Justice ministers were answering questions in the Commons. Subjects
covered included...
To read any of these in greater detail, either click on the link
above or see below.
Stillbirths
(East Worthing and Shoreham)
(Con)
1. What progress he has made on bringing into force the terms of
the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc)
Act 2019 to extend the power to coroners to investigate
stillbirths. [900811]
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice ()
May I welcome my new ministerial colleagues, my hon. and learned
Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire () and my hon. Friend the
Member for Cheltenham (), to their places?
I recently consulted on proposals for introducing coronial
investigations of stillbirths, along with a colleague in the
Department of Health and Social Care, and we will publish our
consultation response in the early summer. I will of course be
pleased to meet my hon. Friend about this issue.
It is good to see my right hon. and learned Friend in his place
and I know he is sympathetic to this, but the Civil Partnerships,
Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act became law in May
last year and the consultation on the terms of how the Coroners
and Justice Act 2009 could be changed finished last summer, as he
said. The former Justice Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for
Charnwood (), did a lot of
preparatory work on this, and since then there have been further
cases of clusters of stillbirths. What is the hold-up?
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend and share his strong
commitment to this issue. Many Members in this House have been
touched directly or indirectly by the tragedy of stillbirth. It
is important to note that we are ahead of target in halving
stillbirths by 2025. I fully accept, however, that bereaved
parents need answers now. We will be publishing the consultation
response as soon as possible. I want to move this on as quickly
as possible. I give him that assurance.
Istanbul Convention
(Bath) (LD)
2. What steps he is taking to implement the Istanbul convention
on action against violence against women and domestic violence.
[900812]
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice ()
The United Kingdom signed the convention in 2012 to reaffirm our
strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls,
and, as required by the Preventing and Combating Violence Against
Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act
2017, we published the latest annual report on our progress
towards ratification on 31 October. I can assure the hon. Lady
that in forthcoming legislation we will include the necessary
measures to cover all parts of the United Kingdom to ensure
compliance.
The Istanbul convention enshrines the rights of survivors of
sexual violence; it includes the right to access crisis
counselling and mental health support. Over 6,000 people are
currently waiting to be seen by mental health specialists after
experiencing sexual violence. Most of them have been told they
will have to wait over a year to get help. What will the right
hon. and learned Gentleman do to urgently address this?
As well as introducing our important domestic abuse Bill, we are
already committing more resources to rape crisis centres. For
example, rape and sexual abuse support services have had their
funding increased to £32 million over the next three years—an
increase of over 50%—which will provide free advice, support and
counselling at 94 rape support centres, which is more than ever
before. That is encouraging progress.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
On International Women’s Day last year, Ireland became the 34th
country to ratify the Istanbul convention, but unfortunately the
United Kingdom is one of only six countries yet to do so. Can we
take this as an indication of where the UK intends to position
itself on the world stage in terms of rights and protections of
citizens post-Brexit?
I can reassure the hon. and learned Lady that not only is the
United Kingdom committed both internationally and domestically
through legislation—I know that she actively supported that back
in 2017—to implement the convention, but in many respects we are
ahead of the obligations that the convention places upon us, and
we are among the leaders of the world in our support and in our
approach to violence against women and girls and the victims of
sexual abuse. We should not be complacent about that, but it is
worth reminding ourselves of how far we have come.
That is all very well, but the right hon. and learned Gentleman’s
own Government’s report identified two major respects in which UK
law has yet to comply sufficiently to make us able to ratify the
convention. The legislation to which he refers, introduced by my
former colleague , was introduced three
years ago, so what we need to know today is what is stopping the
UK Government following the lead of the Scots and the Irish. Is
it by any chance the requirement to support migrant women
experiencing domestic abuse, who often find it impossible to
access emergency protection because of the no recourse to public
funds condition? His own Government identified that as one of the
two major problems. What will be done about that, and when?
The hon. and learned Lady knows that in response to the Joint
Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill the Government are
taking careful account of the evidence that has been provided on
that specific issue. In previous annual reports we have indicated
compliance with the articles, but we have to make sure that the
concerns raised in the Joint Committee are properly addressed. We
will no doubt have an opportunity with the forthcoming Bill to
debate these issues, and I look forward to engaging with the hon.
and learned Lady on the subject.
Deradicalisation of Prisoners: Longer Sentences
(Eltham) (Lab)
3. What assessment he has made of the effect of longer prison
sentences on the deradicalisation of prisoners. [900813]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
In order to protect the public, it is vital that those who are
convicted of terrorism offences serve a longer proportion of
their prison sentence in prison and are subject to release after
an assessment by the Parole Board. Experience shows that the path
towards deradicalisation is very complex, and interventions need
to be provided over a significant period to have an impact on
rehabilitation.
I am grateful for that answer, but surely the purpose of putting
someone who needs to be deradicalised in prison and lengthening
their sentence has to be to give a greater opportunity for
deradicalisation. What resources will be made available to people
serving longer sentences to make that deradicalisation effective?
The hon. Member will know that in January we announced a £90
million package of measures to counter extremism. Within that,
there is a £3 million package for specialist
intervention—counter-terrorism programmes and intervention
centres—to build an evidence base for what works. We are also
training our prison officers to assess when there are incidents,
report them and challenge terrorist behaviour.
(South Holland and The
Deepings) (Con)
When the Lord Chancellor introduced the Bill to curtail the early
release of prisoners with his usual mix of alacrity and wisdom, I
suggested on Second Reading, based on information from the House
of Commons Library, that about 160 people might have been
released early. Since then, having received further advice from
our excellent Library experts, it has become clear that the Home
Office quarterly report does not distinguish between early
release and all release. Will the Minister take the opportunity
to set the record straight by telling the House exactly how many
prisoners have been released before serving their full custodial
term of sentence in each year since 2013?
My right hon. Friend has a lot of experience in this area, having
been the Minister for Security, and I was very pleased to work
with him on the Investigatory Powers Bill. He is right to
highlight that very important point. We are looking into this
matter and I am very happy to write to him with the precise
details in due course.
(Tottenham) (Lab)
The Minister will know that the Prime Minister asked me to carry out a
review of disproportionality in the justice system. It showed a
very worrying rise not just in disproportionality for all ethnic
minorities but in the Muslim population in our prisons. Will the
Minister ask the Secretary of State to meet me to discuss the
Department’s progress on the review, a review that successive
Secretaries of State have taken very seriously?
We were very happy to receive the right hon. Member’s review in
2017 on ethnic minority individuals in the criminal justice
system and have acted on many of its recommendations. We recently
published an update on progress across the Lammy recommendations,
which demonstrates a range of work. I am very happy to meet him.
I do not make that offer on behalf of the Secretary of
State—[Interruption.] I hear that the Secretary of State is also
happy to meet him to discuss the very important work on this
area.
Reoffending Reduction
(Meon Valley) (Con)
4. What plans he has to help reduce prisoner reoffending.
[900814]
(Burnley)
(Con)
7. What plans he has to reduce prisoner reoffending. [900817]
(Clwyd South) (Con)
13. What plans he has to reduce prisoner reoffending. [900823]
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice ()
There will be a renewed and ambitious cross-Government effort to
reduce reoffending. It will build on the existing established
partnerships with a range of other Government Departments. We
will focus on addressing the health of offenders, educational
attainment, rebuilding or reinforcing family relationships, and
housing and employment issues.
Mrs Drummond
Many of those in prison have low educational attainment and lack
skills, which makes it difficult for them to integrate on
release. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that
education and training in prisons give offenders the skills they
need to have successful crime-free lives when they are released?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. She can be reassured
that in April 2019 we implemented new prison education contracts
which deliver services designed by prison governors and staff to
best meet the specific needs of their prisoners and local labour
markets. Indeed, we will be developing a new prison education
service that will build on further commissioning, improving the
range of training available to prisoners that is directly linked
to real jobs on their release.
As someone who used to mentor young offenders, I saw at first
hand the impact that not having somewhere to go after release had
on them and their chances of getting into meaningful employment.
What steps is my right hon. and learned Friend taking to ensure
that those who leave prison have somewhere safe to live?
My hon. Friend speaks with authority on this matter. It is
simple: a home, a job and a friend are the path away from
reoffending. Through the Government’s rough sleeping strategy, we
are investing up to £6.4 million in a pilot scheme to support
individuals released from three named prisons: Bristol, Leeds and
Pentonville. I am sure that that work can be scaled up to offer
released prisoners a real opportunity to have stable
accommodation.
Does the Secretary of State agree that a key pathway to reducing
reoffending is through meaningful and rewarding paid work that
prisoners can do, such as that provided by my constituent in
Clwyd South, Kerry Mackay, whose rapidly expanding business based
in Llangollen sells environmentally friendly, biodegradable
cleaning pads called Scrubbies, some of which are made by
prisoners in Warrington and Wrexham?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for citing an example from
Llangollen, a wonderful part of my homeland. I agree that
meaningful and rewarding paid work can contribute to ex-offenders
turning their backs on crime, and I commend his constituent for
recognising that potential. As a result of the New Futures
Network that was set up last year, over 480 businesses have
signed up to offer work to prisoners as a pathway out of crime.
(Leeds East) (Lab)
With their privatisation of probation, the free market
fundamentalists in the Conservative party sent reoffending up and
made working-class communities less safe. Despite acknowledging
that that privatisation failed, under new plans the Tories are
still insisting on handing hundreds of millions of pounds over to
private companies. Is that because they are ideologically wedded
to the free market, or is it because the Tory party is in the
pockets of the billionaires and the private corporations?
The only fundamentalist I see is sitting on the Benches dead
ahead. This Government are committed to reforming and improving
the probation service by creating a truly national framework. I
make no apology for wanting to harness the ability of small
organisations and charities who specialise in rehabilitation,
working together with our National Probation Service. We are not
ideological; the hon. Gentleman is.
I am afraid that even though the Government do not like it, what
I said is in fact the truth. They even had a Justice Minister who
was a spin doctor for the private sector justice giant, Serco. If
they want to show that they actually care about public safety,
will they guarantee today that any corporate giant involved in
the probation privatisation scandal will be excluded, as they
should be, from the new probation contracts? No waffle, please—a
simple yes or no will suffice.
The hon. Gentleman tries very hard to pin the ideological cap on
me and our Front Benchers. I am afraid that he is playing a very
old record that needs to be changed. We take an entirely new
approach to probation. We will look at all providers and judge
them on their past record, but we want to make sure that we
obtain maximum value for money, harnessing the best of our
National Probation Service with the work of the third sector, the
voluntary sector and, indeed, the private sector, where
appropriate.
(Ogmore) (Lab)
I have no doubt about the Lord Chancellor’s sincerity in trying
to help people not to reoffend. I also know that he cares deeply
about Wales. There is a specific problem with female reoffenders
and there not being a women’s centre in Wales. Will he update the
House on the progress he has made with the Welsh Government on
ensuring that a women’s centre will be built in Wales in the
coming months and years?
The hon. Gentleman is right to press me on this. It is an
ambition of mine to attain that, bearing in mind my deep
knowledge of women offenders and the fact that Eastwood Park is
the nearest secure accommodation for them. At the moment, I
cannot promise specific plans, but I am prepared to work with him
and indeed the Welsh Government to make that a reality through
our excellent women offenders strategy, which is championed by
the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, my hon. and learned
Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire ().
(South Norfolk)
(Con)
Is the Lord Chancellor aware of the work of the Community Self
Build Agency in helping ex-offenders to create their own
dwellings, which they can then rent at an affordable rate and
possibly buy in the future, and the startling effect that that
has had on recidivism rates? Given that the National Self Build
& Renovation Centre is in his constituency, will he consider
working with the Right to Build Task Force on a project to scale
up models that have already been demonstrated to work in this
area?
My hon. Friend is right to mention the National Self Build &
Renovation Centre. I am very interested in modern methods of
construction and how they could be developed on the secure estate
as a real contribution to our housing supply issue, and I would
be very interested to work with him and the organisation he
mentions to make that more of a reality.
(Coatbridge, Chryston
and Bellshill) (SNP)
In Scotland, we have seen a fall in reoffending rates, which are
now at a 20-year low. This is a remarkable achievement by the
Scottish Government, who have reformed the justice system by
focusing on community sentences, such as community payback
orders, and a presumption against short sentences. Will the Lord
Chancellor meet his counterpart in the Scottish Government to
discuss what the UK Government can do to learn from the SNP
Scottish Government?
I welcome the spirit in which the hon. Gentleman raises his
question. When I was Solicitor General, I met the lead official
on community sentencing in the Scottish Government, who had a lot
of experience here in the capital and elsewhere in England. Yes,
there is a lot we can learn, although I am not with him on an
absolute abolition of short-term sentences. The evidence does not
necessarily point to it making a big contribution to a reduction
in reoffending. However, there is a stubborn cohort of prolific
offenders who end up in a revolving door situation, and it is
that agenda that I will be addressing as part of my smart
approach to sentencing later in the year.
(Haltemprice and Howden)
(Con)
For one category of crime—domestic violence—the moment of release
of the perpetrator is the start of a period of fear for their
erstwhile victim. Has the Lord Chancellor considered the
possibility of extending the restrictions and restraints on those
criminals beyond the sentence period they are given in court?
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for raising an issue of
deep concern to us all. He will be reassured to know that a range
of options is available now to the courts, including restriction
orders, serious crime prevention orders and other types of court
order, that can prevent the perpetrator from contact or
association with his or her victim. I would be happy to discuss
the matter further with him. I do not want to add unnecessarily
to the statute book, but he will be encouraged, I think, by the
provisions in the domestic abuse Bill that will help to knit
together the approach we want to take to protect victims of
domestic abuse more effectively.
(Strangford) (DUP)
A significant number of prisoners are ex-service personnel, many
of them suffering from PTSD. To make sure they do not reoffend,
what is being done to help them in prison with their PTSD?
The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of veterans. It is
important to remember that many of our veterans serve in our
Prison Service as prison officers, probation officers and other
dedicated public servants, and the learning they bring is often
the best possible support that can be given to veterans who end
up in the criminal justice system. I assure him that a lot of
work goes into that issue, but yes more can be done—the
identification of veterans is very important, although not the
easiest thing to solve—and I take on board his comments and
welcome his commitment.
Prison Capacity
(Sleaford and North
Hykeham) (Con)
5. What steps his Department is taking to increase prison
capacity. [900815]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
We are investing £2.5 billion in an additional 10,000 prison
places. This is on top of the 3,500 prison places already being
built and in the pipeline.
Dr Johnson
Which types of offenders will my hon. and learned Friend be
prioritising for these new prison places, and what will she do to
make sure they are given opportunities for reform and that they
are places of rehabilitation, not just incarceration?
The next two prisons being built, at Wellingborough and Glen
Parva, will be category C resettlement prisons that will house
low-risk offenders coming to the end of their sentences, and will
provide them with modern, safe and secure living conditions will
enable them to rehabilitate. My hon. Friend is right that
rehabilitation is critical, and the prisons will have in them
industry spaces to enable them to learn skills and get jobs on
the outside.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
(PC)
I rise as co-chair of the justice unions parliamentary group.
Figures released last week revealed that prison officers were
resigning at record rates, which prompts the question: how can
the Government consider increasing prison capacity without first
dealing with the staffing crisis? How does the Minister propose
to retain staff currently leaving the Prison Service in their
droves, given the toxic combination of poor pay, a dangerous
workplace and an inhumane pension age?
The hon. Member is right to draw attention to the importance of
prison officers, because they are critical to the whole system. I
am very pleased that we have beaten our recruitment and retention
targets with a net increase of over 4,300 officers, but, as the
hon. Member says, we need to keep them safe. We are rolling out a
number of measures including the use of PAVA—the pepper spray—and
6,000 body-worn cameras, improving and increasing training, and
building on the key workers scheme which enables officers to
build a relationship with the prisoners under their control and
which we know is helping to reduce violence in our prisons.
Retail Crime: Sentences
(Tewkesbury)
(Con)
6. What steps he is taking to increase the length of sentences
for people convicted of retail crime. [900816]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
My hon. Friend is right to ask that question. Shops are the
lifeblood of our local communities, and shopkeepers should be
free to go about their business without fear. My hon. Friend is,
of course, a tireless campaigner on this issue.
Shoplifting is covered by section 1 of the Theft Act 1968. It is
triable either way, in a Crown court or a magistrates court, and
carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
Mr Robertson
Can the Minister assure me that not only his own Department but
the Home Office take retail crime, particularly shop crime,
seriously? There is a feeling in the trade that what is sometimes
referred to as low-level crime is not taken seriously at all,
which, of course, just encourages it.
Once again, my hon. Friend has made a very good point. The
Policing Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for North West
Hampshire (), is present, and will have
heard it. One of the issues on which the extra 20,000 police
officers will focus is exactly the one to which he has
referred—the need to ensure that our shopkeepers are kept safe
and that, when crimes are committed against them, the crimes are
investigated thoroughly and those responsible are prosecuted.
Domestic Abuse
(Darlington) (Con)
8. What steps he is taking to support victims of domestic abuse
through the criminal justice system. [900818]
(Shrewsbury and Atcham)
(Con)
11. What steps he is taking to support victims of domestic abuse
through the criminal justice system. [900821]
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
21. What steps he is taking to support victims of domestic abuse
through the criminal justice system. [900831]
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice ()
Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime, and we are determined to
better protect and support victims and their children and bring
perpetrators to justice. We are fully committed to enacting the
landmark domestic abuse Bill during this Session. That Bill, and
the wider action plan, will help to ensure that victims have the
confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in
the knowledge that those in the justice system and other agencies
will do all in their power to protect and support them and their
children and to pursue the abusers.
What steps are being taken in tackling domestic abuse that are
directed at perpetrator programmes to deal with the root cause of
this serious problem?
My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue of perpetrator
engagement. There are a number of programmes aimed both at those
who have been convicted of domestic abuse and at those who have
not received such criminal convictions but who pose a real risk.
The programmes address the factors that lead to domestic abuse,
helping to teach people how to solve problems, manage their own
emotions, and make the changes in their lives that will render
them less rather than more likely to commit acts of domestic
abuse. However, the effectiveness of the programmes is subject to
ongoing review via monitoring and evaluation.
Will the Minister give a cast-iron guarantee that the domestic
abuse Bill will be reintroduced during this Session?
Yes.
, the Staffordshire police and
crime commissioner, reports that three out of four victims of
domestic abuse in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire have children,
and local head teachers have raised concerns with me about the
effect on those children. What are the Government doing to
support children who have witnessed domestic violence?
My hon. Friend raises a very important issue. Domestic abuse has
a devastating impact on children and young people, which is why
the Government have provided £8 million over the last two years
for services designed to support children who are affected by it.
We are also supporting the roll-out of Operation Encompass, which
ensures that information is shared between the police and local
schools when children have been exposed to domestic abuse.
Following last year’s children in need review, we have committed
ourselves to further action to improve the way in which that
service is delivered.
(Bolton South East)
(Lab)
At the moment, the justice system is failing the most vulnerable
victims. Far too often, domestic abusers are using the family and
criminal courts to publicly re-traumatise their victims. Will the
Minister ensure that no woman is callously and unjustly
cross-examined by her abuser, and will he ensure that these
provisions are in place by the end of this year at the latest?
The hon. Lady is right to raise the perpetuation of abuse through
the court system. That is why the provisions in the domestic
abuse Bill relating to the prohibition of cross-examination by
perpetrators are so important, and they will remain in the Bill
when it is reintroduced. She will remember welcoming it last
time. I can assure her that the special measures that we have
already taken in the criminal courts, which she knows about, will
be replicated in other forums to offer maximum protection and
support to victims who get abused in that way.
(Sheffield, Heeley) (Lab)
Given the recent well-publicised judgment in the Court of Appeal
on consent and the family courts, does the Secretary of State
agree with the President of the Family Court when he said:
“I am confident that every judge and every magistrate undertaking
family law proceedings now fully understands…the emotional and
psychological harm that may be inflicted by one adult in a close
relationship upon the other and upon their children”.
If he does not share the president’s confidence, will he raise
that matter with Andrew McFarlane urgently?
The hon. Lady raises an important point. This relates to a case
that enlisted an appropriately high degree of public interest and
concern. She will be glad to know that I will be seeing the
president tomorrow and that we will discuss this issue. I do
share his confidence; he is an extremely experienced family
practitioner and judge whose judgment I respect, and I will be
talking about that issue, among many others, with him tomorrow
morning.
(Birmingham, Selly Oak)
(Lab)
20. My constituent has been a victim of domestic abuse,
harassment and assault. The offender got a community
rehabilitation order but Staffordshire and West Midlands failed
to enforce it, so he has walked scot-free and she is still being
harassed. Where is the justice for her? [900830]
It would be wrong of me to comment on an individual case, but
there is a general principle about the enforcement of court
orders and something has clearly gone seriously wrong here. That
is why, as Minister of State and now as Lord Chancellor, I am
driving forward, together with my colleague the Minister of
State, thoroughgoing reform of the process so that we can ensure
that when community orders are made they are properly enforced.
If the hon. Gentleman wants to write to me about that particular
case, I would be happy to hear his representations.
(Redcar) (Con)
What assessment has my right hon. and learned Friend made of the
rape and sexual abuse fund, and does he have any plans to
increase its funding?
My hon. Friend raises an important point that affects people in
his constituency and others right across the country. He will be
glad to know that I have already referred to an increase to £32
million in regard to rape support services. We are also
increasing support for independent sexual violence advisors. We
announced a £5 million package relating to support services in
September, and I want to drive that work further forward, first
with the improved victims code and then with a victims law.
Together with that, the evidence clearly shows that independent
sexual violence advisors really make a difference when it comes
to the maintenance of complaints of a sexual nature.
Public Protection Sentences: BAME Backgrounds
(Birmingham, Ladywood)
(Lab)
9. What estimate he has made of the proportion of people serving
imprisonment for public protection sentences that are from black,
Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. [900819]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
No one should face any discrimination. I am pleased to have been
able to answer this question earlier by stating that we welcomed
and have acted upon the Lammy review. The proportion of BAME and
IPP prisoners is lower than the proportion of BAME prisoners as a
whole: 23% of IPP prisoners are from the BAME backgrounds,
compared with 27% of the overall population.
Cases that I have been dealing with as a constituency MP concern
me because of the potential for the race disparities that we know
exist within the justice system, as the Minister has just said,
to manifest themselves in cases of IPP prisoners from a BAME
background, particularly in relation to access to courses and to
the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. What can
the Minister do to ensure that the injustices relating to IPP
sentences are not further compounded by our systemic problem with
race in the criminal justice system?
The hon. Member is absolutely right to say that IPP prisoners
need an opportunity for hope. They need the Prison Service to
provide opportunities for reform and to help those prisoners to
reform, so that at the end of the process, the Parole Board can
consider them appropriately for release. She is right to identify
the fact that there used to be a waiting list for certain
accredited offender behaviour courses, but that is no longer the
case apart from in relation to one. We are doing our best to
ensure that all prisoners get the rehabilitation that they need
while they are with us in the Prison Service.
Custodial Sentences: Non-UK Citizens
(Kettering) (Con)
10. How many non-UK citizens are serving custodial sentences; and
if he will negotiate compulsory prisoner transfer agreements with
other countries. [900820]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
I understand my hon. Friend’s concern about foreign nationals in
our prisons. As he is aware, we have 110 prisoner transfer
agreements with countries and territories around the world, and
we continue to work closely with other Governments to try to
increase that number.
Mr Hollobone
Foreign national offenders convicted in this country should serve
their terms of imprisonment at the expense of their own
Governments in their own countries. We may have 110 prisoner
transfer agreements, but only about three are compulsory. Now
that we have rediscovered our mojo for tough international
renegotiation, can we please have more compulsory prisoner
transfer agreements with high-volume crime countries with lots of
nationals in our prisons, such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Albania?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the importance of removing
foreign offenders to serve sentences in their own countries, and
we have removed 51,000 such offenders from our prisons since
2010. He is right to highlight that we have a number of
nationalities within our prisons, including a high number of
Albanian, Polish and Romanian prisoners. We are considering all
these matters in some detail.
Violence in Prisons
(Bedford) (Lab)
12. What assessment he has made of trends in the level of
violence in prisons. [900822]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
We have seen a slight decrease in assaults, and this year is the
first time that we have seen assaults fall since 2013. However,
we of course recognise that there is still more to do in this
area.
When the Minister visits HMP Bedford tomorrow, can she look the
governor in the eye and say that she is doing all she can to
ensure the health, safety and welfare of his staff when the last
Independent Monitoring Board report on Bedford prison revealed
chronic levels of sickness, with nearly a quarter of officers off
sick at times?
I am looking forward to visiting the prison in the hon. Member’s
constituency tomorrow and to speaking to the governor this
afternoon. I recognise that the prison has some challenges, but I
have heard that it is making real progress. I look forward to
discussing the measures being taken in Bedford and talking about
how we can support the prison to improve morale and the work of
prison officers and to rehabilitate the prisoners.
(Bradford East) (Lab)
This afternoon, trade unions representing the wide variety of
staff working in our prisons to keep us safe will meet to
finalise the safe prisons charter, which has been drawn up by
those facing violence in prisons first hand on a daily basis.
Will the Minister adopt the charter and put the safety of staff
first—yes or no?
I very much look forward to seeing the charter. It is difficult
to commit to it until I have seen it, but I am pleased to have
met regularly with the unions to discuss general issues relating
to their members. When I met prison officers at HMP Whitemoor
after they experienced a terrible incident in their prison, I was
bowled over to see their determination, resilience and stoicism
at first hand and to hear about the amazing work they do every
day and the support they give each other. I will look closely at
the document the hon. Gentleman mentions.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
Will my hon. and learned Friend outline her Department’s plans to
crack down on crime within prisons?
My hon. Friend makes an important point about crime in our
prisons, which takes several forms. A few months ago, we
announced expenditure of £100 million on security within our
prisons, which will enable us to stop the use of illicit phones,
prevent drugs from getting into our prisons, and increase our
intelligence and surveillance to stop criminal activity.
(Shipley) (Con)
Is it not about time the Government changed the law so that
anybody who is guilty of assaulting a prison officer loses their
automatic right to early release, thereby acting as a huge
deterrent for this appalling activity and giving prison officers
the support they deserve?
My hon. Friend has made a number of points on the criminal
justice system over a number of years that are all worth thinking
about. He is absolutely right about protecting our prison
officers. We have, as he will be aware, increased the sentence
for assaulting prison staff.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
No, we did!
Parliament brought it in, at the behest of the hon. Member’s
Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018—cross-party
working in this place is very important—and we continue to look
at this important area.
Veterans
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
14. What steps his Department is taking to support veterans in
the criminal justice system. [900824]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
The hon. Member raises an important question. We recognise the
unique nature of military service, which is why we committed in
our manifesto to offering veterans a guaranteed job interview for
any public sector role for which they apply. The MOJ continues to
work in partnership with military charities to improve the
prospects for ex-armed service personnel in the criminal justice
system.
I am grateful to the Minister for that response. She will know
that a recent Barnardo’s study, funded by the Forces in Mind
Trust, shows that veterans in custody and their families often do
not receive the support they need. Does she agree that more
effective identification of service leavers is needed, along with
dedicated veterans support officers?
Yes, I do. There is support available through the tremendous
amount of work that charities do in this sector, but people
cannot access that support if we do not identify them as veterans
in the first place. We have changed our systems during the
screening process to actively ask those entering custody about
previous service in the armed forces. That is recorded on the
basic custody screening tool but, of course, the more we record,
the more we can do.
Rape and Sexual Abuse Victims
(North Devon) (Con)
15. What steps his Department is taking to support victims of (a)
rape and (b) sexual abuse through the criminal justice system.
[900825]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
The Government are committed to ensuring victims of rape and
sexual violence have access to high-quality support services to
help them cope and, as far as possible, recover from the effects
of this devastating crime. From April, we will be increasing
funding to rape support services by 50% to £12 million and
investing an additional £1 million for independent sexual
violence advisers annually until 2022.
My constituent Dominique Martin has suffered the horror of being
a rape victim twice in her life. Dominique described her ordeal
to me as “like being murdered, except you are left alive.” What
is more, Dominique has had to wait 18 months and counting to see
the local mental health team. Will the Minister meet me to
discuss the issues Dominique has raised to ensure nobody else has
to suffer in the same way?
It is obviously very distressing to hear about this particular
case, and I am very sorry for the experience of my hon. Friend’s
constituent. I am, of course, more than happy to meet her to
discuss these matters. As the 2018 victims strategy has an
ambition to join up services across Government and, indeed, with
the third sector, I will endeavour to make sure a Health Minister
is there as well.
Early Legal Advice
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
16. What recent assessment he has made of the ability of social
security claimants to access early legal advice. [900826]
(Makerfield) (Lab)
24. What assessment he has made of trends in the number of people
able to access early legal advice. [900834]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice ()
In a nation of laws, access to justice is a fundamental right.
Legal aid for early legal advice remains available in many areas,
such as for asylum cases. In addition, legal aid is available
under the exceptional case funding scheme in any matter where
failure to provide it would breach or risk breaching someone’s
rights under the European convention.
I spoke last night about the deaths since 2014 of social security
claimants the Government had deemed to be fit for work. The
number of social security claimants wanting to appeal a decision
by the Department for Work and Pensions to stop or reduce their
support who received legal advice fell from 82,554 in 2012 to 163
in 2013—I repeat, 163—and it has since remained at that level.
What role have the cuts in legal advice to claimants had in
failing to protect our most vulnerable citizens, including from
the state?
Later this year, the Government will conduct a review of the
scope of legal aid, but that will sit alongside a lot of work on
scoping pilots to ensure that legal aid and support is provided
quickly, because early legal support is much better than late
legal support, that it is evidence-led on the basis of the pilots
and that it truly goes to those who need it most.
Working in an advice agency, I saw for myself that many people
have complex, interrelated problems and that access to early
advice that covers all aspects is key to the prevention of often
devastating and costly consequences, both to the individual and
the state. Will the Minister look into extending the pilots to
other areas of law, including family, housing and social security
law?
I pay tribute to the hon. Lady for the work that she did in an
advice agency. I entirely agree that if early support is
provided, it can make an enormous difference in solving problems
that would otherwise fester and become more difficult. A pilot is
taking place on social welfare law that will consider housing and
a raft of other aspects of law, and we will consider that
evidence extremely carefully. If the hon. Lady would like to
speak with me about it, I would be delighted to do that.
(Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)
It is now more than a year since the Government published the
“Legal Support: The Way Ahead” action plan as part of their
response to the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and
Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Since then, hardly any of the
deadlines for Government action have been met, including the
promise to
“pilot and evaluate the expansion of legal aid to cover early
advice in…social welfare”,
which was meant to happen “by autumn 2019.” Will the Minister
confirm when we are likely to see the proposals on early legal
advice and explain why the Government have completely missed the
deadlines in their document?
Proposals for the early legal advice pilot will sit alongside
pilots for co-located hubs and a legal support innovation fund.
Those pilots have to be got right, so they are being considered
together with academics to make sure that they will work
precisely as required, because what is ultimately provided must
be evidence-led and based on an exhaustive scrutiny of what
works, so that it is sustainable in the long run. That is
precisely what we shall do.
(Blackpool North and Cleveleys) (Con)
May I welcome my hon. Friend to his new role and suggest as his
first piece of homework that he look at Law for Life’s Advicenow
website, which provides early legal support for social welfare
claimants? Will he make sure that that is rolled out to existing
legal aid deserts, such as my constituency? Many of my
constituents could benefit from Advicenow’s services but simply
do not know that they exist in the first place.
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s extremely distinguished service
in the Department. On legal aid deserts, it is of course right
that those who are entitled to legal aid support can always
access it over the telephone—that is an important point—but none
the less, I very much take on board his points and would be happy
to discuss the matter with him should he wish.
Topical Questions
(City of Chester)
(Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities. [900836]
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice ()
Keeping the public safe from harm is the first duty of any
Government. The terror attack in Streatham earlier this month
sadly demonstrated that sentencing laws were not working as they
should. People’s lives were being put at risk by the automatic
early release of terrorist offenders without scrutiny by the
Parole Board. Now that the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of
Early Release) Bill has passed all its stages in both Houses,
convicted terrorists will serve at least two thirds of their
sentence before being considered for release.
The introduction of emergency legislation is not a step that the
Government would ever take lightly, but the law was not working
and we had a responsibility to act. I am pleased that this House
agreed with that assessment and we were able to get the new law
on the statute book as a matter of urgency.
Since 2010, the Conservatives have cut more than a third of all
funding to local authorities’ domestic and sexual violence
services. I have constituents coming to see me who are in
shelters for months or even years because the facilities are not
there. When are the Government going to bring forward the
domestic abuse Bill, which has cross-party support, so that we
can give justice to victims?
The hon. Gentleman will be glad to know that we intend to bring
that Bill forward very soon indeed—well before Easter—so that we
can debate it. He made a point about local government services;
no doubt, he will have welcomed the announcement on the local
government settlement that was made yesterday. He will know from
his own experience of local authorities, as indeed I know from my
local authority, that choices can be made to offer direct
assistance. For example, with women’s shelters and refuges,
decisions on non-domestic rates can help the funding of those
services. Important decisions were made about how homelessness
and housing support was given to make sure that the interests of
those centres were put first and foremost, because they are not
just shelters but places of rehabilitation and support.
(Rushcliffe) (Con)
T4. One of my constituents had £30,000 of his retirement savings
stolen by fraudsters impersonating a legitimate bank and using
Google’s advertising services to promote itself online. Will my
hon. Friend meet me to discuss how we can improve support and
compensation for victims of such crimes? [900839]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice ()
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point. It is
appalling to hear of the experience of her constituent. On the
specific issue of compensation, following conviction for an
offence under the Fraud Act 2006 or, indeed under the Theft Act
1968, the court has the power to award compensation to victims or
even order confiscation of assets. I would, of course, be
delighted to speak to her to see how we can strengthen
protections more generally.
(Leeds East) (Lab)
The Grenfell public inquiry has been delayed again after firms
demanded assurances that their testimony will not be used against
them in a criminal case. We need new laws that force officials
and private companies to come clean about wrongdoings and
failures. The brave Hillsborough and Grenfell families called for
a public accountability law that would do this. In the past,
there has been cross-party coalitions of support for such a law,
often referred to as the Hillsborough law. Does the Justice
Secretary agree that it is now time for such a law?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising this important
point. He knows that it would be invidious for any of us to
comment directly on the ongoing inquiry, which he knows is a
judicial process. However, he makes an important point for the
long term about the status of individuals with regard to various
legal proceedings and consequences flowing from them. I would, of
course, be happy to talk to him further about that as an
important point that we need to consider carefully, and I will do
so.
(Montgomeryshire) (Con)
T6. Twenty-two members of a county lines drugs gang who are
infiltrating rural towns across Powys have been sentenced to a
combined 101 years. I cannot praise Dyfed-Powys police enough for
their role in this action. Will my hon. Friend assure me that
repeat offenders of the scourge of county lines will face harder,
longer and tougher sentencing? [900841]
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question and for his
tribute to the police. What we have done already, as he will be
aware, is that, for the most serious violent and sexual offences,
offenders will now have to serve two thirds of their sentences,
rather than half, sending a clear message that those who commit
serious crimes will be expected to pay for them.
(Cardiff Central) (Lab)
T2. Since the 2007 Corston review into women in the criminal
justice system, more than 100 women have died in our prisons.
Inquest has recently published an update to its report, “Still
Dying on the Inside”, which details both the tragic and often
unavoidable circumstances surrounding deaths of women in custody.
What concrete action have the Government taken to resolve this
crisis? [900837]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice ()
Every death in custody is a tragedy. Every death in custody is
investigated. What we need to do is to improve people’s mental
health, stop women and men self-harming in prison and give them
the skills and tools to turn around their lives through
employment. I recently visited HMP Send, a fantastic women’s
prison, and its therapeutic community, which offers a long
programme that helps women to come to terms with their offending
and to get their lives back on track. Those are the sorts of
programmes that do a great deal of work for women and men in
prison.
(Tewkesbury)
(Con)
T7. I was pleased to support the recent changes to the early
release for terrorists, but what more can the Department do to
protect residents of this country not only from terrorists but
from other serious offenders? Once again, I pay tribute to my
hon. Friend’s campaigning in this area. The Government will,
quite shortly, bring forward a counter-terrorism release and
sentencing Bill, which will make it clear that, for the most
serious terrorist offenders, there will be a minimum sentence of
14 years and that such offenders will serve all their sentence in
prison. [900842]
(Hove) (Lab)
T3. The Minister’s Department has taken the first steps of family
court reform by banning cross-examination of victims by
perpetrators, but a lot more needs to be done with family courts.
What plans has he got to reform and modernise the family courts?
[900838]
I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question. He
will know that the work of reform should never cease. There is a
lot of work being directed by the president of the family
division, and I have referred to the meeting that I am having
with him tomorrow. My view about family litigation is that we
need to take the confrontation out of it, particularly with
regard to children’s proceedings, where the interests of the
child have been, by dint of statute, paramount for the past 30
years. All too often, those interests are trampled underfoot by a
far too adversarial approach. I think that it is in that
direction that we need to be going, and I would be happy to
engage with him and, indeed, with all interested parties to
improve the experience of people in the family system.
(Telford) (Con)
May I say what a joy it is to see such a fantastic team on the
Front Bench?
Now that the case of the Post Office workers against the Post
Office has concluded with two damning judgments against the Post
Office, it is time for those wrongly convicted workers to have
their names cleared. Will the Minister work with the Criminal
Cases Review Commission to allow these cases to be dealt with as
a group, to ensure that justice can be done without further
delay?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the injustice that
has been suffered by so many, including—I am bound to say—someone
in my own constituency. The CCRC is seized of this matter. It
will, of course, have to consider the cases individually, but I
know that it will want to proceed at pace, and I understand that
it is meeting in March to consider the issue fully; let justice
be done.
(Eltham) (Lab)
T5. My constituents struggle to get legal aid support when their
benefits have been stopped. This is leading to people being
forced to use food banks and, in some extreme cases, even losing
their tenancies. Do the Government regret cutting £900 million
from the legal aid budget since 2010, and what is going to be
done to redress this injustice? [900840]
The hon. Gentleman will have heard the answer of the
Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member
for Cheltenham (), some moments ago regarding the
investment that we are making in early intervention. It is clear
to me from my many years of practice in the law that what often
becomes a litigation problem could have been dealt with through
early intervention. It is that approach—of direct help—that I
want to take and that we need to take. It is no good refighting
the battles of nearly 10 years ago. Let us move forward with a
more effective system.
(North West Durham)
(Con)
Helen’s law will help to ensure that failure to identify victims
or their locations will count against those convicted of murder
or child pornography who are seeking parole. Will the Government
consider extending this to cover victims of rape, such as those
at Medomsley Detention Centre? Some of those victims have taken
their own lives and their families are now asking questions.
My hon. Friend has consistently raised this important issue since
he was elected to this place. I have a huge amount of sympathy
for the victims affected by the abuse at Medomsley Detention
Centre. He will know that Helen’s law places a statutory duty on
the Parole Board to consider the non-disclosure of information in
two very discrete circumstances—that is, failure to disclose
information about a victim’s remains, or information on the
identity of victims in indecent images—which are both within the
knowledge of the perpetrator, but no one else. Rape and buggery
are outside the scope of the Bill, but my hon. Friend should be
comforted that the Parole Board already takes into account
non-disclosure of information in any assessment prior to release.
(Blaydon) (Lab)
T8. Law centres such as the North East Law Centre, which serves
my constituents, provide a significant cost saving in public
finances by helping people to resolve legal issues before they
spiral out of control. Will the Minister commit to securing
Treasury funding to provide law centres with a central grant to
help ensure their survival? [900843]
I pay tribute to the work of law centres, including Gloucester
Law Centre in my county of Gloucestershire. We will continue with
a pilot to ensure that there is that early legal support—whether
face-to-face legal advice or other forms of legal support—so that
people can get the assistance they need early.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
The prisons inspectorate has this morning published its latest
report into Her Majesty’s Young Offender Institution Aylesbury. I
very much welcome the progress that has been made, and pay
tribute to the governor and her staff for that, but there is
still a great deal to do. Will my hon. and learned Friend commit
to providing the resources that will be necessary to implement
all the recommendations of the report?
We are very conscious of the state of Aylesbury. We are bringing
two wings back online by the beginning of next year and remain
committed to making improvements in that prison.
(Norwich South) (Lab)
T9. [900844]Violence in Norfolk prisons has reached unprecedented
levels, with more than two attacks every single day last year. So
when will this Government accept that the root cause of this
crisis is the thousands of cuts to experienced prison staff that
took place on their watch, and when will they commit to stopping
the underfunding and overcrowding of prisons across this country?
The hon. Member makes two important points. He may have heard my
answer to the hon. Member for Bedford (), when I said that in
fact for the first time, September to September last year, we had
a reduction in violence—a slight reduction but a good step in the
right direction. As I mentioned to the right hon. Member for
Dwyfor Meirionnydd (), we have recruited
more prison officers—4,300 net since 2016.
(Thirsk and Malton)
(Con)
The introduction of a corporate offence of failing to prevent
economic crime could well have prevented a succession of banking
scandals: PPI, the rigging of LIBOR and forex and the scandalous
mistreatment of thousands of small businesses. What plans does
the Justice Secretary have to introduce such an offence?
My hon. Friend has raised this issue on many previous occasions,
and he knows that I have engaged very closely on it. Now that we
have the time and space with regard to the further development of
policy, I want to work with him and, indeed, other parts of
government to develop these proposals. There is still more work
to be done. We have two failing-to-prevent offences in the realms
of tax evasion and bribery. We need to understand the learning
from those in order to apply those principles to any future
further economic crime offence.
(Birmingham, Edgbaston)
(Lab/Co-op)
Women are more likely to be imprisoned for non-violent offences
and to receive ineffective short sentences of six months or less,
and children whose mothers are sent to prison are more likely
than their peers to have future problems. With 17,000 children
separated from their mothers each year in England and Wales, what
steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the safeguarding and
welfare of children is prioritised in criminal courts?
The hon. Lady makes a really important point about dependants and
the effect of a custodial sentence on the mother of those
children. That is why we are ensuring that in pre-sentence
reports a checklist is filled out to ensure that the appropriate
things are taken into account when a woman is sentenced, one of
which will be the effect on her dependants.
(Warrington South)
(Con)
There is a significant shortage of magistrates in courts in
England and Wales. To add to this, more than half of all sitting
magistrates are over the age of 60 and due to retire in the next
decade, which will only add to the problems. Will my hon. Friend
look urgently at increasing the retirement age for magistrates so
that courts have experienced presiding justices and the capacity
to deal with their current and future workload?
Yes, I can give my hon. Friend that commitment. It is the
Government’s intention to consult very shortly—this spring—on
increasing judicial retirement ages, including for magistrates,
thereby retaining the very high levels of experience that he
refers to. In addition, to maintain diversity on the bench, we
need to make sure that we are also recruiting new magistrates who
reflect the diversity of our great country.
(South Shields) (Lab)
My constituent Kelly Chandler suffered sexual abuse from her
brother when she was a child. As an adult, she found the strength
to report this to the police. Her brother then admitted that he
did perpetrate this abuse. However, a legal loophole states that
due to his age at the time of the abuse, he cannot be prosecuted.
Kelly, after reliving this trauma, is being denied justice. When
will this loophole be closed?
I am very grateful to the hon. Lady for raising this individual
case. I would be happy to discuss it further with her. There
obviously seems to have been a prosecutorial decision, which is
the responsibility of the Attorney General, but we will meet and
discuss this troubling case further.
