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1587292

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review all cases of persons held for more than five years beyond their judicial tariffs.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, both those serving life and Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined. Where the Parole Board decide not to release the prisoner, the prisoner’s suitability for release must be considered at least every two years thereafter.</p><p>In line with the Justice Select Committee’s report into the continued existence of the IPP sentence, the Government committed to update and refresh the HM Prison and Probation Service’s IPP Action Plan, to which may be attributed the very significant numbers of IPP prisoners released for the first time in each year since 2016. The Action Plan already mandates a formal case review led by HMPPS Psychology Services for every IPP prisoner who has spent five years in prison following tariff expiry and has never been released.</p><p>The Action Plan remains the embodiment of the Government’s aim to reduce the total IPP prisoner population – that is the combined figure of those who have never been released and those returned to prison following recall. Specifically, by way of response to the Committee’s assertion that offenders serving an IPP sentence on licence in the community are being recalled unnecessarily, the Government has requested that the Chief Inspector of Probation carry out an independent thematic inspection on the proportionality of recall decisions made. In cases where ‘other’ is listed as a reason for recall, there is always at least one additional, specific reason as recorded in the published recall statistics.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL5681 question first answered 06/03/2023 12:39:49 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1587293

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Suicide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to prisons to support the prevention of suicide in prisons in England and Wales.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5680
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>Prevention of suicide is a key priority for the Ministry of Justice. Prison Service Instruction 64/2011 on “Rules and guidance for prison staff on managing prisoners who are at risk of harm or death, or who may be a risk to others” provides overarching guidance on prison safety and supports the prevention of suicide in prisons, including through our case management approach for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. The instruction sets out mandatory actions and guidance for staff, emphasising the importance of individualised support, multi-disciplinary teamwork, and identifying and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.</p><p>In addition, we are phasing in refreshed safety training for staff which includes suicide and self-harm prevention. In partnership with Samaritans, we have developed a suicide prevention learning tool, designed to give staff more confidence in engaging with prisoners who may be at risk of suicide. We have developed guidance on supporting someone who is self-harming, drawing on existing good practice and guidance from the NHS and third sector. This has been distributed nationally, helping to up-skill staff around the subject of self-harm and outline the importance of providing tailored, meaningful support.</p><p>We know the risk of suicide can be higher for prisoners in the early days of custody including for those held on remand. Mandatory actions and guidance for staff on the early days in custody includes the requirement to assess all prisoners of any risk that they might harm themselves on arrival. A staff toolkit helps staff to assess risk effectively and promote supportive conversations in the early days of custody.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 06/03/2023 12:44:12 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1587294

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Sentences
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reduce the number of persons imprisoned for reasons of public protection; if so, how they will achieve this; and whether they will require that reasons for recalls to prison need additional detail rather than being classified as “other”.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5681
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, both those serving life and Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined. Where the Parole Board decide not to release the prisoner, the prisoner’s suitability for release must be considered at least every two years thereafter.</p><p>In line with the Justice Select Committee’s report into the continued existence of the IPP sentence, the Government committed to update and refresh the HM Prison and Probation Service’s IPP Action Plan, to which may be attributed the very significant numbers of IPP prisoners released for the first time in each year since 2016. The Action Plan already mandates a formal case review led by HMPPS Psychology Services for every IPP prisoner who has spent five years in prison following tariff expiry and has never been released.</p><p>The Action Plan remains the embodiment of the Government’s aim to reduce the total IPP prisoner population – that is the combined figure of those who have never been released and those returned to prison following recall. Specifically, by way of response to the Committee’s assertion that offenders serving an IPP sentence on licence in the community are being recalled unnecessarily, the Government has requested that the Chief Inspector of Probation carry out an independent thematic inspection on the proportionality of recall decisions made. In cases where ‘other’ is listed as a reason for recall, there is always at least one additional, specific reason as recorded in the published recall statistics.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy grouped question UIN HL5679 question first answered 06/03/2023 12:39:49 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1562904

registered interest
date	19/12/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Wandsworth Prison: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restore a full staff level at His Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth to prevent 23-hour lock-ups, eliminate rats, and restore the operation of the prison chapel.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL4420
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/01/2023 answer text <p>As with all establishments where there is a current or future need to fill vacancies, there is a recruitment campaign open for prison officers at HMP Wandsworth. To manage vacancies, establishments are also able to cover these through payment plus (an overtime payment for prison officers). Where staffing levels are being impacted by reasons other than vacancies, including sickness and restricted duties, this is being managed by Governors in line with national policy. If any establishments feel that their staffing levels will impact on stability, they can apply for extra resource through submitting a business case to the HMPPS Operational Resource and Stability Panel.</p><p>The Senior Leadership Team at HMP Wandsworth are committed to creating a regime that will allow prisoners to spend longer out of their cells and in work and education-related activities, which is essential to effective rehabilitation.</p><p>Similarly to other London-based buildings where a large number of people live and work, HMP Wandsworth takes steps to support the control of rats and other vermin, with Rentokil (a specialist hygiene provider for prisons and police) regularly visiting to implement control measures. This is supplemented with regular cleaning parties who are deployed to keep rubbish to a minimum and focused waste management at the prison, which supports rubbish disposal of internal and external waste. The prison has also implemented a new window project to limit the ability to throw rubbish outside. These measures are underpinned by a committed focus on creating a hygienic environment for prisoners.</p><p>There is an ongoing Government Facility Services Limited project to replace the roof and refurbish the prison’s chapel. Religious services will continue to be catered for across the prison whilst the work is underway, which is due to be completed in 2024.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 04/01/2023 16:23:13 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1545100

registered interest
date	23/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Service: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the number of prison staff declined between 2009 and 2017; if so, by what percentage the number declined; and whether any such decline has since been redressed.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3701
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The number of public sector prison staff declined from 46,889 FTE as of 31 March 2009 to 31,232 FTE as of 31 March 2017. This was a decline of 15,657 (33%).</p><p>Since then, the number of public sector prison staff has increased to stand at 35,575 FTE as of 30 September 2022; an increase of 14% since March 2017.</p><p>Over the last few years, the MoJ has invested in a number of initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention of operational and non-Operational staff across the prison estate. Whilst we face some difficulties in areas of the country where labour markets are particularly challenging, we continue to deliver recruitment marketing campaigns on a variety of channels for all prisons.</p><p>The recent pay award has been seen as a positive move to help retain and recruit new staff. We will be monitoring the impact of the 2022/23 pay award which reflects a significant investment to uplift and reform the prison pay structure. We are continuing to use localised market supplements to increase prison officer pay in 18 sites.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 07/12/2022 14:44:23 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1545101

registered interest
date	23/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Accommodation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners are currently being confined to their cells for 23 hours a day; what assessment they have made of the impact of this practice on prisoner (1) self-harm, (2) assaults, and (3) suicides; and what plans they have to reduce the current level of confinement to address any such impacts.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3702
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>No prisons are routinely operating a 23 hour per day or similar lockdown and I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-11-14/hl3355" target="_blank">HL3355</a> on 29 November 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Maintaining safety continues to be a priority, and where regimes are limited, we continue to prioritise the implementation of key safety interventions. This includes our case management approaches to manage the risk of self-harm and suicide (Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork) and of violent behaviour (Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan), and the delivery of key work, through which prison officers provide one-to-one support for prisoners.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 07/12/2022 13:44:11 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1544703

registered interest
date	22/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Alternatives to Prison: Parents
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 21 November (HL3356), what plans they have to revise sentencing guidelines to indicate the importance of avoiding custodial sentences for parents of one or more small children, whenever this is practicable.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2022 answer text <p>The Sentencing Council is the independent body that has responsibility for the creation and amendment of sentencing guidelines. Accordingly, it decides on its own priorities and workplan. The noble Lord may wish to approach the Sentencing Council directly to share with them any concerns.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 30/11/2022 12:54:59 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1542100

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Security
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government which of His Majesty’s Prisons are still operating a 23-hour per day or similar lockdown; what are the reasons for the continued use of this practice; and what plans they have, if any, to stop this practice.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>Prisons operate regimes that are Safe, Decent, Secure, Resilient and Sustainable and most prisons are routinely operating normal regimes. Prisons will from time to time have to make difficult decisions on how they deploy limited staff resources to best facilitate activities and services using their ‘Regime Management Plans’. In the past 4 months, a small minority of prisons, including HMP Long Lartin and HMP Swaleside have had to significantly restrict their regimes for short periods due to staffing shortfalls. The Operations Stability and Resourcing Panel of HMPPS meets weekly to provide support to those prisons with the most acute resourcing pressures, where this is impacting the stability of the prison.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 29/11/2022 17:32:41 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1542101

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Alternatives to Prison: Parents
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to recommend non-custodial sentences whenever possible for parents of multiple children, and (2) to maintain strong family links and relationships during prison sentences, in order to reduce re-offending.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2022 answer text <p>Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. The sentencing guidelines specify ‘sole or primary carer for dependent relatives’ as a factor reducing seriousness or reflecting personal mitigation. Courts must strike a balance between the legitimate aims to be served by custody and the effect that sentence has on the family life of others, especially children.</p><p> </p><p>The Probation Service’s Pre-sentence Reports help the court in their sentencing decisions and consider the potential significant impact of imprisonment on any dependants (including unborn children).</p><p> </p><p>There will, however, always be some cases where the seriousness of the offending is such that a custodial sentence is necessary. We want to provide the best rehabilitative regimes possible to help break the reoffending cycle as we know maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked to embed all 19 of the recommendations made by Lord Farmer in his 2017 review to strengthen family ties for male prisoners and have completed 25 out of 33 recommendations from his subsequent review focused on strengthening family ties for female offenders.</p><p> </p><p>Our work includes requiring prisons to produce local strategies setting out how prisoners will have access to family contact; introducing a national families performance measure; and deploying secure video calling for families across the prison estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 21/11/2022 16:37:56 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1521499

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Women's Centres: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the sufficiency of the £24 million of new funding for Women’s Centres announced on 1 September in (a) preventing the closure of any of the existing 40 such Centres, and (b) enabling the opening of new Centres in areas where offending by women is most prevalent; and (2) the extent to which such funding can reduce the need to provide new prison spaces for women.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL2539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2022 answer text <p>On 1 September 2022, we announced new investment of up to £24 million in the period 2022 to 2025 to support women in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-invested-to-support-female-offenders" target="_blank">Millions invested to support female offenders - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. This includes up to £12 million available to pay the core costs of women’s community sector organisations, reflecting historic demand in the sector for running costs and overheads, which are not always covered through wider local and national funding streams. Core costs funding will be allocated to the twelve probation regions in England and Wales in proportion to women’s community caseload in each region.</p><p>In addition, up to £8.4 million is available to invest in new services and interventions.</p><p>The continued existence and viability of the women’s community sector is vital to support the delivery of the main aims of the Government’s Female Offender Strategy, particularly fewer women entering the criminal justice system and fewer women in custody, especially on short-term sentences, and a greater proportion of women managed in the community successfully.</p><p>New accommodation that is decent, safe and secure and supports the modernisation of the prison estate is under development to improve custodial conditions for women. Should these places not be required in future we have committed to using them to close down existing older, less suitable accommodation in the women’s estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 26/10/2022 15:39:06 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton