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1249232

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Access
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 accessibility of all court buildings in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	112053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>We are committed to ensuring our courts are accessible to all our users and we aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs.</p><p>HMCTS will provide reasonable adjustments for court and tribunal users with disabilities and takes steps to avoid treating people less favourably because of their disability. Court and tribunal users are encouraged to get in touch before a hearing to discuss any particular adjustments they may need. Various mitigations will be explored, depending on the support required. For buildings, adjustments may include use of video-conferencing from a remote site, ensuring venues have ramps or accessible toilets, lifts able to accommodate wheelchairs, or hearing loops.</p><p>The modernisation and investment taking place across the justice system will mean that fewer people will need to attend court, as we make use of technology such as video-conferencing and online services. We have rapidly expanded our audio and video technology capability in direct response to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19), enabling more remote hearings which reduce the need for people to attend a physical court building.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 10/11/2020 15:59:25 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1249233

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Judiciary: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to encourage increased diversity among (a) judicial appointments to the Supreme Court during its current recruitment process and (b) all judicial appointments.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	112054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The selection process for a new Justice of the Supreme Court is laid down in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The Lord Chancellor convenes a selection commission, which is chaired by the President of the Supreme Court and includes another UK judge and three lay members.</p><p>Following consultation with the Lord Chancellor, the selection commission has issued materials which make clear that it welcomes applications from the widest range of applicants eligible to apply, including those who are not currently full-time judges, and particularly encourages applications from those who would increase the diversity of the Court. The selection commission has launched targeted digital adverts and promoted the vacancy to relevant committees and groups of the Law Society, Bar Council and the Society of Legal Scholars (an association of university teachers of law), the Government Legal Service and equivalent government legal departments in the devolved nations.</p><p>This activity is further supported by:</p><ul><li>A series of short podcasts, featuring interviews with serving Justices, which will launch on the Supreme Court’s website later this week. Justices speak about their career path and why they applied to become a Justice, as well as sharing insights into what the process felt like and what advice they would give someone thinking of applying; and</li><li>The offer of a confidential familiarisation telephone call, to discuss working at the Supreme Court with the Chief Executive or a Justice, for eligible candidates.</li><li>Under changes introduced by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, where two candidates are deemed to be of equal merit, the commission can give preference to one candidate over the other for the purpose of increasing diversity within the Court.</li></ul><p>The Lord Chancellor has a shared statutory responsibility for judicial diversity alongside the Lord Chief Justice and the Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC). All three are members of the Judicial Diversity Forum, which brings together leaders from organisations across the legal sector to improve judicial diversity.</p><p>The Judicial Diversity Forum’s first combined statistical report was published on 17 September 2020, bringing together data on the diversity of the judiciary, judicial appointments and from the relevant legal professions (solicitors, barristers and legal executives). Published alongside the statistical report is a summary of the wide range of actions that its members are undertaking – at different career stages, either collectively or individually to help increase judicial diversity. The statistical report and the Action Plan were published on the Judicial Appointments Commission website: <a href="https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/news/new-combined-statistical-report-gives-insight-diversity-judiciary" target="_blank">https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/news/new-combined-statistical-report-gives-insight-diversity-judiciary</a></p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 10/11/2020 18:59:21 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1249235

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Magistrates: Age
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 potential effect of extending the cut-off age for magistrates beyond 70 on the administration of justice in magistrates' courts; and whether his Department plans to implement that change.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	112055
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has consulted on an increase to the mandatory retirement age for all judicial office holders, including magistrates. That consultation set out our assessment that increasing the mandatory retirement age could help to retain valuable judicial resource and expertise.</p><p>The consultation closed on 16 October, with over 1000 responses received from the magistracy, judiciary and legal professions and analysis of these responses is underway. We intend to publish the Government’s response in the near future, with a view to legislate for any changes we decide to make at the earliest opportunity.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 10/11/2020 17:11:50 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248715

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Barristers: Northern Ireland
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 on access to justice of barristers registered with the Bar of Northern Ireland and who are based in Great Britain reportedly being precluded from claiming travel and accommodation expenses in connection with Northern Ireland court cases.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	111519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>Under the framework established by the Legal Services Act 2007, the legal services sector in England and Wales is independent of government, and lawyers are regulated by their own independent regulators. Similarly, the Government is not responsible for the regulation of legal services in Northern Ireland. The Code of Conduct of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland sets out how barristers practicing in Northern Ireland should calculate their fees and expenses for a case.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 10/11/2020 17:27:28 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1248802

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to provide support for prison leavers at risk of homelessness in the next three months.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Ministry of Justice ministers meet regularly with a range of ministers across Government to discuss issues impacting prison leavers, including homelessness.</p><p>As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Justice secured £8.5 million to support individuals at risk of homelessness on their release from prison and help them to move on to permanent accommodation. The scheme initially ran between 18th May and 31st August and provided up to 56 nights’ accommodation per individual. In light of the recent introduction of national restrictions across England from Thursday 5<sup>th</sup> November and the Welsh Government’s introduction of a ‘firebreak’, the Government has reinstated this accommodation support. This started from 22<sup>nd</sup> October 2020 and will be subject to monthly reviews.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice, through Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), has also set up seven Homelessness Prevention Taskforces to work with local authorities and other partners to find accommodation for offenders released from prison; these taskforces continue to be active.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 111466 question first answered 09/11/2020 16:28:29 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1248804

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
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, if he will publish the most recent Public Health England advice on (a) the covid-19 outbreak and risks of further infection in prisons and (b) the assessed efficacy of individual covid-19 control measures used in prisons during the first months of the outbreak.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Her Majesty Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) in developing our policies and procedures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes our overall strategy as well as the response to any outbreak in individual prisons.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to transparency in our approach. PHE advice on preventing and controlling outbreaks in prisons is available on gov.uk at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-prisons-and-other-prescribed-places-of-detention-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-prisons-and-other-prescribed-places-of-detention-guidance</a>.</p><p> </p><p>All of the interventions in place are interlinked and cannot be considered in isolation. An assessment of the impact of the HMPPS population management strategy was previously made by PHE, and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-population-management-strategy-for-prisons" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-population-management-strategy-for-prisons</a>. We continue to work closely with PHE to develop our response to the pandemic and understand how to refine it.</p><p> </p><p>Closed settings such as prisons pose particular challenges in managing outbreaks, but we have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures have included adapting prison regimes to support social distancing and PPE usage, expanding the estate with new temporary units, and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/11/2020 17:52:49 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1248806

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for prison leavers at risk of homelessness during the next three months.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Ministry of Justice ministers meet regularly with a range of ministers across Government to discuss issues impacting prison leavers, including homelessness.</p><p>As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Justice secured £8.5 million to support individuals at risk of homelessness on their release from prison and help them to move on to permanent accommodation. The scheme initially ran between 18th May and 31st August and provided up to 56 nights’ accommodation per individual. In light of the recent introduction of national restrictions across England from Thursday 5<sup>th</sup> November and the Welsh Government’s introduction of a ‘firebreak’, the Government has reinstated this accommodation support. This started from 22<sup>nd</sup> October 2020 and will be subject to monthly reviews.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice, through Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), has also set up seven Homelessness Prevention Taskforces to work with local authorities and other partners to find accommodation for offenders released from prison; these taskforces continue to be active.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 111464 question first answered 09/11/2020 16:28:29 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1248807

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
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, with reference to Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2020, published on 29th October 2020, what lessons have been learned on (a) the value of substance abuse testing in prisons, (b) the connection between substance abuse testing and adjudications, (c) the connection between substance abuse testing and drug treatment and (d) other issues within prisons from the period of suspension of the Mandatory Drug Testing programme.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111467
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2020 answer text <p>In response to COVID-19, the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) took decisive action to protect staff and prisoners. The measures included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. As part of our initial operational restrictions Mandatory Drug Testing Programme (MDT) was suspended between April to June 2020.</p><p>Since then, under our National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, prisons at Stage Three (Restrict) may reintroduce MDT. Where this is done, the prison must take into account social distancing and cohorting measures, medical considerations and PPE requirements as well as security and safety considerations. It is too early to evaluate what the impact has been of the changes to MDT arrangements since the outbreak of COVID-19.</p><p>MDT in prisons and young offender institutions seeks to inform HMPPS on the prevalence of drug use. 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 adjudications. MDT is continually reviewed to determine its effectiveness.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 13/11/2020 12:52:18 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1248809

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Exercise
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the number of prisoners who were living under custodial regimes allowing for only (a) 30, (b) 60, (c) 90 and (d) 120 minutes of unlocked time per day in the week commencing 26 October 2020.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111468
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>We have had to introduce a number of necessary restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and to protect both staff and prisoners, however, we have continued to offer as much time out of cells as possible, with necessary adaptions to manage infection.</p><p>On 2 June we published the National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, setting out how we will operate whilst responding to COVID-19. Supporting this, there is more detailed guidance about the nature of regime activity expected at each Stage, including elements of recreation.</p><p>Specifically, we have maintained a requirement in all prisons to provide prisoners with time in the open air. All sites have also set out how they will provide prisoners with time out of cell, and the safe equivalent of association time. Since the beginning of the pandemic, prisons were authorised to use external exercise yards for access to the open air and to deliver external physical education.</p><p>The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 10/11/2020 17:29:32 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1248810

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the average cost of a recall to prison for (a) an adult woman, (b) a young person and (c) an adult man who has been sentenced to a tariff lower than or equal to (i) 6, (ii) 12, (iii) 18 and (iv) 24 months.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
uin	111469
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The length of time which an offender will spend in custody following recall will depend on whether it is a fixed-term or standard recall and on the length of sentence which the offender is serving. Therefore, it is possible to provide only the average annual cost of holding a prisoner, including a recalled prisoner, in custody. The table below sets out that average cost, for the year 2019-20; a more detailed breakdown of costs can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2019-to-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2019-to-2020</a></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Function</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Cost per Prisoner per Year</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male category B Trainer</p></td><td><p>£29,013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male category C Trainer</p></td><td><p>£23,975</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male dispersal</p></td><td><p>£47,974</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female closed</p></td><td><p>£34,736</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female local</p></td><td><p>£44,476</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female open</p></td><td><p>£39,199</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male closed YOI (ages 18-21)</p></td><td><p>£50,915</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male YOI young people (ages 15-17)</p></td><td><p>£92,158</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male local</p></td><td><p>£30,532</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male open</p></td><td><p>£21,458</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All prisons</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£28,974</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The table below sets out the number of recalls over the last five years broken down by sentence length of less than 12 months and 12 months or more as recorded on our data management system. A more detailed breakdown of sentence length is not available.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Number of Recalls by gender, sentence length and age</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Recall Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Sentence Length</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Adult Male</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Adult Female</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Young People</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>Less than 12 months</p></td><td><p>4,554</p></td><td><p>434</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months or more</p></td><td><p>15,727</p></td><td><p>721</p></td><td><p>31</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>Less than 12 months</p></td><td><p>7,091</p></td><td><p>726</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months or more</p></td><td><p>13,069</p></td><td><p>652</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>Less than 12 months</p></td><td><p>7,839</p></td><td><p>986</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months or more</p></td><td><p>12,417</p></td><td><p>665</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>Less than 12 months</p></td><td><p>7,933</p></td><td><p>1,044</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months or more</p></td><td><p>14,385</p></td><td><p>880</p></td><td><p>26</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>Less than 12 months</p></td><td><p>7,927</p></td><td><p>1,097</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>12 months or more</p></td><td><p>16,395</p></td><td><p>1,060</p></td><td><p>24</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Table notes</strong>:</p><ul><li>Recalls of those sentenced to less than 12 months imprisonment began from February 2015.</li><li>An adult is an offender who was 18 years old or more at the time of the recall</li><li>The figures detailed in the answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Public protection is our priority. Offenders on licence are subject to strict licence conditions and supervision. When an offender breaches a condition of their licence the Probation Service will undertake a thorough risk assessment to determine whether it is necessary, for the protection of the public, to recall that offender to prison.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 111470 question first answered 10/11/2020 17:34:17 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown