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1316947

registered interest
date	20/05/2021
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 how many (1) prison staff, and (2) prisoners, have received their (a) first, and (b) second, COVID-19 vaccinations; and what progress they have made in restoring family visits to prisoners.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL440
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2021 answer text <p>The total number of staff in Public Sector and Youth Custody Prisons who have declared that they have received their first COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 21 May 2021, was 10,612. The total number of staff in Public Sector and Youth Custody Prisons who have declared that they have received their second COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 21 May 2021, was 2,508.</p><p>For prisoners in England as at the end of 14 May 2021, the total number who had received their first COVID-19 vaccination was 25,655. The total number of prisoners of all ages who had received their second COVID-19 vaccination was 8,485.</p><p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service strongly encourages all staff and prisoners who are offered the Covid-19 vaccine, to take it. We ask employees to let us know when they have had each dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by recording their vaccine status on our HR system. As the disclosure of their vaccine status is entirely voluntary, it means the self-declaration rates presented below will be lower than the actual number of staff who have been vaccinated. However, the data collected to date is still valuable in understanding staff vaccination take up and coverage.</p><p>We are acutely aware of the impact of the restrictions on family visits, and we have had to make some difficult decisions to protect both prisoners and staff. As of 20 May, 107 establishments have commenced delivery of Stage 3 of the National Framework for Prisons which allows for the delivery of social visits with social distancing and face coverings. We are also working with Public Health England and Public Health Wales to look at how we can take safe and incremental steps to improve the experience of such visits. As part of this work we are piloting lateral flow testing for visitors.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 03/06/2021 15:49:52 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1307468

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reoffenders
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 report by the Prison Reform Trust No Life, No Freedom, No Future: The experiences of prisoners recalled under the sentence of Imprisonment, published on 3 December 2020; and what plans they have publish a response to that report.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14758
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government values the work of the Prison Reform Trust and, specifically, the ongoing dialogue with the Trust as to how best to support those serving the sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), whether in prison or in the community.</p><p> </p><p>The Government and officials acknowledge that recalling any offender to custody involves some disruption. However, we have not identified cases of “unnecessary” recalls of offenders subject to IPP licences. HM Chief Inspector of Probation found in a thematic review of the Probation Service’s culture and practice on recall, published on 10 November last year, that offender managers are considering, properly, public protection when deciding how to respond to evidence that offenders have breached their licence conditions in such a way as to indicate escalating risk. Thus, where an offender on an IPP licence is recalled to custody, it is because the Probation Service has concluded that the offender’s risk is now too high for it to be managed effectively in the community, even with the imposition of additional licence conditions.</p><p> </p><p>However, offender managers must always consider whether there are safe alternatives to recall when responding to breaches of licence conditions and evidence of increased risk. Additionally, HM Prison and Probation Service is working to improve the quality and timeliness of its risk assessments following recall, so that the Parole Board may in some cases safely direct the re-release of recalled offenders on an IPP licence earlier than is currently the case.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 26/04/2021 16:19:02 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1304490

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	Prisons: Visits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise the use of videophones by prisoners with children while family visits are not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have for similar prioritisation for prisoners held at long-distance from their families when the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic have ended.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2021 answer text <p>We are committed to continuing to offer secure video calling after the current Covid-19 restrictions have ended, and are considering future options in line with the recommendations of Lord Farmer’s reviews for maintaining family ties. We will continue to be guided by public health advice, and we will work with our stakeholders to inform our longer-term planning.</p><p> </p><p>Secure video calls are now running in all public and private prisons and Young Offender Institutions across England and Wales. This was introduced alongside other measures to support family engagement, such as additional mobile phone handsets and extra phone credit while social visits have been suspended. Social visits in the Youth Custody Service estate have continued and on compassionate grounds in the adult estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 07/04/2021 12:44:38 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1302302

registered interest
date	12/03/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Visits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria need to be satisfied to allow family visits of prisoners to resume; what date they plan to resume family visits of prisoners; and what plans they have to provide more video-capable telephones in prisons.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>Social visits in adult prisons have been suspended during the period of national lockdown, but will resume once it is safe to do so.</p><p>Decisions will be based on public health advice, assessments of local outbreaks and ability to safely facilitate visits, and so dates may vary between different sites. No sites will resume visits before the end of March when the ‘stay at home’ order is expected to be lifted under the government roadmap on easing restrictions.</p><p>Visits to children in the youth custody estate and compassionate visits to adult establishments have continued throughout national lockdown.</p><p>Secure video calls have now been introduced at all prisons across England and Wales, though there are no plans to provide video-capable telephones at this time. Currently 66% of prison cells have in-cell telephony. Additionally, within open prisons, mobile phones have been permitted as a transitional measure for family contact. Further considerations for their use are being made in line with regime recovery and availability of secure video calls across all open prisons.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 26/03/2021 14:21:37 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1301013

registered interest
date	09/03/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that best practices and lessons learned are (1) shared, (2) adopted, and (3) maintained, among prisons.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14042
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2021 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic HMPPS has been identifying and sharing lessons learned. We have been listening to different perspectives and have paid attention to the challenges for staff and prisoners. We have considered the many examples of positive practice and have focussed our efforts to do the best for both staff and prisoners in very difficult circumstances. Learning lessons is an ongoing process and we continue to gather and share a range of information, including feedback from scrutiny bodies, staff, those in our care and the voluntary sector.</p><p> </p><p>We are feeding what we have learned into prison safety and wellbeing initiatives, regime redesign, planning and ongoing mitigations for prisoners. Prisons are also using lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise resources to focus on safety and wellbeing, adapt provision, reinforce fair and decent behaviours and to show visible leadership. We are building on learning with a programme of events in the Spring which will be an opportunity for operational staff to share and reflect on learning from Covid to inform practice and both recovery and future reforms.</p><p> </p><p>More routinely, bespoke service improvement and work developed in response to common issues uses best practice and lessons learned. This takes place through line management activity, between peers, and through central support such as the Prison Performance Support Programme.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS Scrutiny Intelligence unit routinely reviews all external scrutiny and internal assurance reports to draw out good practice and themes which are communicated to prisons and more widely across HMPPS. They also identify where lessons could be learned or implemented more effectively. Good practice and the areas requiring improvement are also reported each month to the Prison Performance Committee to ensure best practices and lessons learned are maintained among prisons.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 23/03/2021 17:17:05 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1301015

registered interest
date	09/03/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners on Remand
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the average length of time that prisoners spend on remand awaiting trial.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14044
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2021 answer text <p>Judges are prioritising the most urgent cases. We were one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, and Crown Courts currently list thousands of cases each week.</p><p> </p><p>Our systems show that where a defendant is in custody and had a first hearing in February 2021, most cases are listed for trial in the Crown Court prior to September 2021.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020, Her Majesty’s Prison Probation Service (HMPPS) began a trial of a dedicated and proactive Bail Information Service (BIS) in several courts and prisons in the North West of England and Wales. This service provides the courts with timely information relating to the defendant and availability of alternative provisions, such as suitable accommodation, to help to reduce unnecessary remands and increase the appropriate use of bail and bail conditions. In tandem with this trial, HMPPS are rolling-out a Covid-19 response BIS in all public sector remand prisons. A key aim of both initiatives is to inform the design, resourcing and delivery of a future dedicated and proactive national BIS.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 23/03/2021 17:23:39 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1301016

registered interest
date	09/03/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Pentonville Prison: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise the work of the Governor of HMP Pentonville during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL14045
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is not able to comment on an individual employee’s specific recognition or reward.</p><p> </p><p>We do however recognise that HMPPS staff in prisons, probation, headquarters and the Youth Custody Service have had an extraordinary and challenging year. There are recognition and reward procedures in place, and we offer a range of ways to recognise and thank individual members of staff for their particular efforts. This can take the form of personalised recognition, using performance recognition vouchers, or a gift. Special bonus payments may also be an appropriate recognition mechanism for exceptional performance contributions.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 23/03/2021 17:21:10 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1285433

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reparation by Offenders
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 restorative justice; and what plans, if any, they have for encouraging its use.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL13180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to the provision of good quality, victim-focused restorative justice to help victims cope and recover from the effects of crime. From April 2019 to March 2020, the Ministry of Justice provided about £76m to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), with about £3.9m spent on restorative justice services. PCCs also spent another £1.8m from other sources on restorative justice services. PCCs are responsible for evaluating victim services that they commission locally, including restorative justice.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the PCC funded schemes, restorative justice is also available in the youth justice system and provided by some probation Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). From 26 June 2021, probation services delivery arrangements will change, bringing services together under 12 regional probation directors (RPDs) with responsibility and funding for commissioning specialist rehabilitative services from other sectors. The new commissioning framework includes a category for restorative justice services and has been designed to support local co-commissioning between PCCs, RPDs, health commissioners and local government. This is important for improving standards and ensuring safe and effective practice.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, all victims have the right to receive information about how to access restorative justice services in their local area to participate if they wish to do so. The revised Code was published in November 2020 and will come into effect on 1 April 2021 and will be widely communicated to victims and criminal justice practitioners. The revised Code includes information which explains what restorative justice is and how it works. The Government will work with criminal justice agencies and organisations providing support to victims of crime to raise awareness of victims’ rights under the Code.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 23/02/2021 15:57:04 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1280834

registered interest
date	26/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Church Services
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether chapels in prisons are being used for religious services during the COVID-19 pandemic; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL12596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>Prison chapels and multi-faith spaces have remained open for private prayer and reflection in a COVID-19 secure manner during the pandemic. The spaces have also been used to help support family contact in cases of family illness and bereavement.</p><p>Chaplains of all faiths play a central role in supporting prisoners during the pandemic. Although group worship has been temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners, Chaplains have continued to visit prisoners on a one-to-one basis providing pastoral care, spiritual support and resources for worship. We will resume group worship in prison chapels and multi-faith spaces gradually in line with public health guidance, when it is safe to do so.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 09/02/2021 15:12:05 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1280835

registered interest
date	26/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Recreation Spaces
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that prisoners are given access to gardens, recreation and green spaces in prisons as frequently as possible.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL12597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>All adult prisons are currently in a stage four regime, as outlined in the National Framework, to reduce contact between people and therefore reduce the chance of transmission of COVID-19. The regime restrictions we have implemented have brought new and different challenges across the prison estate and it is not currently practicable to provide as much access to open spaces as would ordinarily be the case for those in prisons where these facilities are available.</p><p> </p><p>However, all prisons are required to deliver the essential elements of prison regime which includes daily access to exercise, wellbeing checks, domestics (e.g. phone calls, showers and cell cleans) and, in some cases, some structured on-wing activity.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service understand the importance of maintaining the safety, mental health and wellbeing of prisoners and this has remained a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 09/02/2021 15:11:20 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton