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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

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

1248857

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	Courts: Risk Assessment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to produce and publish a national risk assessment for court buildings.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	111501
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>HMCTS is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all members of its staff, and takes its duty of care towards members of the judiciary, contractors and to court and tribunal users extremely seriously.</p><p> </p><p>On 15 May 2020 the HMCTS Organisational Risk Assessment was published, setting out our approach to keeping the court and tribunal estate Covid-secure. It is available <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/885607/HMCTS_Organisational_Risk_Assessment_v1.0.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. The assessment is currently in the process of being updated, and we anticipate the revised version will be published in November 2020.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/11/2020 17:58:49 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248858

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	Courts: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date (a) protective screens and (b) other covid-19 protective measures were installed in each court in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	111502
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>HMCTS has in place a range of measures, developed in line with, and validated against, relevant public health standards. This ensures our buildings are Covid secure and enables HMCTS to run its vital public services, maintaining access to justice, throughout the pandemic.</p><p>The installation of screens is an example of one of these measures. By the end of October, we had installed screens in 229 court rooms and 148 deliberation rooms across England and Wales. The table below sets out the court buildings into which we have installed screens, along with the month of installation.</p><p>Other measures have been introduced across the court and tribunal estate, according to local risk assessment, since the 16<sup>th</sup> March 2020. Steps being taken include significantly increasing the cleaning regime, with additional cleaners brought in to sanitise frequently touched surfaces and making handwash and sanitiser available to anyone within the buildings. Courts and tribunals have also introduced revised entry and search procedures for all court users, public concourses marked out with socially distanced floor markings and appropriate guidance signage. In addition, it is a requirement to wear a face covering in all public and communal areas of our courts and tribunals, unless you are exempt, which helps further reduce the risk of onward transmission of Covid-19 in the most used parts of our buildings.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Month of installation</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Court Building</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Amersham Law Courts</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Aylesbury Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Basildon Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Birmingham Crown Court (QEII Law Courts)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Bolton Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Bournemouth Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Bradford Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Brighton Crown</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Bristol Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Cambridge Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Canterbury Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Cardiff Crown</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Chelmsford</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Chester Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Croydon Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Derby Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Durham</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Exeter Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Grimsby Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Harrow Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Hove Trial Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Inner London Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Ipswich Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Isle of Wight Combined (and Magistrates) Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Isleworth Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>King's Lynn Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Kingston-upon-Hull Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Leeds Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Leicester Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Lewes Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Lincoln Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Liverpool QEII Law Courts: Liverpool Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Luton Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Maidstone Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Manchester Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Newcastle Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Newcastle upon Tyne Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Northampton Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Norwich Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Nottingham County Court and Family Court (and Crown)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Oxford Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Peterborough Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Portsmouth Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Preston Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Salisbury Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Sheffield Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Shrewsbury Crown Court / Shrewsbury Justice Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Snaresbrook Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Southampton Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Southwark Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>St Albans Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Stafford Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Stoke-on-Trent Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Swansea Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Taunton Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Teesside Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Truro Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Warwickshire (South) Justice Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Wolverhampton Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Wood Green Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Woolwich Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug/Sep 20</p></td><td><p>Worcester Combined Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Carlisle Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Central Criminal Court - Old Bailey</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Doncaster Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Guildford Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Leeds Magistrates Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Merthyr Tydfil Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Newport Crown Court</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Royal Courts of Justice</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Swindon Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>Winchester Combined Court Centre</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-20</p></td><td><p>York Crown Court</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/11/2020 17:58:08 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248859

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	Courts: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts in England and Wales have recorded covid-19 outbreaks of (a) one to three people, (b) four to six people and (c) seven people or more.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	111503
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Since 18 August we have recorded all confirmed positive incidents of COVID-19 affecting HMCTS buildings centrally.</p><p> </p><p>We take swift and robust action for each suspected or positive case.</p><p> </p><p>When there are two or more confirmed positive cases within 14 days in a particular building, we also refer the incident to the Public Health England/Wales local health protection team. There should be no assumption that a referral indicates that there has transmission within a court building.</p><p> </p><p>Since 18 August, we have made 39 referrals. Of the referrals 24 involved 2-3 people, 11 involved 4-6 people and 4 involved 7 people or more. There are 341 court and tribunal buildings in the HMCTS estate.</p><p> </p><p>Incidence rates amongst court staff have consistently been trending lower than the national average for England and on 2 November this was 137.8 cases per 100,000 compared to the English reported position of 228.1 positive cases per 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>All data is internal and not subject to the same level of checks as official published statistics. Although care has been taken when processing and analysing this, the details may be subject to revisions inherent in any large-scale manual system.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/11/2020 17:56:53 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248860

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	Remote Hearings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will introduce a national protocol for remote court hearings.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	111504
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>HMCTS has produced national guidance on remote participation in court and tribunal hearings across jurisdictions. The use of remote hearings is subject to judicial discretion and the interests of justice.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-and-guidance/" target="_blank">https://www.judiciary.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-and-guidance/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-telephone-and-video-hearings-during-coronavirus-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-telephone-and-video-hearings-during-coronavirus-outbreak</a></p><p><a href="https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/remote-hearings-challenge-fairness-empathy" target="_blank">https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/remote-hearings-challenge-fairness-empathy</a></p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/11/2020 17:55:19 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248861

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	Magistrates' Courts: Prison Sentences
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 that increasing magistrate’s sentencing powers to 12 months would have on the size of the (a) prison population and (b) court backlog.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	111505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no current plans to increase magistrates’ custodial sentencing powers and has made no recent assessment of the impact of doing so on the prison population and court backlog.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/11/2020 17:41:51 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1248965

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	Remand in Custody: Community Orders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) are currently on remand and (b) have been remanded into custody in each of the last six months for breach of community orders, by (i) ethnicity and (ii) nationality.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	111584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>A Community Order (CO) is a sentence of the court and is made up of one or more requirements to be carried out in the community instead of prison. A Community Order can run for up to three years and is made up of 12 requirements that can be applied.</p><p> </p><p>Effective enforcement of any sentence of the court is essential in ensuring sentencer and public confidence in the management of offenders. We are committed to ensuring that the enforcement of Community Orders is both appropriate and timely.</p><p> </p><p>Offenders who fail to comply with the requirements of their orders can be returned to court for breach of their community orders. As a sanction, the courts can then amend the CO so as to impose more onerous requirements or revoke the order and resentence.</p><p> </p><p>In some instances, where an offender has breached his community order, a magistrate’s court may commit him to custody until he can be brought or appear before the Crown Court.</p><p> </p><p>Information relating to the number of offenders who are committed to custody for breaching a CO could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/11/2020 16:32:25 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts