data for the year up to March 2021, including August 2020, will not be quality assured, finalised and published until July 2021, so has not been included in this response. Caution should be taken in drawing conclusions about trends over the requested time period from the outcomes stated above since they are based on a relatively small number of tests in each prison each month, and will be subject to monthly variation.</p><p> </p><p>We have included data on positive tests for traditional drugs only as well as for all drugs, which includes tests for Psychoactive Substances (PS), since the former is more reliable for making comparisons over this time period. This is because positive test results decreased in the 12 months ending March 2020, and to a lesser extent in previous year, and it is highly likely these decreases resulted from new compounds of PS entering into circulation in prisons which HMPPS did not have a legal basis to test for at that time. There were a small number of PS positive results in August 2019 but, because all of these were in samples that also tested positive for one or more traditional drugs, the numbers for ‘all drugs’ and ‘traditional drugs only’ are identical.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with law enforcement and health partners across government to restrict the supply and reduce demand for illicit substances.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2019, we published the National Prison Drugs Strategy and have gone further by investing £100 million to boost security to help stop drugs getting into jails. We continue to progress this work during the Covid-19 pandemic</p><p> </p><p>The Government fully supports the Rt. Hon. Dame Cheryl Gillan’s Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill, which seeks to futureproof drug testing programs in prisons and young offender institutions by adopting a broad definition of PS so that the drug testing framework can quickly respond to new drugs emerging on the market.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 16/03/2021 17:46:11 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1337410

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Civil Proceedings
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend English common and tort law to ensure that the ex turpi causa non oritur actio doctrine is applied against plaintiffs in all cases.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	16842
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2021 answer text <p>The <em>ex turpi causa non oritur actio</em> doctrine operates in English law so that a claimant will be unable to benefit through the courts for a legal action should it arise from their own illegal act, or an act contrary to public policy. The doctrine is often applied by courts in tort cases to bar recovery by a claimant on public policy grounds – it is an important common law principle that prevents illegality or acts contrary to public policy from being used for personal gain.</p><p> </p><p>There is a separate common law doctrine of illegality, which is subject to its own rules, and may operate to deny or limit recovery. Most claimants will not, however, have committed an illegal act. In such cases, the <em>ex turpi causa</em> doctrine is available to the defence or can be raised by the court of its own motion.</p><p> </p><p>The principle is working in practice and as such, there are no current plans to reform the law.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 25/06/2021 13:23:33 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	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

1349049

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Coroners: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what departmental oversight is in place to monitor the performance of coroners.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	37444
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>Coroners are independent judicial office holders. A system of appraisal for assistant coroners which was launched by the previous Chief Coroner in April 2019 is now well-established and a system of appraisal for area and senior coroners is now being developed by the current Chief Coroner following a recently completed pilot scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Coroners carry out their role in line with their statutory powers and duties set out in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Rules and Regulations which underpin the Act. The Chief Coroner provides leadership, guidance and support to coroners to assist them in their role and Justice Ministers meet the Chief Coroner on a regular basis. On 27 July the Justice Committee published the report of its inquiry into the coroner service. The Government has responded to the Committee’s report and the Committee is expected to publish the response on its website in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Since July 2013 when the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 came into force, to be eligible for appointment as a senior, area or assistant coroner, a person has to have a legal qualification. Coroners in post at that time who only had a medical qualification could, however, continue in that role but they would not be eligible for another coroner appointment. Individuals who are both legally and medically qualified remain eligible for appointment.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 37445 37446 question first answered 10/09/2021 13:54:51 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1349050

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Coroners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of coroners' activities within the legal system.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	37445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>Coroners are independent judicial office holders. A system of appraisal for assistant coroners which was launched by the previous Chief Coroner in April 2019 is now well-established and a system of appraisal for area and senior coroners is now being developed by the current Chief Coroner following a recently completed pilot scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Coroners carry out their role in line with their statutory powers and duties set out in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Rules and Regulations which underpin the Act. The Chief Coroner provides leadership, guidance and support to coroners to assist them in their role and Justice Ministers meet the Chief Coroner on a regular basis. On 27 July the Justice Committee published the report of its inquiry into the coroner service. The Government has responded to the Committee’s report and the Committee is expected to publish the response on its website in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Since July 2013 when the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 came into force, to be eligible for appointment as a senior, area or assistant coroner, a person has to have a legal qualification. Coroners in post at that time who only had a medical qualification could, however, continue in that role but they would not be eligible for another coroner appointment. Individuals who are both legally and medically qualified remain eligible for appointment.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 37444 37446 question first answered 10/09/2021 13:54:51 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1349051

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Coroners
	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 increase the number of medical coroners.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	37446
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>Coroners are independent judicial office holders. A system of appraisal for assistant coroners which was launched by the previous Chief Coroner in April 2019 is now well-established and a system of appraisal for area and senior coroners is now being developed by the current Chief Coroner following a recently completed pilot scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Coroners carry out their role in line with their statutory powers and duties set out in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Rules and Regulations which underpin the Act. The Chief Coroner provides leadership, guidance and support to coroners to assist them in their role and Justice Ministers meet the Chief Coroner on a regular basis. On 27 July the Justice Committee published the report of its inquiry into the coroner service. The Government has responded to the Committee’s report and the Committee is expected to publish the response on its website in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Since July 2013 when the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 came into force, to be eligible for appointment as a senior, area or assistant coroner, a person has to have a legal qualification. Coroners in post at that time who only had a medical qualification could, however, continue in that role but they would not be eligible for another coroner appointment. Individuals who are both legally and medically qualified remain eligible for appointment.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 37444 37445 question first answered 10/09/2021 13:54:51 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord