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1045437

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review their policy of requiring those refugees who have been granted leave to remain to find their own accommodation within 28 days.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL12973
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been working on a number of initiatives to ensure that refugees are able to access benefits and housing promptly once any support they been provided by the Home Office ends 28 days after the grant of their status.</p><p>Refugees are eligible to receive assistance with housing from their local authority, in the same way as British Citizens or other permanent residents of the UK, and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Asylum accommodation providers are under a contractual duty to refer these cases to the appropriate local authority.</p><p>The Home Office also provides a Biometric Residence Permit and National Insurance Number to enable newly recognised refugees to make an application for benefits and arranges an appointment with their nearest Job Centre if they confirm that they want assistance to make the application.</p><p>Refugees are entitled to access English language tuition if they are unemployed and looking for work.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL12974 question first answered 04/02/2019 16:47:01 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1045438

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to support those refugees who have been granted leave to remain and are expected to find their own accommodation within 28 days; and in particular, what specific support they provide to such refugees in regard to (1) practical difficulties, (2) unsuitability of available accommodation, and (3) transitional and language challenges.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL12974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been working on a number of initiatives to ensure that refugees are able to access benefits and housing promptly once any support they been provided by the Home Office ends 28 days after the grant of their status.</p><p>Refugees are eligible to receive assistance with housing from their local authority, in the same way as British Citizens or other permanent residents of the UK, and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Asylum accommodation providers are under a contractual duty to refer these cases to the appropriate local authority.</p><p>The Home Office also provides a Biometric Residence Permit and National Insurance Number to enable newly recognised refugees to make an application for benefits and arranges an appointment with their nearest Job Centre if they confirm that they want assistance to make the application.</p><p>Refugees are entitled to access English language tuition if they are unemployed and looking for work.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL12973 question first answered 04/02/2019 16:47:01 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1045439

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Great Western Railway: Timetables
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as a result of Great Western Railway (GWR) IEP trains running early and having to wait at intermediate stations, they intend to allow alterations to the GWR timetable in May.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL12975
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2019 answer text <p>The replacement of Great Western Railway High Speed Trains by new Intercity Express Trains is not yet complete, and a key lesson from the May 2018 timetable issues is not to plan major timetable changes that rely on the completion of major programmes until all the relevant elements which need to be in place have been delivered. Network Rail is responsible for making changes to the timetable and is working with GWR to deliver a new timetable that delivers the journey time and capacity benefits of the Intercity Express Trains in a robust manner as soon as possible.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 01/02/2019 11:44:35 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1045440

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Brexit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to seek an extension to Article 50; and if so, until what date.
tabling member printed	Lord Dykes
uin	HL12976
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>We are committed to leaving the EU on 29 March 2019. In any case, the EU are very unlikely simply to agree to extend Article 50 without a plan for how we are going to approve a deal.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 05/02/2019 16:54:08 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	810 label Biography information for Lord Dykes

1045441

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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 Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to stop the use of six month custodial sentences; and if so, when they plan to bring forward the proposals necessary to make such a change.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL12977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>We would like to see short custodial sentences imposed much less frequently and to have a stronger emphasis on community penalties, including those which address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, or provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community. There is persuasive evidence showing that short custodial sentences do not work in terms of rehabilitation and helping some offenders turn their backs on crime. Community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending, and therefore keeping the public safe.</p><p> </p><p>We are therefore exploring options to restrict the use of short custodial sentences, but we have not at this stage reached any conclusions.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL12978 question first answered 04/02/2019 16:12:25 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1045442

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Community Orders
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to increase the number of community sentences rather than custodial sentences.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL12978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>We would like to see short custodial sentences imposed much less frequently and to have a stronger emphasis on community penalties, including those which address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, or provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community. There is persuasive evidence showing that short custodial sentences do not work in terms of rehabilitation and helping some offenders turn their backs on crime. Community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending, and therefore keeping the public safe.</p><p> </p><p>We are therefore exploring options to restrict the use of short custodial sentences, but we have not at this stage reached any conclusions.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL12977 question first answered 04/02/2019 16:12:25 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1045443

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prison Sentences: Scotland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the presumption against prison sentences of three months or less in Scotland; if so, what lessons they have learned from that policy; and what assessment they have made of the success of that policy on the rate of reoffending.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL12979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>The Scottish Government’s consultation in 2015 on Proposals to Strengthen the Presumption against Short Periods of Imprisonment refers to an evaluation, conducted in 2013-14, of the impact of the current presumption against sentences of 3 months or less (<a href="https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00485797.pdf" target="_blank">https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00485797.pdf</a>). It concludes that while the presumption, which has been in place since 2011, underlines the Scottish Government’s intention to move away from short sentences, the three month limit has had little practical impact.</p><p>We have noted this assessment and the pledge by the Scottish Government to extend the presumption to sentences of 12 months or less so that it has a more direct impact on reducing short custodial imprisonment.</p><p> </p><p>However, sentencing law in England and Wales is different from that in Scotland. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 already requires a court before imposing a custodial sentence of any length to be satisfied that the offence is so serious that only custody is merited. We therefore already have a requirement in law that custody should be a last resort, but we are looking at what more we can do to emphasise this and will continue to monitor developments in Scotland.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 04/02/2019 15:52:19 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1045444

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offenders: Rehabilitation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce residential centres for men as a means of reducing re-offending.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL12980
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>At present, the Ministry of Justice is only proposing to pilot residential centres for women and not for men. However, we recognise the differing needs of male and female offenders and are committed to improving the way we meet the housing and rehabilitative needs of both women and men.</p><p> </p><p>There are many ways in which MoJ and its agencies provide housing and interventions for male and female offenders in the community. The Ministry of Justice invests approximately £63million per annum into offender accommodation. The Bail Accommodation Support Services provide 550 beds across England and Wales. In addition, there are 100 Approved premises that provide over 2,200 spaces for high risk offenders. These are short-term accommodation hostels, which provide a community based alternative to custody for specific cohorts of offenders. Probation Providers work with those individuals to provide them with the necessary support to enable them to move-on to settled accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, as part of the Government initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate rough sleeping across England, the Ministry of Justice will invest up to £6.4 million in a pilot scheme to help ex-offenders into accommodation from three prisons, namely Bristol, Pentonville and Leeds. The pilots will specifically focus on male prisoners who have served under 12 months, who have been identified as having a risk of homelessness.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 04/02/2019 16:11:42 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1045445

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Overcrowding
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 number of prisons operating at over 150 per cent of their capacity.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL12981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>There are no prisons operating over their operational capacity in England and Wales. The operational capacity of a prison is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by the prison group directors on the basis of operational judgement and experience.</p><p>Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA), or uncrowded capacity, is the Prison Service’s own measure of accommodation. CNA represents the good, decent standard of accommodation that the Service aspires to provide all prisoners. CNA differs to the operational capacity of a prison which is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by the Prison Group Directors on the basis of operational judgement and experience.</p><p>Where the operational capacity of a prison is higher than the CNA it will be classed as having the potential to be 'crowded', which can mean prisoners share cells. In the financial year 2017-18, 24.2% of the prison population was being held in crowded conditions, down from 24.5% in the previous year.</p><p>As part of prison reform, the long-term goal is to reduce crowding, while maintaining sufficient capacity in the prison estate to manage the demands of the courts and the sentenced population as efficiently as possible. This level is kept under constant review, considering fluctuations in the prison population and useable capacity across the estate.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 04/02/2019 16:03:39 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1045446

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	River Thames: Cocaine
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 impact on eels of cocaine in the river Thames; and what steps they intend to take to reduce the level of cocaine in that river.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL12982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes a wide range of monitoring in the River Thames, including some exploratory monitoring for cocaine, to manage water quality and inform future regulatory approaches where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The EA is working with Thames Water and other water companies to undertake extensive investigations to assess a wide range of chemicals entering rivers through wastewater treatment works. The investigations have shown that wastewater treatment works significantly reduce the concentrations of many chemicals before they are discharged to rivers. Although cocaine is not part of these investigations, it is likely that it will be similarly affected by wastewater treatment.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is currently in construction and will be operational by 2023, will significantly reduce the frequency and volume of discharges of storm sewage and improve water quality in the tidal Thames. This will reduce levels of associated chemicals in the tidal river.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 04/02/2019 14:48:19 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham