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1678088

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of HM Courts and Tribunals Service's (a) performance on probate issues and (b) speed at processing probate applications.
tabling member constituency	North East Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Richard Fuller
uin	7010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with higher levels of receipts during January to June 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.</p><p>HMCTS has streamlined internal processes to cut down on administrative delay and reduce processing times. We are continuing to invest in improving digital systems and online filing capabilities so users can track progress more easily.</p><p>HMCTS has increased staffing levels in Probate over the past year to help process applications faster. The training and upskilling of those new and existing staff have led to applications taking longer in the short term.</p><p>HMCTS are focused on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications and the average mean length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 13 weeks during April to June 2023.</p><p>Average waiting times for probate grants are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to June 2023.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 21/12/2023 14:16:12 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller

1678137

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
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, what data his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on levels of drug use by prisoners in the prison estate.
tabling member constituency	Brentford and Isleworth
tabling member printed	Ruth Cadbury
uin	7051
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>Data is collected on mandatory drug testing, including Random Mandatory Drug Testing (rMDT), targeted testing, and voluntary drug testing of prisoners. rMDT data is published in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2022-to-march-2023" target="_blank">HMPPS Annual Digest</a>.</p><p>All random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) was paused in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low levels of testing resumed from September 2020 in line with establishments’ position within the National Framework for managing COVID-19 before formal performance expectations around rMDT volumes were re-instated in April 2022.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/12/2023 14:34:34 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4389 label Biography information for Ruth Cadbury

1678154

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Custodial Treatment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report by the College of Policing Report entitled Imprisonment and other custodial sanctions, published on 30 November 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of custodial sanctions on imprisonment statistics.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7112
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>The <a href="https://www.college.police.uk/research/crime-reduction-toolkit/imprisonment-and-other-custodial-sanctions#:~:text=The%20meta%2Danalysis%20found%20that,did%20not%20receive%20custodial%20sanctions)." target="_blank">College of Policing Report</a> entitled ‘Imprisonment and other custodial sanctions’ looks at the relationship between custodial sentences and reoffending. The findings are in line with a 2019 Ministry of Justice study entitled ‘<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814177/impact-short-custodial-sentences.pdf" target="_blank">The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on reoffending’</a>. Both studies found that offenders given custodial sanctions are more likely to reoffend compared to those given non-custodial sanctions. For some lower-level offenders, suspended and community sentences may be more effective for rehabilitation. In these cases, short custodial sentences may even entrench an offender in criminality, cutting them off from employment and community connection.</p><p>The data for 2020/21 shows that 55% of people given a custodial sentence of less than twelve months are cautioned or convicted for further crimes within 12 months of release. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements, the reoffending rate is much lower at 24%.</p><p>The Government recently introduced the Sentencing Bill, which includes a duty on the courts to suspend custodial sentences of twelve months or less. The courts will retain a wide discretion to impose immediate custody in many circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 20/12/2023 16:24:35 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678187

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Youth Custody
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5311 on Youth Custody, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of children in the secure estate who are on remand.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>Published statistics show an average monthly population of around 210 children remanded in youth custody at any one time in the year ending March 2022. This is 8% lower than the previous year and 57% lower than the year ending March 2012.</p><p> </p><p>In 2022, the Government further tightened the tests the courts must satisfy to remand a child to custody, and published a review of the use of youth custodial remand. As part of the review’s recommendations, we undertook a consultation about how to reform the funding arrangements for youth remand between August 2023 and November 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The Government commissioned an HMI Probation, HMI Prisons and Ofsted independent joint thematic inspection of work with children on remand which was published in November 2023. We are working with youth justice partners to respond to the 22 recommendations within the thematic report to reduce the number of children on remand. An action plan responding to these recommendations will be published alongside the consultation response in early 2024.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/12/2023 14:37:17 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678188

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse
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 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, what support the Youth Custody Service has provided to to Werrington Youth Offender Institute to help reduce the number of safeguarding referrals made by that institute.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The Youth Custody Service Safeguarding Team have completed several support visits to HMYOI Werrington in recent months to help them improve their safeguarding practices and ensure new processes are being embedded effectively. This also includes a recent visit from the Head of Operations in the week commencing 11 December 2023. The Safeguarding Team also ensured that HMYOI Werrington have an effective triage system for all child protection referrals that arise at the site, ensuring that the site’s safeguarding team review all referrals in a timely manner and if required, refer immediately to a child’s Local Authority Designated Officer.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/12/2023 14:38:49 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678189

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse
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 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, how many substantiated findings of abuse have there been at Werrington Young Offender Institution in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>In the 12 months from November 2022 to October 2023, there were two substantiated cases of physical abuse against children while at HMYOI Werrington. One case related to misapplication of restraint techniques during a restraint incident. There was no intention to cause harm. The member of staff concerned has received further training on use of restraint. The second case related to mishandling of an incident at height: the child did not incur any serious injuries.</p><p>The Youth Custody Service (YCS) takes any allegation of abuse extremely seriously. When a safeguarding case is opened, the details of the matter may not be known. The YCS conducts a thorough investigation of every case to identify exactly what has occurred, and to ensure that any necessary actions are taken to protect the children in its care.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/12/2023 14:40:22 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678193

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Neurodiversity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of the children and young people who were separated for more than seven days in that period who had been identified as neurodivergent.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7117
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The information requested relating to children and young people separated for more than seven days who have speech and language difficulties, or are identified as neurodivergent, is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p>In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 294 separations of more than seven days involved children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding children and young people from white minority backgrounds). This equates to 67 percent of the total number of separations of more than seven days (excluding those whose ethnicity is not known).</p><p>The Youth Custody Service recognises the potential negative impact of children not being able to mix and interact with their peers, which is why children are only separated as a last resort – to manage the risk to or from other children, and after alternative interventions have been exhausted. Dynamic assessment of risk factors also determines the duration of the separation period. Any separation must be regularly reviewed and may only be in place for as long as is necessary to manage the risk to the child or others. As part of its efforts to ensure that separation is managed as effectively as possible, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimising-and-managing-use-of-separation-and-isolation-in-the-children-and-young-people-secure-estate" target="_blank"> guidance on<em> ‘</em><em>Minimising and Managing Use of Separation and Isolation in the Youth Estate Framework</em>’</a>, which was published in April 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 7118 7119 7120 question first answered 21/12/2023 14:44:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678194

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Speech and Language Disorders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of the children and young people who were separated for more than seven days in that period who had been identified as having speech and language difficulties.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The information requested relating to children and young people separated for more than seven days who have speech and language difficulties, or are identified as neurodivergent, is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p>In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 294 separations of more than seven days involved children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding children and young people from white minority backgrounds). This equates to 67 percent of the total number of separations of more than seven days (excluding those whose ethnicity is not known).</p><p>The Youth Custody Service recognises the potential negative impact of children not being able to mix and interact with their peers, which is why children are only separated as a last resort – to manage the risk to or from other children, and after alternative interventions have been exhausted. Dynamic assessment of risk factors also determines the duration of the separation period. Any separation must be regularly reviewed and may only be in place for as long as is necessary to manage the risk to the child or others. As part of its efforts to ensure that separation is managed as effectively as possible, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimising-and-managing-use-of-separation-and-isolation-in-the-children-and-young-people-secure-estate" target="_blank"> guidance on<em> ‘</em><em>Minimising and Managing Use of Separation and Isolation in the Youth Estate Framework</em>’</a>, which was published in April 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 7117 7119 7120 question first answered 21/12/2023 14:44:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678195

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Ethnic Groups
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, how many and what proportion of children and young people who were separated for more than seven days were from an ethnic minority background.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The information requested relating to children and young people separated for more than seven days who have speech and language difficulties, or are identified as neurodivergent, is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p>In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 294 separations of more than seven days involved children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding children and young people from white minority backgrounds). This equates to 67 percent of the total number of separations of more than seven days (excluding those whose ethnicity is not known).</p><p>The Youth Custody Service recognises the potential negative impact of children not being able to mix and interact with their peers, which is why children are only separated as a last resort – to manage the risk to or from other children, and after alternative interventions have been exhausted. Dynamic assessment of risk factors also determines the duration of the separation period. Any separation must be regularly reviewed and may only be in place for as long as is necessary to manage the risk to the child or others. As part of its efforts to ensure that separation is managed as effectively as possible, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimising-and-managing-use-of-separation-and-isolation-in-the-children-and-young-people-secure-estate" target="_blank"> guidance on<em> ‘</em><em>Minimising and Managing Use of Separation and Isolation in the Youth Estate Framework</em>’</a>, which was published in April 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 7117 7118 7120 question first answered 21/12/2023 14:44:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1678196

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offender Institutions: Solitary Confinement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of children and young people who are separated for more than seven days.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	7120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The information requested relating to children and young people separated for more than seven days who have speech and language difficulties, or are identified as neurodivergent, is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p>In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 294 separations of more than seven days involved children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding children and young people from white minority backgrounds). This equates to 67 percent of the total number of separations of more than seven days (excluding those whose ethnicity is not known).</p><p>The Youth Custody Service recognises the potential negative impact of children not being able to mix and interact with their peers, which is why children are only separated as a last resort – to manage the risk to or from other children, and after alternative interventions have been exhausted. Dynamic assessment of risk factors also determines the duration of the separation period. Any separation must be regularly reviewed and may only be in place for as long as is necessary to manage the risk to the child or others. As part of its efforts to ensure that separation is managed as effectively as possible, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimising-and-managing-use-of-separation-and-isolation-in-the-children-and-young-people-secure-estate" target="_blank"> guidance on<em> ‘</em><em>Minimising and Managing Use of Separation and Isolation in the Youth Estate Framework</em>’</a>, which was published in April 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 7117 7118 7119 question first answered 21/12/2023 14:44:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby