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174927

registered interest
date	21/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions there have been for alcohol sales to those under the age of 18 since the new maximum fine for the offence was introduced; how many such prosecutions resulted in the maximum fine being applied; and how many prosecutions in the same period resulted in fines exceeding the previous maximum.
tabling member printed	Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
uin	HL4306
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2015 answer text <p>Fines imposed in individual cases are entirely a matter for the independent courts within the limits set by Parliament and following any relevant sentencing guidelines. The law requires that the amount of any fine must reflect both the seriousness of the offence and the known financial circumstances of the offender.</p><p> </p><p>HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. Over recent years we have overseen improvements to the collection of financial penalties. There was a total of £290m collected against fines and related impositions in 2013/14 which was a record high.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2012 the Government raised the maximum fine for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 from £10,000 to £20,000 in cases where alcohol has been sold twice within a period of three months from the same premises.</p><p> </p><p>The number of defendants proceeded against for offences involving sale of alcohol to those under the age of 18 in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the table attached.</p><p> </p><p>In this time-period, no offender has been sentenced at any court in England and Wales, to the maximum penalty for the offences of persistently selling alcohol to children; of selling alcohol to a person aged under 18 years, or of allowing the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years.</p><p> </p><p>Between April 2012 and December 2013 no offender has received a fine above the previous maximum for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children.</p><p> </p><p>Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in Spring 2015.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 04/02/2015 16:31:43 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks attachment 1 file name HL4306 - Table.doc.xls title Fines Selling alcohol to under 18s
tabling member	3335 label Biography information for Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe

174961

registered interest
date	21/01/2015
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the trends in the last five years of violent incidents in prisons (1) between inmates, and (2) between prison staff and inmates; and what steps they are taking to remove dangerous weapons from inmates.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Chesterton
uin	HL4340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>NOMS does not tolerate violence of any kind in prison and any assault is treated extremely seriously.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Trends on assaults in prisons (1) between prisoners and (2) by prisoners on officers are published in Table 3.8 of the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin. This can be found in the 'Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2013' statistics. Statistics to show assaults in prison custody for 2014 can be found in ‘Safety in custody summary tables to September 2014’ at: <a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-statistics-quarterly-update-to-june-2014" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-statistics-quarterly-update-to-june-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-statistics-quarterly-update-to-june-2014</a></p><p> </p><p>The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has a duty of care to prevent illicit and unauthorised items from entering prisons. As such, prisons may deploy a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect weapons, both at the point of entry to the prison or concealed within the prison.</p><p> </p><p>NOMS have put forward new legislation in the Serious Crime Bill to ensure that those who possess knives, bladed or pointed weapons and other offensive weapons in prison can face prosecution under a new criminal offence, punishable by up to four years in prison. The new legislation will provide a greater deterrent against the trafficking of weapons into prison and the possession and use of weapons in prison, strengthening the measures already available to tackle violence.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 04/02/2015 15:49:50 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2543 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton

174859

registered interest
date	20/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Public Sector: Equality
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as a consequence of the Lord Chancellor’s disciplinary ruling in the case of Richard Page JP, they will indicate how they intend to ensure that those in public office find no hindrance in expressing, promoting or practising Christian morals and principles as a result of the Government's equality policies.
tabling member printed	Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
uin	HL4286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Her Majesty’s Government’s firm view is that Christianity is a very important part of our society and national culture. The Lord Chancellor is himself a strong defender of Christian freedom of expression, and is categorical that a judicial office holder would never be, and has not been, disciplined solely on the basis of their religious views.</p><p> </p><p>The disciplinary ruling in the case of Richard Page JP reflected the long-standing principle that cases before any court in the land are decided wholly on their facts, not on personal beliefs. This essential tenet for any fair and impartial justice system, and the oath magistrates take upon appointment has been in place since 1868 for that very reason.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has actively promoted the great Christian heritage of this country and believes that Christianity plays a vital role in our national life and that faith inspires people to become involved in public service including providing help to those in need.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 03/02/2015 17:52:03 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	648 label Biography information for Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

174541

registered interest
date	19/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Young Offenders: Speech and Language Disorders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' assessment that over 60 per cent of young people in the youth justice estate have speech and language problems, what plans they have to provide time for such needs to be addressed in addition to the 30 hours per week for education in the forthcoming contract for young offender institutions and (from 2017) the new secure colleges, as stated by Lord Faulks in his Written Answers of 3 December 2014 (HL2982 and HL2983).
tabling member printed	Lord Quirk
uin	HL4241
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Young offenders’ time in custody should be an opportunity to turn their lives around and prevent them reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>Education contracts have now been awarded in public sector young offender institutions (YOIs) for young people under 18. They will more than double the current average number of hours of education provided for young people in YOIs each week, and focus on providing a quality of education equivalent to mainstream schools and colleges that meets the individual needs of young people including those with special educational needs.</p><p> </p><p>From April 2015, local authorities will be under a duty to arrange the special education provision set out in a young person’s Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, including speech and language therapy, while a young person is detained in custody. Those in charge of secure establishments and health service commissioners will work with the local authority in fulfilling their duty to arrange appropriate provision. A request for an EHC plan assessment can also be made while the young person is detained and the assessment can begin in custody.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the improved education contracts, a new core day will be implemented in YOIs over the coming months. This will support the increased education hours and schedule other daily activities around learning as happens for young people in the community so that the full range of their needs can be addressed.</p><p> </p><p>Secure Colleges will for the first time offer a fully integrated, multi-agency approach to tackling the offending of young people. The regime will be integrated with health, substance misuse and wider services. The operator procurement will focus on ensuring that the provider has the skills and experience to achieve improved outcomes by delivering this holistic regime to meet the individual needs of each young person accommodated there.</p><p> </p><p>The first Secure College has been carefully designed with flexibility in mind to support an integrated regime which effectively addresses individual needs, and the principal health and education centres are located in a single building to facilitate ease of access and reduce interruptions.</p><p> </p><p>We will finalise expectations on Secure Colleges in respect of children and young people with special educational needs following further engagement with educationalists and prospective providers.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 02/02/2015 16:26:38 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	3254 label Biography information for Lord Quirk

173016

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Suicide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 3 December (HL2986), what is their assessment of the amount per annum spent on reducing self-inflicted deaths in custody.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL4088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons is a key priority for the Government. As is the case in society at large, there is no simple explanation with complex and individual reasons behind any suicide.</p><p>It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the amount per annum spent on reducing self-inflicted deaths in custody as there is a diverse range of activities being undertaken by a number of different organisations which contributes towards this.</p><p>Within NOMS, this involves a wide range of staff at all levels in establishments to manage prisoners identified as at risk, ensure that the environment is safe, decent and secure and to enhance the health and wellbeing of prisoners generally. Other staff work at NOMS headquarters and regions to learn lessons from deaths in custody and to share good practice across the estate. Outside NOMS, a wide range of stakeholders advise and support NOMS, such as the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Coroners, The National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group and the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody.</p><p>The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system for prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm, is a multi-disciplinary process, and each prisoner subject to it is managed by a team composed of a range of staff drawn from the prison and other organisations, such as healthcare and education providers. The composition of the team will vary in each case. Providing an accurate estimate of the costs of ACCT is therefore not possible.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 26/01/2015 16:49:02 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

172316

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Freedom of Information
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a Freedom of Information request which would exceed the financial threshold can be validly submitted on the basis that the enquirer pays the excess so that the information is provided.
tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
uin	HL3899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2015 answer text <p>Public authorities may provide information in response to a request for information exceeding the “appropriate limit” in section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the basis that the requester pays certain costs. The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 set out fees that may be charged in such cases under section 13 of the Act. However, it is entirely left to the discretion of the public authority whether or not to offer to comply on payment of such a fee.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 14/01/2015 16:57:08 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft

172319

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Suicide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people committed suicide in prison in England in 2014; and of those (1) how many received mental health assessments prior to their deaths, and (2) how many were diagnosed with a mental health illness.
tabling member printed	Lord Patel of Bradford
uin	HL3902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>The number of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody in 2014 is due to be released on the 29<sup>th</sup> January 2015 at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>The most recent Safety in Custody statistics bulletin covers deaths in prison custody up to the end of September 2014. In the first 9 months of 2014 there had been 58 self-inflicted deaths in prison custody in England. As it can be difficult to determine a person’s intent to take their own life, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) classifies any death where a person has apparently taken their own life, irrespective of intent, as a self-inflicted death.</p><p> </p><p>Information on mental health assessments and diagnoses are not collected centrally.</p><p> </p><p>Prisoners receive a detailed medical examination on reception and those identified as having mental health needs are referred for a further mental health assessment. The reception healthcare screen also includes an assessment of the risk of self harm or suicide. Prisoners identified as being at risk of self harm or suicide (on reception, or at any point during their time in custody) are subject to Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT), a flexible, prisoner-centred care planning process. The ACCT process includes a detailed psychosocial assessment by a trained assessor within 24 hours, and this is followed immediately by the first multi-disciplinary case review, at which a decision is reached about whether or not a further mental health assessment is necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We are applying strenuous efforts to learn from each death and are providing further resources and support to prisons to help support their safer custody work. Reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons is a top priority, and our dedicated resources are providing support to many vulnerable prisoners every single day.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 15/01/2015 12:16:13 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	3798 label Biography information for Lord Patel of Bradford

172331

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Secure Accommodation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the cause, and (2) the effect, of the 29 per cent reduction in the number of children detained in secure children’s homes between April and September 2013, in the light of the fact that there was a five per cent reduction in the total number of children in custody over the same period.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL3914
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2015 answer text <p>Overall crime and proven offending by young people has fallen in recent years. Fewer young people have entered the criminal justice system and as a result fewer young people have ended up in custody.</p><p> </p><p>The appropriate placement of young people into the secure estate is undertaken on a case-by-case basis. Placement decisions are based upon a combination of factors unique to each young person entering custody.</p><p> </p><p>Between April and September 2013 there was a two per cent increase in the number of children detained in Secure Children’s Homes and a three per cent reduction in the total number of children in custody. Between April and September 2014 there was a twenty-nine per cent reduction in the number of children detained in Secure Children’s Homes and a five per cent reduction in the total number of children in custody. This can, in part, be explained by a twenty per cent reduction in the overall number of 10-14 year olds in the secure estate, one of the main groups placed in SCHs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 14/01/2015 16:56:03 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

172332

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the final evaluation of the Youth Justice Reinvestment Custody Pathfinders project will be published.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL3915
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2015 answer text <p>Pilots inform our approach as we transform the criminal justice system and tackle our stubbornly high reoffending rates. Their value is in showing us what does work, and also highlighting where a different approach should be taken.</p><p> </p><p>The interim evaluation report from the Youth Justice Reinvestment Custody Pathfinder was published in July 2013. This can be found via the link below:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225630/youth-justice-reinvestment-custody.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225630/youth-justice-reinvestment-custody.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>The final evaluation report from the Pathfinder will be published in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 14/01/2015 17:06:55 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

172333

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Magistrates
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many lay magistrates are currently in post, broken down by (1) socio-economic, and (2) ethnic, categories.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL3916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2015 answer text <p>The tables below contain the number of serving magistrates in England and Wales broken down by socio-economic category and ethnicity.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Socio-economic category</strong></p><p> </p><p>Socio-economic category has been interpreted to mean occupational group. Magistrates provide information about their occupational status on appointment. Due to practical constraints, this information is not routinely updated; for example, when a magistrates changes occupation. The information below, therefore, reflects the position at the time of appointment.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Occupation</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Manager or senior official</p></td><td><p>4,080</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Professional occupation</p></td><td><p>6,267</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Associate professional or technical occupation</p></td><td><p>2,124</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Administrative or secretarial occupation</p></td><td><p>3,260</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Skilled trades occupation</p></td><td><p>398</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Personal service occupation</p></td><td><p>266</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sales or customer service occupation</p></td><td><p>307</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Process, plant or machine operative</p></td><td><p>142</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Elementary occupation</p></td><td><p>123</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Never been in paid employment</p></td><td><p>29</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Not in paid employment</p></td><td><p>1,318</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Retired</p></td><td><p>760</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Self-employed</p></td><td><p>798</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Unknown</p></td><td><p>229</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>20,101</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table 2: Ethnicity</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Ethnic Category</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>White</p></td><td><p>18,271</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mixed</p></td><td><p>130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Black</p></td><td><p>599</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Asian</p></td><td><p>919</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chinese</p></td><td><p>43</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Any Other</p></td><td><p>137</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Unknown</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>20,101</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 14/01/2015 17:00:52 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham