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1441342

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Remote Working
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 impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	140610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 23/03/2022 16:47:35 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1441404

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Crown Court: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the size of the backlog of cases in crown courts.
tabling member constituency	South West Hertfordshire
tabling member printed	Mr Gagan Mohindra
uin	140575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>There will always be outstanding cases in the Crown Court as these figures include cases that are being prepared to be heard in the courts.</p><p> </p><p>The outstanding caseload in the Crown Court reduced from around 61,000 cases in June 2021 to around 58,993 cases at the end of January 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.</p><p> </p><p>To provide additional capacity in the Crown Courts we are extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months’ imprisonment for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the magistrates’ court and help to drive down the backlog of cases over the coming years.</p><p> </p><p>These measures are already working, and as a result we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases this financial year than we did pre-Covid. Following an increase in funding as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement, we aim to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court to 53,000 by March 2025.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 23/03/2022 16:44:53 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4804 label Biography information for Mr Gagan Mohindra

1441534

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Ombudsman: Correspondence
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 adequacy of the time taken for the legal ombudsman to respond to complaints.
tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
uin	140523
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>We know that the performance of the Legal Ombudsman scheme (LeO), including around responding to complaints, has been below expectations.</p><p>The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has developed a two-year recovery plan (2021/22 and 2022/23) to address performance issues, which includes reducing waiting times. The plan comprises a number of different elements, including automation, new people strategies and consulting on changes to the scheme rules to improve customer experience. Alongside ‘Early resolution’ and ‘Proportionality’ pilot initiatives, the OLC has also recently carried out a successful national recruitment campaign to boost its capacity.</p><p>Performance of the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) scheme is monitored on a regular basis by the Ministry of Justice.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 140524 question first answered 23/03/2022 16:48:40 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1441535

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Ombudsman: Correspondence
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 reduce waiting times for responses to complaints to the legal ombudsman.
tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
tabling member printed	Sarah Olney
uin	140524
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>We know that the performance of the Legal Ombudsman scheme (LeO), including around responding to complaints, has been below expectations.</p><p>The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has developed a two-year recovery plan (2021/22 and 2022/23) to address performance issues, which includes reducing waiting times. The plan comprises a number of different elements, including automation, new people strategies and consulting on changes to the scheme rules to improve customer experience. Alongside ‘Early resolution’ and ‘Proportionality’ pilot initiatives, the OLC has also recently carried out a successful national recruitment campaign to boost its capacity.</p><p>Performance of the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) scheme is monitored on a regular basis by the Ministry of Justice.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 140523 question first answered 23/03/2022 16:48:40 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4591 label Biography information for Sarah Olney

1440885

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison and Probation Service: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent equality analysis his Department has made of the HMPPS staff fitness test.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	139389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.</p><p> </p><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1st test fails</p></td><td><p>2nd test fails</p></td><td><p>3rd test fails</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>202</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>265</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of tests</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>11,170</p></td><td><p>77</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>3,318</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 139390 139391 139392 question first answered 17/03/2022 15:29:15 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1440886

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers
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 prison staff who failed the prison staff fitness test on the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third attempt during the most recent period for which figures are available were (i) male and (ii) female.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	139390
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.</p><p> </p><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1st test fails</p></td><td><p>2nd test fails</p></td><td><p>3rd test fails</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>202</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>265</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of tests</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>11,170</p></td><td><p>77</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>3,318</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 139389 139391 139392 question first answered 17/03/2022 15:29:15 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1440887

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers
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 prison staff who took the fitness test during the most recent period for which figures are available were (a) male, and (b) female.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	139391
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.</p><p> </p><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1st test fails</p></td><td><p>2nd test fails</p></td><td><p>3rd test fails</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>202</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>265</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of tests</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>11,170</p></td><td><p>77</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>3,318</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 139389 139390 139392 question first answered 17/03/2022 15:29:15 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1440888

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Officers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of data on female prison employees failing the prison staff fitness test.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	139392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.</p><p> </p><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1st test fails</p></td><td><p>2nd test fails</p></td><td><p>3rd test fails</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>202</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>265</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of tests</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>11,170</p></td><td><p>77</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>3,318</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 139389 139390 139391 question first answered 17/03/2022 15:29:15 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1440889

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Powers of Attorney
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 delays experienced by people seeking to gain powers of attorney.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	139368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>OPG have had staff in the office throughout the COVID pandemic, but the registration of Powers of Attorney is a paper-based process and, as a consequence of the pandemic impacting on the number of staff who can be present in the office, it has taken longer for LPAs to be registered.</p><p> </p><p>OPG have allocated extra staff to process Powers of Attorney and have used overtime and an additional night shift in order to process LPAs as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>OPG hope to see a reduction in processing times over the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 17/03/2022 13:52:58 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1440890

registered interest
date	14/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Judiciary: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase diversity among the judiciary in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	139369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice, as a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), works closely with the judiciary, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Legal Services Board and the legal professions to take actions to increase judicial diversity.</p><p> </p><p>In the Judicial Diversity Forum’s update to its plan and priorities for 2021/22, published on 20 December 2021 (<a href="https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/JDF-2022-action-plan.pdf" target="_blank">https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/JDF-2022-action-plan.pdf</a>), the MoJ committed to the following as part of the JDF’s actions to support a diversity of professionals to see a judicial career as an attractive option and to ensure they are supported and encouraged to apply to the judiciary:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Continuing to fund the Pre-Application Judicial Education (PAJE) programme, to support potential candidates from under-represented groups to the judiciary.</li><li>Continuing to fund the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) led Targeted Outreach Programme, to support a diversity of candidates towards more senior judicial roles.</li><li>Exploring fuller opportunities for Solicitors and Chartered Legal Executives to gain court experience, including advocacy, to support preparation for the judiciary.</li><li>Working with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), and other legal professional bodies, to explore the necessary steps for increasing CILEX’s eligibility for a wider range of judicial roles.</li><li>Supporting the publication of data across the legal professions, judicial appointments and judiciary through the annual Diversity of the Judiciary report.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The MoJ has also invested over £1 million to support the recruitment of new and diverse magistrates in order to increase the diversity of the magistracy. A new digitised recruitment process alongside an inclusive marketing campaign was launched in January 2022 to target underrepresented groups and ensure the magistracy is reflective of the communities it serves.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 17/03/2022 17:04:59 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed