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1659255

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Funerals: Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of delays in funerals being caused by (1) the existing system for registering a death, (2) the number of available pathologists, (3) delays in completion of Medical Certificate Cause of Death forms and access to local GPs, (4) the availability of mortuary storage at local hospitals and public mortuaries, and (5) any delays by medical examiners.
	tabling member printed	Lord Rooker
	uin	HL9990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>Whilst the Government does not have operational responsibility for the provision of funeral services, we are aware of funeral delays in some areas and acknowledge that these are often exacerbated by pressures from within the wider death management system.</p><p>Government departments are taking a collaborative approach to reforming the death registration system as part of the roll out of the statutory medical examiner scheme which will come into force in April 2024. The doctor who attended the deceased during their last illness has a legal responsibility to complete a Medical Certificate Cause of Death (MCCD) as soon as possible to enable the registration of the death to take place. Guidance for doctors on completing an MCCD, available on Gov.uk, emphasises this point. As part of the work on the statutory medical examiner scheme, the Department of Health and Social Care is looking at expanding the pool of doctors who can sign the MCCD forms. When the demand on civil registration services is high, death registration appointments will always take priority over other registration appointments.</p><p>The Government continues to look at wider improvements to the death management system’s capacity and resilience, including mortuary capacity. The shortage of pathologists is a long-standing and cross-cutting issue. The Government is determined to make progress as soon as practicable. To that end, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is engaging with Ministerial colleagues to implement effective solutions through a cross-government action plan.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 19/09/2023 14:22:55 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	302 label Biography information for Lord Rooker

1332171

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support vulnerable women leaving prison by ensuring (1) access to housing, (2) access to benefits and employment, and (3) access to health services.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill
	uin	HL998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2021 answer text <p>We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported to secure long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.</p><p>The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs, and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks’ emergency accommodation.</p><p>Commissioned Rehabilitation Services are due to start delivery on 26 June 2021 which includes services to assist in accommodation; employment training and education; financial benefit and debt and personal well-being.</p><p>These provide a holistic service for all women leaving prison by providers based in the community in to which they are released. The accommodation service and mentoring service both start pre-release. The mentoring service aims to support those who lack social support in making the transition from prison to community and to assist in building social networks.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 24/06/2021 16:13:10 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	4179 label Biography information for Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill

1248573

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for cases to come to trial in England; and what action they are taking to speed up the process.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL9935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2020 answer text <p>Data relating to the waiting time in weeks for cases at the Crown Court in England and Wales can be found in Tables C6 (by case type), C7 (by plea) and C8 (by remand status) of the published National Statistics series ‘Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly’ (latest to June 2020) <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>Waiting times for England alone require a further breakdown from the published data and are provided in the table attached with this response.</p><p> </p><p>On Monday 7 September, the Crime Recovery Plan was published which sets out our comprehensive plan to tackle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the justice system by boosting capacity across criminal courts.</p><p> </p><p>As one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, our Crown Courts are currently listing over 200 jury trials and conducting thousands of other hearings every week. The magistrates’ courts have been completing more cases than they receive, dealing with over 21,000 cases each week and tackling the backlog.</p><p>We have also installed plexiglass screens into over 200 courtrooms and over 100 jury retiring rooms enabling us to safely open 255 Crown Court rooms for jury trials, roughly the number that were hearing jury trials before Covid.</p><p> </p><p>We’re also investing record amounts - the biggest single investment in court estate maintenance for more than 20 years – and have unlocked vital capacity by opening 16 Nightingale Courts to provide 29 additional court rooms.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 17/11/2020 17:23:17 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook attachment 1 file name HL9935 - table.xlsx title HL9935 - table
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1331593

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure women prison leavers in accommodation provided through the temporary accommodation scheme of the Ministry of Justice are assisted into permanent accommodation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Woolf
	uin	HL983
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2021 answer text <p>We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.</p><p> </p><p>The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS.</p><p> </p><p>In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.</p><p>In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 23/06/2021 16:52:51 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	1773 label Biography information for Lord Woolf

1657637

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners on Remand
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time those who enter prison on remand to await trial and sentencing will spend in custody.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL9815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2023 answer text <p>The methodology for calculating the amount of time spent on custodial remand is currently being reviewed and further clarification will be issued in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 26/09/2023 11:05:33 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1657635

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Advice and Care Trust
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work conducted by the Prison Advice and Care Trust in England and Wales.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL9813
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>H.M. Prison &amp; Probation Service holds both contracts and grants with the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) for work they undertake in prisons in England and Wales. Whilst no formal assessment of the work completed by Pact has been undertaken, all contracts and grants are awarded following open and fair competition. Those tendering for contracts or applying for grants (including Pact) are thoroughly assessed against the published criteria including the completion of due diligence checks prior to the awarding of any contract or grant.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 18/09/2023 16:34:36 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1657634

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Life Imprisonment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the average time those currently serving mandatory life sentences will spend in prison.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL9812
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent judiciary. Release from mandatory life sentences is determined by the Parole Board, when the Board is satisfied that detaining the offender is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.</p><p> </p><p>While we do not have an estimate of the average time those <em>currently </em>in prison on mandatory life sentences will serve, we do publish average time served, based on release data, on an annual basis. Table below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Mandatory life</p></td><td><p>Mean time served (years)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2002</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2003</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015<sup>(1)</sup></p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>18</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>18</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(1) Due to improvements in IT systems, the 2015 prison admissions data is now taken from a different source and, for statistical reporting purposes only, are produced using a different method. The 2015 figures from both the old and new systems have been presented to aid comparison.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 18/09/2023 15:13:04 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1470881

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Gambling: Crime
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to (1) increase awareness, and (2) introduce training, for (a) police, (b) probation, and (c) prison, staff on the issues faced by individuals who commit crime due to gambling-related harms.
	tabling member printed	Lord Foster of Bath
	uin	HL980
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2022 answer text <p>HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to increasing awareness of the hidden harms of problem gambling and training our prison and probation officers. This equips them with the skills and confidence to help identify, support and signpost individuals into the most appropriate interventions both in custody and on release.</p><p>The activities and training services available to improve staff awareness regarding gambling related harms are detailed below.</p><p>Within the Probation Service, practitioners have access to an evidence based effective practice resource which was published in 2021. This provides a summary of key evidence, including the harms caused by gambling, signs that gambling is causing a problem, ideas on how to work with individuals who gamble and reflective questions to support practice discussions.</p><p>To increase awareness, the launch of this guidance was supported by an online event in November 2021 to understand more about the prevalence and effects of gambling in criminal justice and look at how prison and probation services can respond. The recording of the event remains available for staff to access. The event involved speakers from the Prisoner Education tTrust, the Howard League for Penal Reform, Epic Restart Foundation and Gam Care along with colleagues from within HMPPS.</p><p>Further work is currently underway to create a package of materials for probation staff to use with this specific cohort. This is expected to be available from October 2022. I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to HL1110 for further information.</p><p>HMPPS has an online learning platform which hosts a variety of training that all prison and probation staff can access. On this platform there is a package called ‘Problem Gambling: Prevalence and Practice’ where the aim is for the learner to gain an understanding about the occurrence and effects of gambling in the criminal justice system.</p><p>The police also offer a six-hour training course &quot;on understanding and spotting early signs of gambling addictions&quot;, which was launched in September 2021 and is available to all police officers.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 30/06/2022 12:15:27 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	214 label Biography information for Lord Foster of Bath

1657671

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Buildings
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what mitigating actions are in place for prison buildings when the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is detected.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL9763
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>The potential mitigating actions for prison buildings will be to monitor them, prop them up or replace them, in line with Institute of Structural Engineers guidance.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL9761 HL9762 question first answered 18/09/2023 14:51:40 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1657670

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Buildings
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to audit all prison buildings constructed between 1950 to 1990 for the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; and, if so, what is their timescale.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL9762
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>The potential mitigating actions for prison buildings will be to monitor them, prop them up or replace them, in line with Institute of Structural Engineers guidance.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL9761 HL9763 question first answered 18/09/2023 14:51:40 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley