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1130931

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of sentence (a) awarded and (b) served has been for individuals found guilty of the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262242
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262240 262241 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130930

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Sentencing
	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 adequacy of sentences for people convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262241
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262240 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1130929

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Internet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many UK nationals have been convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	262240
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx</a>) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262241 262242 question first answered 18/06/2019 14:52:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1131042

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Berwyn Prison
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to ensure that the capacity at HMP Berwyn is fully utilised.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	262449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>We are increasing the population at Berwyn at a measured rate that ensures the safety of prisoners and staff. As with any new prison, there has been a deliberate phased population increase at Berwyn since opening.</p><p> </p><p>Berwyn is already operating as a large prison so we are regularly reviewing plans to ensure its increase in population is done safely whilst maintaining good order and control.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 16:51:55 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1131045

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Berwyn Prison
	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 Welsh Government on the (a) suitability of prisoners located at HMP Berwyn, (b) prospect of moving additional prisoners to HMP Berwyn to fill its capacity and (c) criteria for deciding which prisoners are located at HMP Berwyn.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	262452
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Welsh Government was one of many parties on the Programme Board which approved the business case for HMP Berwyn with HM Treasury. This was both during the phase of creating the plans and during mobilisation of the prison. Discussions in these meetings included the nature of the population of Berwyn.</p><p> </p><p>HMP Berwyn is a Category C prison with Reception, Training and Resettlement functions serving Wales, North Wales and the North West of England. There are plans to introduce a Remand function in 2019/20. HMP Berwyn meets the needs of the courts and the prison population for Mid and North Wales, and the North West of England to enable men to be geographically close to home. There are no plans to change the category of HMP Berwyn.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS Wales regularly meets the Welsh Government to discuss a range of justice issues, including the performance and operations of all Welsh prisons.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 14:59:07 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1131108

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Service: Crimes of Violence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious assaults there have been on staff in HM prisons in the last five years for which information is available.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	262284
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government publishes quarterly statistics on violence in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, and both are available at:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018</a>. The relevant link is ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ and the information can be found in table 3.1: Prison assaults summary statistics by calendar year, England and Wales, 2000-2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. The Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan case management process for prisoners at risk of violence has been mandated for all prisons to help staff to manage violent prisoners and those identified as posing a raised risk of being violent.</p><p>We are investing an extra £70 million to improve safety, security and decency, and equipping officers with PAVA incapacitant spray and body-worn cameras to help prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners when dealing with violent incidents. We are improving perimeter security and introducing new x-ray scanners, drug-detection dogs and dedicated search teams to address the supply of drugs that we know are fuelling much of the violence in custody. We are confident that these initiatives, together with the many other measures that we are taking to protect our staff, will reduce the level of violence in prisons.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 14:44:33 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130920

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the rate of self-inflcted deaths among (a) people serving sentences under imprisonment for public protection and (b) the prison population.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government publishes quarterly statistics on self-inflicted deaths in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, which is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 1.1 of the document ‘Deaths in prison custody 1978-2018’ shows the rate of self-inflicted deaths for the prison population in each calendar year. In 2018 the rate was 1.12 per 1000 prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1.11 of the same document shows the number of self-inflicted deaths among those serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection in each calendar year. In 2018 there were 5 such deaths. This was at a rate of 1.38 per 1,000 IPP prisoners. Figures such as this for rates should be considered with caution when derived from relatively small numbers of events.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons, including redoubling our efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. This is allowing us to implement the key worker role, allowing staff dedicated time to provide support to individual prisoners.</p><p> </p><p>We are improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody and working to improve the multi-disciplinary ACCT case management process for those at risk of suicide or self-harm.</p><p>We have rolled out a revised and improved Introduction to Suicide and Self-harm Prevention course. This is being completed by all new staff and as refresher training by all existing staff. Nearly 25,000 staff have already begun this training and over 14,000 have completed all six modules.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 14:35:56 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130922

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Procurement
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his policy that future programmes authorised by his Department be subject to an impact evaluation.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262422
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department has undertaken several outcome evaluations of accredited offending behaviour programmes, and further evaluations are currently underway. In 2018 we invested in new resources to address the backlog in evaluations. Impact evaluations may not be suitable for all accredited programmes due to the low volume of participants. In these circumstances other types of evaluations are undertaken, for example studies to assess whether delivery is in line with the evidence.</p><p> </p><p>All accredited programmes are assessed against a set of principles which are drawn from the evidence base about what works and considered against the latest thinking internationally. All programmes are subject to evaluation, but this can take many years due to the sample sizes required to meet academic standards.</p><p> </p><p>It is the Secretary of State’s policy to make accredited offending behaviour programmes available to people convicted of crime. An evaluation plan must be submitted in order to achieve initial accreditation and the evaluation results must be provided to achieve reaccreditation (usually after 5 years). Accreditation also requires that the programme is designed based on the best available evidence, and that robust monitoring of practice is in place.</p><p> </p><p>Research has shown that HMPPS programmes, when properly targeted, can reduce reoffending by 8 percentage points, and up to 17 percentage points for violent offenders.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262418 question first answered 13/06/2019 16:01:43 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130918

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Rehabilitation: Offenders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason all accredited programmes run by (a) prisons and (b) the Probation Service have not been subject to an impact and outcome evaluation.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262418
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department has undertaken several outcome evaluations of accredited offending behaviour programmes, and further evaluations are currently underway. In 2018 we invested in new resources to address the backlog in evaluations. Impact evaluations may not be suitable for all accredited programmes due to the low volume of participants. In these circumstances other types of evaluations are undertaken, for example studies to assess whether delivery is in line with the evidence.</p><p> </p><p>All accredited programmes are assessed against a set of principles which are drawn from the evidence base about what works and considered against the latest thinking internationally. All programmes are subject to evaluation, but this can take many years due to the sample sizes required to meet academic standards.</p><p> </p><p>It is the Secretary of State’s policy to make accredited offending behaviour programmes available to people convicted of crime. An evaluation plan must be submitted in order to achieve initial accreditation and the evaluation results must be provided to achieve reaccreditation (usually after 5 years). Accreditation also requires that the programme is designed based on the best available evidence, and that robust monitoring of practice is in place.</p><p> </p><p>Research has shown that HMPPS programmes, when properly targeted, can reduce reoffending by 8 percentage points, and up to 17 percentage points for violent offenders.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 262422 question first answered 13/06/2019 16:01:43 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130959

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Julian Assange
	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 accuracy of reports on the health of Julian Assange while in custody in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	262427
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is responsible for ensuring access to NHS services for people detained in prison. We must protect the medical confidentiality of all NHS patients in prison and therefore cannot comment on the health of individual prisoners. Prison Governors work closely with NHS healthcare commissioners and the providers of healthcare services to support the health and welfare of people in custody.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 13/06/2019 11:42:15 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West