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1243529

registered interest
date	14/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide an estimate of the volume of the reduction of illegal drugs smuggled into prisons he expects to be delivered through the implementation of the National Prison Drugs Strategy.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	103441
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>By its very nature, drug trafficking is intended to be a clandestine activity. It is therefore not possible to estimate a volume reduction in drugs being smuggled into prisons. However, we are taking a number of steps to strengthen our prisons’ defences against this type of criminality.</p><p>To support the ‘reducing supply’ strand of the National Prison Drugs Strategy, we are taking decisive action to improve security. This will make it much harder for illicit items to be smuggled in by prisoners, staff and visitors; strengthen staff resilience to corruption; and target organised criminals who exploit prisons as a lucrative illicit market. This package of measures is being funded through the £100m investment to tackle crime behind bars, announced by the Prime Minister last summer. This is funding tough new measures including X-ray body scanners to detect items smuggled inside prisoners’ bodies. Our ability to tackle drugs supply is also supported by efforts to reduce demand for drugs. This is why the National Drugs Strategy takes a three-pronged approach and focusses on tackling supply, reducing demand and building recovery from substance misuse.</p><p>A planned evaluation of the £100m investment will consider the wider benefits and outcomes for the safety and security of prisons as measures of success. It will use a range of both quantitative and qualitative measures to assess whether delivery of the investment has successfully reduced drug trafficking into prisons through the targeted supply routes.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 19/10/2020 15:39:44 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1240131

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts and Legal Aid Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to increase the rate of legal aid fees paid to barristers, and (2) to reduce the backlog of cases in the magistrates' and Crown courts.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL8703
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and the Government greatly values the work they do.</p><p> </p><p>In August we announced that we would be taking forward the policy proposals that practitioners told us mattered most for the Criminal Legal Aid Review (CLAR) accelerated areas. These areas were: unused material, cracked trials, paper-heavy cases, sending cases to the Crown Court, and pre-charge engagement. These policies allowed us to inject up to £51 million into criminal legal aid to further strengthen the market.</p><p>We also announced that the next phase of the review would include an independently led review of the market, to ensure it can meet demand now and into the future, provide an effective and efficient service that ensures value for money for the taxpayer.</p><p>With respect to the courts, as one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, our Crown Courts currently list thousands of cases each week. Since late July 2020, magistrates’ courts have been completing more cases than have been received. We expect the trend of reducing the outstanding work to continue.</p><p>We are also installing plexiglass screens into over 300 courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms enabling us to open safely 250 Crown Court rooms for jury trials by the end of October. We’re also investing record amounts - the biggest single investment in court estate maintenance for more than 20 years – and unlocking vital capacity by opening Nightingale Courts to provide extra court rooms.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:16:37 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1240140

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rule of Law
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 30 September (HL8064), whether they plan to provide guidance to the courts on how to handle cases where a defendant cites the United Kingdom Internal Market Act as a precedent for breaking the law in a specific and limited way which should be acquitted without penalty.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL8725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to issue guidance to the courts on this matter.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:03:16 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1240228

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safeguards which would be required for commercial independent celebrants to perform legally recognised marriages.
tabling member printed	Baroness Burt of Solihull
uin	HL8715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations including considering how independent celebrants could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:21:49 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	1567 label Biography information for Baroness Burt of Solihull

1240231

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Law Commission to complete its current review of marriage law; and what plans they have to introduce legal recognition of humanist marriages after that review.
tabling member printed	Lord Desai
uin	HL8717
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent.</p><p> </p><p>The Commission initially delayed its publication of the consultation paper due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the consultation launched on 3 September 2020 and will last until 3 December 2020. The law on wedding ceremonies is a complex and important area of the law. The Commission considered it essential to conduct a proper consultation with the wide range of interested groups and individuals who would be affected by reform. It did not feel that publishing during the initial period of public emergency would achieve this, particularly when weddings were being postponed.</p><p> </p><p>The Commission expects to report to Government with its recommendations in the second half of next year. The Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook grouped question UIN HL8718 question first answered 19/10/2020 16:17:31 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	2699 label Biography information for Lord Desai

1240233

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage: Humanism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court judgement in R (Harrison and others) v Secretary of State for Justice [2020] EWHC 2096 (Admin), what plans they have to extend legal recognition to humanist marriages, after the current Law Commission review of marriages concludes.
tabling member printed	Lord Desai
uin	HL8718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent.</p><p> </p><p>The Commission initially delayed its publication of the consultation paper due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the consultation launched on 3 September 2020 and will last until 3 December 2020. The law on wedding ceremonies is a complex and important area of the law. The Commission considered it essential to conduct a proper consultation with the wide range of interested groups and individuals who would be affected by reform. It did not feel that publishing during the initial period of public emergency would achieve this, particularly when weddings were being postponed.</p><p> </p><p>The Commission expects to report to Government with its recommendations in the second half of next year. The Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook grouped question UIN HL8717 question first answered 19/10/2020 16:17:31 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	2699 label Biography information for Lord Desai

1240258

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Royal Commissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to announce (1) the chair, (2) the timeframe, and (3) the terms of reference, for the Royal Commission on the Criminal Justice Process announced in the Queen's Speech 2019.
tabling member printed	Lord Ramsbotham
uin	HL8761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Royal Commission presents an opportunity to undertake a significant independent review to investigate some key issues in the criminal justice system alongside building greater resilience following the impact of this pandemic.</p><p>We are therefore carefully considering the precise remit and timing of this Commission and will update the House in due course.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:03:00 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	3744 label Biography information for Lord Ramsbotham

1240260

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many adults in prison have been actively engaged in self-study, and (2) how many adults in prison have completed accredited qualifications and assessments, in the last six months; and what plans they have to provide self-study education to adults in prison in the immediate future.
tabling member printed	Lord Ramsbotham
uin	HL8762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>Following the introduction of restrictions suspending the delivery of all face-to-face education in prisons due to Covid-19, we have worked with all Prison Education Framework (PEF) and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) providers to support prisons via the remote production of various materials to provide in cell activity, distraction material and learning packs for as many prisoners as possible.</p><p>We have provisional data from the beginning of April 2020 which shows that the education providers have worked with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to distribute approximately 871,000 learning packs. Of these, 361,000 were course specific packs and 510,000 were generic learning packs.</p><p>During the time that restrictions have applied we have had to adapt existing recording procedures for education delivery to meet these new restrictions and we need to carry out further work with providers to assess levels of engagement and achievement.</p><p>HMPPS managers continue to maintain routine dialogue with PEF provider staff locally around the development and delivery of additional support materials to meet new and emerging needs during these restrictions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 15:45:36 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	3744 label Biography information for Lord Ramsbotham