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1193926

registered interest
date	06/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 4 May (HL3394), whether any prisoners have yet been tested for COVID-19; when they expect testing will begin in a systematic way; what plans they have to prioritise the most overcrowded prisons; and how many COVID-19 (1) cases, and (2) deaths, have been reported among (1) prison staff, and (2) prisoners.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL4118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2020 answer text <p>COVID-19 testing is ongoing in prisons and is being conducted by internal or external healthcare practitioners on some symptomatic prisoners on site. The testing capacity is dependent on local commissioning services, therefore the numbers of those tested varies by establishment. However, prisoners that require hospital care are being transferred to hospital and may also be tested there. We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to consider next steps for testing in prisons.</p><p>As of 17:00 on Sunday 17 May, 411 prisoners and 540 prison staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. This is an accumulative total and does not represent the number of live cases. Some of those that previously tested positive will have now made a full recovery.</p><p>Sadly, as of Friday 15 May, 21 prisoners and 8 members of prison staff have died. These figures represent cases where it was known that the individual had tested positive for the virus. It is a matter for coroners to determine a cause of death.</p><p>HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is containing the spread of COVID-19 within jails using an approach known as ‘compartmentalisation’. Through this approach, staff have isolated those with symptoms, and many prisons have been able to shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. Modelling by HMPPS and Public Health England indicates that jails are successfully limiting deaths and the transmission of the virus within the estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 21/05/2020 16:16:21 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1193927

registered interest
date	06/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Visitors
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate they will permit family visits to prisoners to resume.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL4119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2020 answer text <p>As of 24 March, social visits in prisons in England and Wales are temporarily suspended to enable us to ensure the safe and secure functioning of our prisons, while enforcing social distancing. These measures are part of the nationwide efforts to fight coronavirus and we will review the restrictions in line with updates to public health advice.</p><p>In recognition of the importance of continued contact with family and to ensure stability in our jails, the Government has moved quickly to keep prisoners in touch with their family members. This includes the provision of 900 locked mobile phones to establishments that do not yet have in-cell telephony.</p><p>Additionally, on 15 May, the Government announced that secure video calls will be introduced to prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs) across England and Wales to maintain vital family contact for prisoners and young offenders during the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>Following a successful trial at HMP Berwyn, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is installing the technology at 10 institutions with a wider rollout in the coming weeks.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 21/05/2020 14:26:01 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1193932

registered interest
date	06/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Family Proceedings: Coronavirus
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 effectiveness of remote private and public family law proceedings in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic
tabling member printed	Lord Farmer
uin	HL4124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2020 answer text <p>The President of the Family Division published a report of a rapid consultation on the use of remote hearings in the family court due to the Covid-19 pandemic, produced by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, on 6 May. The Judiciary and HMCTS will further refine guidance on the use of remote hearings in family proceedings based on the evidence provided in this report.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 21/05/2020 16:16:01 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4321 label Biography information for Lord Farmer

1193284

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Remand in Custody
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners were held on remand for non-violent offences in (1) January, (2) February, (3) March, and (4) April.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL3825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>In answering this question we have interpreted ‘violent’ as ‘Violence Against The Person’.</p><p> </p><p>The table below therefore provides information on the total numbers of prisoners that were held on both pre-trial and post-conviction remand for offences excluding those in the ‘Violence Against The Person’ offence group on 31 January, 29 February and 31 March 2020. It has not been possible to provide this information for April because the data will not be available until the end of July 2020 when the next Offender Management Statistics Quarterly will be published.</p><p><strong>Table 1: Remand prison population (excluding (alleged) “Violence Against The Person” offence group), as at 31 January to 31 March 2020; England &amp; Wales</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>31-Jan-20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>29-Feb-20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>31-Mar-20</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total 'non-violent' remand population</strong></p></td><td><p>7,622</p></td><td><p>7,709</p></td><td><p>7,589</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Data sources and quality</strong></p><p>The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.</p><p><strong>Source:</strong> PQ HL 3825 (Ministry of Justice; DASD-JSAS)</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/05/2020 12:47:55 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1193329

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Tribunals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal hearings were cancelled for the second or subsequent time in the 2019 calendar year.
tabling member printed	Lord Lingfield
uin	HL3870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>I have to advise the Noble Lord that this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The next release of data will be the Tribunals Quarterly Statistics on 11 June 2020 which will provide information from January to March 2020 and can be found at this address: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/05/2020 16:24:26 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4194 label Biography information for Lord Lingfield

1193365

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their decision to release low-risk prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic, how many such prisoners have been released so far; and, what steps they are taking (1) to widen the criteria to include more prisoners convicted of non-violent and petty crimes, (2) to consider temporary release alongside early release, (3) to suspend the imposition of sentences under six months, and (4) to consider the release of elderly prisoners who do not pose a serious risk to the public.
tabling member printed	Lord Patel of Bradford
uin	HL3905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>As of 11 May, 78 prisoners have been released early; 52 were released as part of the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme, and 26 were released on compassionate grounds.</p><p> </p><p>The ECTR scheme is aimed at low-risk offenders approaching the end of their sentence and therefore will include prisoners convicted of some, but not all, non-violent and petty crimes. The eligible offences have been chosen to strike the right balance between protecting the public and reducing transmission in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>Releases are just one part of a wider strategy to create headroom, including by increasing the capacity of the existing prison estate. Modelling suggests that the headroom reduction required to implement compartmentalisation of prisons as a control on the spread of the virus is around 5,500. We are on track to achieving this target.</p><p> </p><p>We have no plans to end short term prison sentences. Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, taking into account the circumstances of each case and following any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council. A custodial sentence should always be a last resort.</p><p> </p><p>Elderly and acutely medically vulnerable prisoners who have been thoroughly risk-assessed are in scope for early release on compassionate grounds.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/05/2020 16:52:25 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3798 label Biography information for Lord Patel of Bradford

1193415

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Remand in Custody: Pregnancy
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pregnant women are on remand, awaiting trial, in England and Wales.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Chesterton
uin	HL3955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>The number of pregnant women on remand is not centrally monitored. Information on pregnancy is monitored locally by prison Governors/Directors to ensure the appropriate supportive provisions can be put in place.</p><p> </p><p>I am however, able to confirm that an ad hoc data collection exercise was undertaken last year, which found that at 15:00hrs on 28 October 2019, 47 women in prison self-declared as pregnant, including those on remand and who had been sentenced.</p><p> </p><p>In July 2019 the Government began a review of pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), and Mothers separated from children (under two years of age) who are in prisons, which includes a strand of work on improving data collection. The review is due for completion later this year, and a report will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Section 5 of the Bail Act 1976 sets out the reasoning for refusing bail where:</p><ul><li>there are previous convictions of a similar nature against the same victim(s) with similar characteristics;</li><li>there is evidence of undue influence over the victim, or evidence of ongoing violence or threats of violence to victim or his / her family;</li><li>any potential bail conditions would not be adequate to remove the risk of failure to surrender, commission of a further offence or interfere with any witnesses;</li><li>it is necessary for his / her protection;</li><li>the defendant is already in custody on other matters e.g. recall or a serving prisoner; or</li><li>the nature of the offence committed could lead to a risk of offending if released on bail e.g. where the defendant knows the victim or witness.</li></ul><p>While there was an increase of 8% (520 to 559) in the number of women on remand in the year to March 2020, this figure is comparable with the 564 women on remand at 31 March 2018.</p><p>During the Covid-19 pandemic, NPS are currently running a bail information service in the 136 courts that currently remain open, with a particular focus on those with ‘protected characteristics’ which include women. This service looks to ensure the identification of defendants who might be eligible for bail, and to provide sufficient information to the courts to enable them to make fully informed decisions in each individual case. As of 11 May 2020, 121 bail assessments have been completed by NPS Bail Information Officers, a proportion of which will apply to women.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/05/2020 16:55:37 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	2543 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton

1193473

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners have been released under the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme, and what assessment have they made of the number of prisoners that need to be released in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the prison population.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL4013
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>As of 11 May, 78 prisoners have been released early; 52 were released as part of the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme, and 26 were released on compassionate grounds.</p><p> </p><p>We are working hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the prison system as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives. Modelling has provided an early indication that our COVID-19 strategy in prisons is having a positive impact on limiting deaths and the transmission of the virus within the estate.</p><p> </p><p>Releases are just one part of a wider strategy to create headroom, including by increasing the capacity of the existing prison estate. Modelling suggests that the headroom required to fully implement compartmentalisation of prisons as a control on the spread of the virus is around 5,500. We are on track to achieving this target.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/05/2020 16:58:09 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1193479

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Learning Disability and Mental Illness
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect people with (1) mental health conditions, and (2) learning disabilities, who have been arrested and are required to appear in a magistrates court, from COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
uin	HL4019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>Services within HMCTS are adjusting to Covid-19 at an agile pace. We’re doing everything possible to ensure any potential negative impacts are identified and mitigated for vulnerable users, by putting the right support in place for them.</p><p>Levels of compliance with social distancing by criminal courts are high. HMCTS are following Public Health guidance to ensure that our courts and tribunals support proper social distancing measures for everyone who uses and works in them.</p><p>Working with the judiciary, we have agreed how to prioritise the most urgent cases and moved to hear many more cases remotely by telephone or video wherever possible and appropriate. We are clear that audio and video hearings provide an additional channel for conducting a hearing and should be as accessible as possible. The decision to hold a hearing by telephone or video is for the judge, panel or magistrate, taking into account the needs of the parties, including any disability or difficulties with access.</p><p>We work with the advice sector to fully understand the impacts on vulnerable people, reasonable adjustments, and reflecting up to date advice from the sector in our processes for court users to join hearings and related staff guidance. We are also planning an evaluation of the use of remote hearings during the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes exploring how remote hearing processes were implemented and worked in practice, and how experiences varied for different user groups.</p><p>Hearings in the mental health tribunal are taking place by audio and video, and the President and Deputy President of the Health, Education and Social Care chamber have issued guidance on these hearings.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/05/2020 14:29:13 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

1193480

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect people who have been remanded into prison whilst awaiting a psychiatric report requested by a magistrates court from COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
uin	HL4020
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>All prisoners are assessed by healthcare practitioners on reception into prison custody. Every establishment has been required to develop a local healthcare delivery plan for the COVID-19 period which will outline provisions for prisoners with the full range of healthcare needs and how these will be met locally. Arrangements vary between sites however reporting commitments will be managed in conjunction with local courts.</p><p> </p><p>We are implementing a range of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. We have restricted prison regimes to support prisoners and staff adhere to social distancing and we have minimised inter prison transfers. We are also implementing a strategy of compartmentalisation: isolating the symptomatic, shielding the vulnerable and quarantining new arrivals in reverse cohorting units.</p><p> </p><p>Those on remand are subject to the same compartmentalisation measures as the regular population, with new arrivals from the courts being located in reverse cohorting units.</p><p> </p><p>This strategy is in line with Public Health England guidance and has shown early signs of success in limiting the transmission of COVID-19.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/05/2020 12:43:55 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley