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1641535

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2023
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers: Freedom of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make (a) Returning Officers and (b) Electoral Registration Officers subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	187196
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>It is the Government’s intention to bring forward proposals to make Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers subject to the Freedom of Information Act when legislative time allows and following appropriate consultation.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 07/06/2023 14:33:14 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1465947

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Gangs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the guidance issued by the Crown Prosecution Service on 4 November 2021 entitled Gang related offences - Decision making in, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of the guidance on the use of the term gang by prosecutors during proceedings.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	8997
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance urges caution about the use of the word ‘gang’, explaining how it can properly be deployed in a prosecution, where substantiated by the evidence and relevant to a matter in issue in the proceedings. In drafting the guidance, the CPS assessed the potential effect of using ‘gang’ in proceedings and identified that the term is used in legislation and by criminal justice partners. The guidance clearly sets out that, given the negative connotations of the term ‘gang’, prosecutors should not refer to a group as a ‘gang’ in proceedings unless there is evidence to support the assertion. However, prosecutors must also ensure that where there is admissible evidence of gang membership, the case is put on a basis that reflects the often very serious gravity of the offending.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 06/06/2022 08:01:46 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1354866

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Police Custody: Legal Opinion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure legal defence practitioners are able to provide in-person attendance to all suspects in police custody.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	48219
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>In April 2020 the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Crown Prosecution Service, The Law Society, Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association and London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association agreed a joint protocol to facilitate the provision of remote legal advice for suspects being interviewed under caution in police stations during the pandemic. As a contingency measure, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) agreed temporarily to pay for remote police station work as if it were provided in person.</p><p> </p><p>From 17 May 2021 children under 18 and vulnerable adults were removed from the scope of the protocol and receive in-person advice.</p><p> </p><p>The protocol is expected to be modified further shortly, at which point legal advice will be provided in person at a police station and in interview other than in rare and extraordinary circumstances (as defined in a revised protocol).</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 16/09/2021 14:37:27 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1304832

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offenders: Pre-sentence Reports
	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 15 March 2021 to Question 166405, how many and what proportion of young adults aged 18 to 25 years sentenced to life imprisonment received (a) a pre-sentence report, (b) a maturity assessment alongside a pre-sentence report and (c) an assessment for neuro-disabilities alongside a pre-sentence report in the most recent period for which that information can be collated at proportionate cost.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	173003
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2021 answer text <p>The National Probation Service (NPS) views maturity assessments as a critical component of an offender assessment within a Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) as articulated in Probation Instruction 04/2016: Determining PSR.</p><p>The NPS has produced maturity guidance to support PSR writers which highlights how to identify low maturity, particularly for young adults aged 18-25 years old. It also provides examples of how report writers can communicate with courts about maturity, offending and sentencing proposals.</p><p>Between July to September 2020, there were two cases of young adults aged 18 to 25 sentenced to life imprisonment who received a pre-sentence report in England and Wales.</p><p>It is not possible to give figures for the proportion of young adults aged 18 to 25 sentenced to life imprisonment who received a pre-sentence report, as this would involve a process of matching court record data with probation data and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.</p><p>Due to the disclosure risk regarding the identification of certain attributes about a data subject that may not otherwise have been known, figures cannot be provided on the number of cases where an assessment for neuro-disabilities or maturity has been conducted.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 25/03/2021 17:42:56 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1301418

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offenders: Pre-sentence Reports
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of young adults aged 18 to 25 years received (a) a pre-sentence report, (b) a maturity assessment alongside a pre-sentence report and (c) an assessment for neuro-disabilities alongside a pre-sentence report in the most recent period for which that information is available.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	166405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>Young adults aged 18-25 year olds are recognised as a group that has distinct needs, which may include factors such as psychosocial maturation, neurological development or history of acquired brain injury, among other issues.</p><p>A detailed assessment is contained within the Offender Assessment System (OASys) and specific screening processes are also used. The Maturity Screening Tool allows practitioners to identify young adult men with lower levels of maturity who are most in need of support.</p><p>The Choices and Change Resource Pack can be used with young adult men to support the development of psychosocial maturity. It is important to note that there are a range of accredited programmes available, which young adult men can access if they meet the suitability criteria in terms of risk, need and responsivity factors. The screening tool can be completed at a number of stages, including as a pre-sentence report or as part of sentence planning. An individual’s history, including adverse childhood experiences, can also be noted. This information is recorded on an individual’s case file and shared as necessary.</p><p>The number of young adults who received a pre-sentence report between July and September 2020 is outlined in table 1 below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Table 1: Court reports prepared, July to September 2020, England and Wales (1) (2) (3) (4)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Age group</strong></p></td><td><p>Number of court reports prepared</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18-25</p></td><td><p>4,234</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>All ages</p></td><td><p>16,993</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(1) Excludes breach, deferred sentence and court review reports (for further details please see the guide to offender management statistics at the link below).</p><p>www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020</p><p>(2) During April to June 2020, the number of cases processed at the criminal courts was substantially reduced as a result of the operational restrictions that were put in place on 23 March 2020 following the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that the impact of these operational restrictions will continue to affect subsequent periods as numbers recover to the levels seen before the pandemic.</p><p>(3) Data refers to court reports prepared rather than individuals, therefore, the same individual may be counted more than once.</p><p>(4) Age on sentence date.</p><p> </p><p>For <strong>part (a)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405,</strong> the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) can only provide figures on the number of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report. The second element of part (a), which requests figures on the proportion of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it involves linking court data with probation data.</p><p>The information requested for parts<strong> (b) and (c)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405</strong> is not collated centrally by the MoJ.</p><p>The MoJ does not collect data on the effect of adverse childhood experiences on levels on criminality in young adults who are either charged or sentenced.</p><p>The MoJ does not hold any data that would allow us to say what proportion of young adults convicted for serious offences were themselves past victims of the specified offence types</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 166406 166407 question first answered 15/03/2021 17:59:36 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1301419

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offenders
	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 effect of adverse childhood experiences on levels of criminality among young adults aged 18-25 who are (a) charged and (b) sentenced.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	166406
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>Young adults aged 18-25 year olds are recognised as a group that has distinct needs, which may include factors such as psychosocial maturation, neurological development or history of acquired brain injury, among other issues.</p><p>A detailed assessment is contained within the Offender Assessment System (OASys) and specific screening processes are also used. The Maturity Screening Tool allows practitioners to identify young adult men with lower levels of maturity who are most in need of support.</p><p>The Choices and Change Resource Pack can be used with young adult men to support the development of psychosocial maturity. It is important to note that there are a range of accredited programmes available, which young adult men can access if they meet the suitability criteria in terms of risk, need and responsivity factors. The screening tool can be completed at a number of stages, including as a pre-sentence report or as part of sentence planning. An individual’s history, including adverse childhood experiences, can also be noted. This information is recorded on an individual’s case file and shared as necessary.</p><p>The number of young adults who received a pre-sentence report between July and September 2020 is outlined in table 1 below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Table 1: Court reports prepared, July to September 2020, England and Wales (1) (2) (3) (4)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Age group</strong></p></td><td><p>Number of court reports prepared</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18-25</p></td><td><p>4,234</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>All ages</p></td><td><p>16,993</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(1) Excludes breach, deferred sentence and court review reports (for further details please see the guide to offender management statistics at the link below).</p><p>www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020</p><p>(2) During April to June 2020, the number of cases processed at the criminal courts was substantially reduced as a result of the operational restrictions that were put in place on 23 March 2020 following the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that the impact of these operational restrictions will continue to affect subsequent periods as numbers recover to the levels seen before the pandemic.</p><p>(3) Data refers to court reports prepared rather than individuals, therefore, the same individual may be counted more than once.</p><p>(4) Age on sentence date.</p><p> </p><p>For <strong>part (a)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405,</strong> the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) can only provide figures on the number of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report. The second element of part (a), which requests figures on the proportion of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it involves linking court data with probation data.</p><p>The information requested for parts<strong> (b) and (c)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405</strong> is not collated centrally by the MoJ.</p><p>The MoJ does not collect data on the effect of adverse childhood experiences on levels on criminality in young adults who are either charged or sentenced.</p><p>The MoJ does not hold any data that would allow us to say what proportion of young adults convicted for serious offences were themselves past victims of the specified offence types</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 166405 166407 question first answered 15/03/2021 17:59:36 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1301420

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Young Offenders: Crimes of Violence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of young adults aged 18-25 who are sentenced for serious and violent offences have been a victim of (a) crime (b) violent crime and (c) sexual offending as a child.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	166407
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>Young adults aged 18-25 year olds are recognised as a group that has distinct needs, which may include factors such as psychosocial maturation, neurological development or history of acquired brain injury, among other issues.</p><p>A detailed assessment is contained within the Offender Assessment System (OASys) and specific screening processes are also used. The Maturity Screening Tool allows practitioners to identify young adult men with lower levels of maturity who are most in need of support.</p><p>The Choices and Change Resource Pack can be used with young adult men to support the development of psychosocial maturity. It is important to note that there are a range of accredited programmes available, which young adult men can access if they meet the suitability criteria in terms of risk, need and responsivity factors. The screening tool can be completed at a number of stages, including as a pre-sentence report or as part of sentence planning. An individual’s history, including adverse childhood experiences, can also be noted. This information is recorded on an individual’s case file and shared as necessary.</p><p>The number of young adults who received a pre-sentence report between July and September 2020 is outlined in table 1 below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Table 1: Court reports prepared, July to September 2020, England and Wales (1) (2) (3) (4)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Age group</strong></p></td><td><p>Number of court reports prepared</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18-25</p></td><td><p>4,234</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>All ages</p></td><td><p>16,993</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(1) Excludes breach, deferred sentence and court review reports (for further details please see the guide to offender management statistics at the link below).</p><p>www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020</p><p>(2) During April to June 2020, the number of cases processed at the criminal courts was substantially reduced as a result of the operational restrictions that were put in place on 23 March 2020 following the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that the impact of these operational restrictions will continue to affect subsequent periods as numbers recover to the levels seen before the pandemic.</p><p>(3) Data refers to court reports prepared rather than individuals, therefore, the same individual may be counted more than once.</p><p>(4) Age on sentence date.</p><p> </p><p>For <strong>part (a)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405,</strong> the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) can only provide figures on the number of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report. The second element of part (a), which requests figures on the proportion of young adults receiving a pre-sentence report, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it involves linking court data with probation data.</p><p>The information requested for parts<strong> (b) and (c)</strong> of <strong>PQ 166405</strong> is not collated centrally by the MoJ.</p><p>The MoJ does not collect data on the effect of adverse childhood experiences on levels on criminality in young adults who are either charged or sentenced.</p><p>The MoJ does not hold any data that would allow us to say what proportion of young adults convicted for serious offences were themselves past victims of the specified offence types</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 166405 166406 question first answered 15/03/2021 17:59:36 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1299989

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Young Offenders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of young adults who become involved in the criminal justice system as defendants have their maturity assessed by Liaison and Diversion services.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	163688
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>Although maturity is not assessed by Liaison and Diversion services, the National Probation Service (NPS) views maturity assessments as a critical component of an offender assessment within a Pre Sentence Report (PSR) as articulated in Probation Instruction 04/2016: Determining PSR.</p><p>In addition, the NPS are working with the Magistrates’ Association to develop a suite of short videos regarding the need to consider maturity at each step in the Criminal Justice System to raise sentencers awareness and understanding of the effect of maturity on offending. This is targeted at the Judiciary, Crown Prosecution Service, Defence and Probation staff in Court.</p><p>The NPS has also produced guidance to support court report writers, which highlights how to make more effective sentencing proposals to support those with low maturity to engage more effectively in community disposals.</p><p>Sentencing guidelines developed by the independent Sentencing Council also list ‘age and/or lack of maturity’ as a mitigating factor which sentencers can take into account when deciding on an appropriate sentence. This is also reflected in the Equal Treatment Bench Book (published February 2021) the main source of guidance for sentencers for dealing with individuals with protected characteristics. The Judicial College also provides magistrates with training on offender maturity as part of its modules on sentencing guidelines.</p><p>The NPS are also working to ensure that court staff have a clear understanding of both the impact of low maturity on offending behaviour and the consequences of disrupted maturity on recidivism. A training video has been produced by the Evidence Based Practice Team in the NPS, outlining the indicators and the means of assessment of maturity for those aged 18 – 25.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 163689 question first answered 10/03/2021 17:48:50 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1299990

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Magistrates' Courts: Young Offenders
	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 level of (a) awareness and (b) understanding among magistrates of the effect of maturity on offending behaviour.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	163689
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>Although maturity is not assessed by Liaison and Diversion services, the National Probation Service (NPS) views maturity assessments as a critical component of an offender assessment within a Pre Sentence Report (PSR) as articulated in Probation Instruction 04/2016: Determining PSR.</p><p>In addition, the NPS are working with the Magistrates’ Association to develop a suite of short videos regarding the need to consider maturity at each step in the Criminal Justice System to raise sentencers awareness and understanding of the effect of maturity on offending. This is targeted at the Judiciary, Crown Prosecution Service, Defence and Probation staff in Court.</p><p>The NPS has also produced guidance to support court report writers, which highlights how to make more effective sentencing proposals to support those with low maturity to engage more effectively in community disposals.</p><p>Sentencing guidelines developed by the independent Sentencing Council also list ‘age and/or lack of maturity’ as a mitigating factor which sentencers can take into account when deciding on an appropriate sentence. This is also reflected in the Equal Treatment Bench Book (published February 2021) the main source of guidance for sentencers for dealing with individuals with protected characteristics. The Judicial College also provides magistrates with training on offender maturity as part of its modules on sentencing guidelines.</p><p>The NPS are also working to ensure that court staff have a clear understanding of both the impact of low maturity on offending behaviour and the consequences of disrupted maturity on recidivism. A training video has been produced by the Evidence Based Practice Team in the NPS, outlining the indicators and the means of assessment of maturity for those aged 18 – 25.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 163688 question first answered 10/03/2021 17:48:50 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1299355

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Older People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on developing the older offenders strategy; and what the timescale is for its publication.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	162585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>Following the Justice Select Committee’s inquiry into the ageing prison population last year, we commenced work on an older offenders strategy. Our strategic priorities for this work are that it will ensure that older offenders:</p><ul><li>Are held in the most appropriate environments;</li><li>Can access a purposeful and rehabilitative regime within prison;</li><li>Can access health and care services equivalent to those within the community; and</li><li>Are prepared for their release and resettled effectively.</li></ul><p>We have established a steering group to oversee progress on the strategy, and officials have undertaken fieldwork which has included meetings with prison governors, scrutiny bodies, academics and third sector organisations. We are developing proposals to be included in this strategy in advance of publication this summer.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 08/03/2021 16:55:56 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham