Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1339382

registered interest
date	23/06/2021
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether an assessment has been made of the effect of the number of prison visits received by a prisoner on offending rates after release.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	21153
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by ensuring that all offenders have the tools they need to turn their backs on crime.</p><p>Families and friends can be a positive influence on reducing reoffending. Strengthening the ties individuals have with their families and friends is one of the many important factors to successful rehabilitation and reducing intergenerational crime.</p><p>We know family contact can reduce the likelihood of reoffending, Ministry of Justice research analysis reporting on surveys carried out from 2001 to 2004 found that the odds of reoffending were 39% higher for prisoners who had not received visits compared to those who had. The research summary is available here: <a href="http://www.antoniocasella.eu/nume/May_Sharma_Stewart_2008.pdf" target="_blank">Factors linked to re-offending: a one-year follow-up of prisoners who took part in the Resettlement Surveys 2001, 2003 and 2004 (antoniocasella.eu)</a>. However, information on the number of visits a prisoner receives and a reduction in reoffending behaviour is not available.</p><p>The latest published data on reoffending rates for those released from custody was published 27 May: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 28/06/2021 16:14:07 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1331342

registered interest
date	09/06/2021
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when physical contact will be allowed between visitors and prisoners during visits as part of the easing of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	13043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2021 answer text <p>Whilst restrictions on physical contact are easing in the community, high-risk and closed environments like prisons, hospitals and care homes are still required to take extra measures to stop infections spreading. In England and Wales almost all establishments have now commenced delivery of Stage 3 of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/889689/prisons-national-framework.pdf" target="_blank">National Framework</a>, which allows for social visits with social distancing and face coverings. We are working with Public Health England and Public Health Wales to look at how we can take safe and incremental steps to improve the visits experience. We are acutely aware of the impact of this on prisoners and their loved ones, but social distancing will need to continue for now for most in-person visits to protect visitors and people in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>Physical contact, however, is now allowed during prison visits for children aged under 11 to reflect public health advice on their needs and the relative transmission risks for that age group. In addition, two adults from two different households can now visit together, making it easier for prisoners to see more people.</p><p> </p><p>A pilot scheme has been commenced involving six prisons, allowing physical contact for visitors who can confirm that they have tested negative on the day of the visit. The information we get from this pilot will aid our national plans for the safe provision of visits.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 18/06/2021 11:02:26 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1308239

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	Prisons: Visits
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 facilitate visits to prisons that are not currently allowing social visitors; and what steps he is taking to support prisons in reaching stage 3 of the covid-19 national framework for prison regimes and services.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	179675
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>Visits to children in the youth custody estate and compassionate visits to adult establishments have continued throughout national lockdown. In line with changes to the stay at home guidance and travel restrictions in the community, over the coming weeks and months we will support establishments to ease some of the regime restrictions currently in place. This will be done when it is safe to do so and guided by public health advice. Our National Framework, which sets out in detail how we will take decisions about easing coronavirus-related restrictions in prisons, was published on GOV.UK on 2 June: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services</a></p><p> </p><p>Maintaining safety and the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners continues to remain a priority, as it has throughout the pandemic. A range of tools have been made available to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate any risks. Healthcare providers have continued to provide access to services for prisoners throughout the pandemic.</p><p>We recognise that family contact provides a crucial lifeline for those in our care. Secure video calls have now been introduced at all prisons across England and Wales. As of 5 April, over 169,000 secure video calls have been made. Currently 66% of prison cells have in-cell telephony.</p><p> </p><p>We have tailored guidance for supporting specific groups of people in prison whose wellbeing may be more impacted by Covid-19 measures put in place. We are delivering more in cell-activity and are continuing to improve our offer to support prisoners during this period.</p><p> </p><p>Work is currently underway to roll-out of a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT), which is the care planning process for prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm. This is first being rolled-out in the female estate and ten ACCT pilot sites from April 2021, followed by roll-out in the rest of the estate in Summer 2021. We will, however, be keeping these timeframes under review to ensure they remain feasible in the context of covid-19.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 179676 179677 question first answered 15/04/2021 15:36:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1308242

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	Prisons: Visits
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 support the wellbeing of prisoners that are unable to receive social visitors due to covid-19 health restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	179676
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>Visits to children in the youth custody estate and compassionate visits to adult establishments have continued throughout national lockdown. In line with changes to the stay at home guidance and travel restrictions in the community, over the coming weeks and months we will support establishments to ease some of the regime restrictions currently in place. This will be done when it is safe to do so and guided by public health advice. Our National Framework, which sets out in detail how we will take decisions about easing coronavirus-related restrictions in prisons, was published on GOV.UK on 2 June: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services</a></p><p> </p><p>Maintaining safety and the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners continues to remain a priority, as it has throughout the pandemic. A range of tools have been made available to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate any risks. Healthcare providers have continued to provide access to services for prisoners throughout the pandemic.</p><p>We recognise that family contact provides a crucial lifeline for those in our care. Secure video calls have now been introduced at all prisons across England and Wales. As of 5 April, over 169,000 secure video calls have been made. Currently 66% of prison cells have in-cell telephony.</p><p> </p><p>We have tailored guidance for supporting specific groups of people in prison whose wellbeing may be more impacted by Covid-19 measures put in place. We are delivering more in cell-activity and are continuing to improve our offer to support prisoners during this period.</p><p> </p><p>Work is currently underway to roll-out of a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT), which is the care planning process for prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm. This is first being rolled-out in the female estate and ten ACCT pilot sites from April 2021, followed by roll-out in the rest of the estate in Summer 2021. We will, however, be keeping these timeframes under review to ensure they remain feasible in the context of covid-19.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 179675 179677 question first answered 15/04/2021 15:36:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

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

1300229

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the update posted on www.gov.uk on 23 February 2021, what steps he is taking to allow prison visits to resume.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	164385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>Social visits to prisons are currently suspended given the risks from Covid-19 and the need to minimise non-essential travel at this time. We continue to support social visits in compassionate circumstances, including visits to children in custody.</p><p>In line with the community position, over the coming weeks and months we will support establishments to ease some of the restrictions currently in place, guided by public health advice and as it becomes safe to do so. To support the delivery of greater regime activity, significant additional measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of Covid-19 as much as possible. The mitigations we have introduced mean that we are now much better prepared for managing Covid-19 in prisons.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 11/03/2021 17:19:46 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1285816

registered interest
date	10/02/2021
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 steps they have taken in the last 12 months to maintain visiting rights for prisoners while there have been restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic; how many visits were permitted for each category of prisoner each month; what estimate they have made of the percentage of all prisoners who have received visitors since March 2020; and whether all prison visitors are required to produce a negative COVID-19 test.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL13220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>In response to COVID-19, the MoJ/HMPPS took decisive action to protect staff and prisoners. These changes are set out in ‘COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services’, available attached and here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services</a>. In line with this framework and public health advice, at different times during the pandemic social face-to-face visits in the adult estate have had to be temporarily suspended (other than on exceptional compassionate grounds which need to be agreed in advance with the prison). Visits to children in the Youth Custody Estate (YCS) have continued. Official/ legal visits have continued, conducted remotely where possible.</p><p> </p><p>Social visits during the pandemic have taken place in line with the National Framework and a regime Exception Delivery Model with additional measures put in place to ensure that they can do so in a COVID-19 secure manner. These have had to include restricting the numbers of visits, length of visits and numbers of visitors in each session. We do not require evidence of a negative test as a pre-cursor to visiting. Decisions as to how visits operate at each establishment within this framework are determined through locally led assessments informed by Public Health advice. Information on how visits operate is set out on each establishment’s information page on GOV.UK, available here; <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prisons-in-england-and-wales" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prisons-in-england-and-wales</a>, and communicated to those wishing to visit as part of the local booking arrangements. In line with the National Framework, arrangements for social visits remain under constant review in light of public health guidance.</p><p> </p><p>Data on the numbers of visits is not collated and held nationally. This information cannot therefore be provided without disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>As part of a wider package of measures to enable those in prison and the YCS to maintain contact with families and significant others throughout the pandemic, we also introduced circa 1,500 additional mobile PIN phones, have provided additional PIN credit and have introduced an emergency secure Video Calling service which to date has supported over 100,000 calls.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 24/02/2021 17:41:33 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar attachment 1 file name prisons-national-framework.pdf title PDF
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1253369

registered interest
date	18/11/2020
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 when they expect family visits to prisoners in England and Wales to resume; and whether they intend to give priority to the most vulnerable (1) prisoners, and (2) families.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL10476
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2020 answer text <p>Following the reintroduction of national lockdown measures on 5 November, we have paused face-to-face social visits in prisons in England. There are exemptions for compassionate reasons, including visits to children in custody. Family visits in Wales are permitted, although in some establishments with active outbreaks they have been temporarily suspended on public health grounds. We will reintroduce face-to-face social visits as soon as safe to do so, guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can safely be implemented.</p><p>Prioritisation of visits is done locally, but we have instructed governors to consider the needs of vulnerable prisoners in their implementation plans.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 02/12/2020 13:42:40 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1251625

registered interest
date	12/11/2020
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 progress they have made in increasing awareness of the Assisted Prisons Visits scheme among (1) prisoners, and (2) visitors, since the publication of the report by the National Offender Management Service Families Do Matter Project Report 2009, which found that 38 per cent of prisoners and visitors were unaware of that scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Farmer
uin	HL10280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>A new online Help with Visits service (formerly known as the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme) was introduced in June 2017 to simplify the application process and the ease of access to the service for members of the public who are visiting prisons.</p><p> </p><p>Family service providers have continued to assist HMPPS with raising the profile of the Help with Visits Scheme and, through their service user forum, have provided feedback on the design of the updated literature. This will be launched once Covid-19 restrictions ease across the prison estate.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, a pilot across a number of prisons will be used to review eligibility criteria to help inform potential changes that may be made to improve access to social visits for prisoners and their families.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 26/11/2020 17:19:26 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4321 label Biography information for Lord Farmer