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1002008

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Human Trafficking
	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 potential merits of providing providing legal aid support to potentially trafficked people to ensure that they are able to make an informed decision on whether to enter the National Referral Mechanism.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	188151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2018 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 November 2018 to question 188251.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 16/11/2018 14:40:04 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1006177

	registered interest
	date	13/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prison Officers: Labour Turnover
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage more prison officers to stay in post.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	190890
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>Retaining and recruiting engaged and motivated staff is critical to delivering the solutions to drive improvement across the service. We know that retention of staff will take more than a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and specific action is being taken where attrition is most acute.</p><p> </p><p>We launched a Retention Framework and Action Plan, designed to support prisons in identifying drivers of attrition and local interventions. Governors are proactively using the Framework to implement the actions required to tackle attrition at their prisons. A Retention Board has also been established to review Band 3-5 Prison Officer resignation rates, providing support and targeted interventions to prisons with acute issues or increasing resignation rates.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 20/11/2018 17:17:49 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1006178

	registered interest
	date	13/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take against (a) drone operators and (b) prisoners involved in receiving messages or contraband.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	190891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>We are taking decisive steps to tackle the use of drones as a supply route for organised criminals to bring drugs and mobile phones into prisons. These drone operators can be prosecuted for offences related to conveyance of items into prison under the Prison Act 1952. Last year we launched Operation Trenton, a specialist team of police and Prison Service investigators, to work together to intercept drones and track down the criminals behind them.</p><p> </p><p>On 26 October, following the largest investigation of its kind, an organised criminal gang of 15 were collectively sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison for using drones to drop drugs into several prisons. One member of the gang received a sentence of 10 years’ custody, the highest single sentence for drone-related activity to date.</p><p> </p><p>Prisoners who break the law in prison should expect to be sanctioned according to the severity of the crime, with serious crimes being referred to the police for investigation. The maximum sentence that a court may impose will depend on the facts of the case and the offence the prisoner has been found guilty of committing. In respect of controlled drugs, for example, prisoners involved in their delivery may receive a sentence of up to 10 years’ custody and an unlimited fine.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 20/11/2018 17:16:31 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1012274

	registered interest
	date	22/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Reoffenders: 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 effectiveness of sentences involving parole in addressing reoffending.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	194631
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2018 answer text <p>In most cases a standard determinate sentence will be imposed by the court and such offenders will serve the first half of their sentence in prison and the second half in the community on licence. Under the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 we extended supervision on licence to approximately 40,000 offenders each year who are released from short custodial sentences who did not previously receive statutory support from probation after release. Providing supervision and support to this group of offenders – which includes some of the most prolific individuals, who are often leading chaotic lives – is the right thing to do if we are to reduce reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>In cases where an offender has been convicted of a sexual or violence offence, the court may impose an indeterminate sentence or, where an offender is considered “dangerous”, an extended determinate sentence. Indeterminate sentenced prisoners are released on licence at the discretion of the Parole Board, whilst some extended sentenced prisoners may also be released at the Board’s discretion. The Parole Board may only direct the release of an offender if satisfied they do not pose a risk to the safety of the public.</p><p> </p><p>Offenders on licence must comply with a strict set of conditions. If any offender breaches their licence conditions, they are liable to be recalled immediately to prison. However, the aim is always to support offenders to complete their licence successfully.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 30/11/2018 16:05:38 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 88312 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1027747

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2018
	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, if his Department will hold discussions with the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government on tackling reoffending rates amongst recently-released prisoners who are made homeless immediately on release.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	203436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/12/2018 answer text <p>Nobody should be released from prison without a roof over their head. We know that individuals are less likely to reoffend if they have a stable home to go to upon release. The Ministry of Justice is already working very closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve the accommodation opportunities for those with a history of offending.</p><p> </p><p>The two departments are also working together through their membership of the cross-government Reducing Reoffending Board and the cross-government Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Taskforce.</p><p> </p><p>This includes supporting the delivery of the Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August 2018. As part of this Strategy, the Government is investing £6.4M in a joint pilot to support individuals who have served 12 months or less in custody, and who are at risk of being released as homeless, to secure and maintain accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>Since 1 October, Prisons and Probation providers have been subject to a legal ‘Duty to Refer’ anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to the Local Authority. This change means that offenders will receive meaningful housing assistance at an earlier stage, irrespective of their priority need.</p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 27/12/2018 12:50:34 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1063917

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Divorce
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for a divorce were lodged between Christmas 2018 and New Year 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	223057
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2019 answer text <p>The National Statistics publication ‘Family Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2018’ which includes the number of divorce petitions will be published on Gov.uk:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly</a> .</p><p> </p><p>The latest figures available cover the period up to September 2018 and are found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 27/02/2019 17:16:19 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1077122

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) quality of offender learning and skills in prisons.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	225506
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>We set out our intentions in the prisoner Education and Employment Strategy, published last year. In April 2019, the new prison education contracts commence. The services these contracts deliver have been chosen by prison governors to ensure that the learning available to prisoners is both relevant for their own development needs and linked to labour market information, supporting employment outcomes. The new contracts, and increased local and national management of the education providers, will provide better and more immediate information on the quality of the service being delivered and provide better levers for governors to manage underperformance.</p><p>In addition to these main contracts, our prison education Dynamic Purchasing System allows prison governors to commission specific, short-term education provision to meet niche and other learning needs their prisoners have, or to commission training to address employers’ bespoke training requirements. This will allow prisoners to take advantage of labour market opportunities on release.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 05/03/2019 17:32:11 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086481

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when criminal legal aid remuneration rates were last raised in real terms for legal professionals.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230737
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and the Government greatly values their contribution.</p><p> </p><p>Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid. In addition, following consultation with the profession, we increased overall funding of the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) by £23m and brought forward a 1% increase in fees which came into effect along with the new scheme on 31 December 2018. This represents a 10% increase on AGFS spend in 2016-17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we are conducting a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee schemes, which will report back by the end of Summer 2020. This will go far beyond our previous proposals, including pre-charge advice at the police station, advice and advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court, and litigation and advocacy services in the Crown Court.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:17:14 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086482

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	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 effect of low remuneration rates for criminal solicitors on recruitment to the profession.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230738
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Defence solicitors carry out valuable work and we are determined to ensure publicly-funded criminal defence work remains a sustainable and attractive profession.</p><p> </p><p>That is why a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee schemes is currently underway. This will go far beyond our previous proposals, including pre-charge advice at the police station, advice and advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court, and litigation and advocacy services in the Crown Court, and will report back by the end of Summer 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on a regular basis and takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:19:55 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086483

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who his Department is consulting with as part of its review into criminal legal aid fees.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>We will be working with a range of agencies and stakeholders – and the criminal defence profession in particular – to gather the necessary evidence to ensure this review is as robust and wide-ranging as possible.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently scoping the review and are already working with the professions to determine the specific issues that the review should consider. A defence practitioner advisory panel has been established to ensure practitioners’ views are carefully considered as part of the review.</p><p> </p><p>This includes representatives from the:</p><ul><li>Bar Council</li><li>Bar Council Young Barristers' Committee</li><li>Big Firms’ Group</li><li>Chartered Institute of Legal Executives</li><li>Bar Circuit Leaders</li><li>Criminal Bar Association</li><li>Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association</li><li>Law Society</li><li>Law Society Junior Lawyers Division</li><li>Legal Aid Practitioners Group</li><li>London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association</li><li>Public Defender Service</li><li>Solicitors’ Association of Higher Court Advocates</li><li>Young Legal Aid Lawyers</li></ul><p> </p><p>We will also engage with wider stakeholders, including relevant experts and user engagement groups.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/03/2019 16:31:49 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon