Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were given an immediate custodial sentence of a year or less had (a) no, (b) one, (c) two, (d) three, (e) four, (f) five, (g) six, (h) seven, (i) eight, (j) nine, (k) 10 to 19, (l) 20 to 29, (m) 30 to 39 and (n) 40 or more previous convictions and cautions in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. This table includes data, covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the number of offenders with a specified number of previous cautions and convictions who were sentenced to immediate custody for a year or less.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sentence length in months was for people who received an immediate custodial sentence and had (a) zero, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15, (e) between 16 and 25, (f) between 26 and 50, (g) between 51 and 75, (h) between 76 and 100 and (i) 101 or more previous convictions in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. These tables include data covering 2007 to 2023, on the average custodial sentence length of offenders with a specified number of previous convictions who were sentenced to immediate custody.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous community orders issued to an offender sentenced to immediate custody was in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information on the highest number of previous community sentences received by an offender sentenced to immediate custody, covering the period 2007 – 2023, can be viewed in the attached table.

It is worth noting that the same individuals may appear in more than one year. This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a (a) custodial and (b) non-custodial sentence for assault on a (i) police and (ii) prison officer in each year since 2007; and what the average custodial sentence for those offences was in each of those years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of offenders sentenced for offences relating to assaults on police officers and prison officers, from 2010 to 2023, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2023, using the following HO offence codes:

• 10423 - Assault on a constable
• 10504 - Assaulting a prisoner custody officer or custody officer
• 00873 - Assault or assault by beating of an emergency worker

The number of offenders sentenced for offences relating to assaults on police officers and prison officers, from 2007 to 2009, is provided in Table 1.

The assault of a police officer can be prosecuted under both ‘Assault on a constable’ and ‘Assault or assault by beating of an emergency worker’ offences since the enactment of Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018.

The assault of a prison officer can be prosecuted under both ‘Assaulting a prisoner custody officer or custody officer’ and ‘Assault or assault by beating of an emergency worker’ offences since the enactment of Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018.

However, whether the offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 relate to assaults specifically on police officers or prison officers is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders sentenced to immediate custody had (a) zero, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15, (e) between 16 and 25, (f) between 26 and 50 and (g) more than 50 previous (i) community orders and (ii) suspended sentences in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2007 – 2023, on:

• The number of offenders with a specified number of previous community sentences who were sentenced to immediate custody.
• The proportion of offenders with a specified number of previous community sentences who were sentenced to immediate custody.
• The number of offenders with a specified number of suspended sentences who were sentenced to immediate custody.
• The proportion of offenders with a specified number of suspended sentences who were sentenced to immediate custody.

It is worth noting that an offender may have had previous custodial sentences as well as previous community or suspended sentences. This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who previously had (a) no and (b) between (i) one and four, (ii) five and nine, (iii) 10 and 15, (iv) 16 and 25, (v) 26 and 50, (vi) 51 and 75, (vii) 76 and 100 and (viii) 101 or more convictions were convicted and did not receive an immediate custodial sentence in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2007 to 2023, on the number of offenders convicted but did not receive an immediate custodial sentence by number of previous convictions. That is not to say that the offender did not receive a sentence of immediate custody at any point, but rather that their latest offence was not one of immediate custody.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were convicted of a violent offence and did not receive a custodial sentence had (a) zero, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15, (e) between 16 and 25, (f) between 26 and 50, (g) between 51 and 75, (h) between 76 and 100 and (i) 101 or more (A) convictions and (B) cautions for previous offences of any type in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data, covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the number of offenders convicted of a ‘violence against the person’ crime but did not receive a custodial sentence, by a) number of previous convictions and b) number of previous cautions.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for (a) possession of a blade or point, (b) possession of an offensive weapon, (c) common assault, (d) assaulting a police officer, (e) sexual assault, (f) a public order offence, (g) theft, (h) robbery, (i) burglary, (j) a drug-related offence, (k) criminal damage, (l) breach of an anti-social behaviour order, (m) fraud and (n) vehicle taking in each year since 2007 had (i) no and (ii) between (A) one and four, (B) five and nine, (C) 10 and 15, (D) 16 and 25, (E) 26 and 50, (F) 51 and 75, (G) 76 and 100 and (H) 101 or more convictions and cautions for an offence.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. This table includes data, covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the number of offenders with a specified number of previous cautions and convictions who were sentenced to immediate custody for a specified offence.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of previous (a) cautions and (b) convictions was for offenders who were sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for (i) possession of a blade or point, (ii) possession of an offensive weapon, (iii) common assault, (iv) assaulting a police officer, (v) sexual assault, (vi) a public order offence, (vii) theft, (viii) robbery, (ix) burglary, (x) a drug-related offence, (xi) criminal damage, (xii) breach of an anti-social behaviour order, (xiii) fraud and (xiv) vehicle taking in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the average number of a) previous convictions and b) previous cautions of offenders who were given an immediate custodial sentence when convicted for a specified offence. That is not to say that the offender was not sentenced to immediate custody for another offence prior to this conviction.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sentence length was in months for people who received an immediate custodial sentence and who had (a) no and (b) between (i) one and four, (ii) five and nine, (iii) 10 and 15, (iv) 16 and 25, (v) 26 and 50, (vi) 51 and 75, (vii) 76 and 100 and (viii) 101 or more previous convictions, and who were convicted of (A) violence against the person, (B) theft, (C) drug offences, (D) robbery, (E) common assault and battery, (F) burglary in a dwelling, (G) production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A, (H) possession of article with blade or point and (I) assaulting, resisting or obstructing a constable or designated officer in execution of duty in the last 10 years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2014 – 2023, on the average sentence length in months for people who received an immediate custodial sentence who were convicted of specified offences and an indication (by band) of their previous convictions.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people convicted of violent offences who previously had (a) none, (b) one to four, (c) five to nine, (d) 10-15, (e) 16-25, (f) 26-50, (g) 51-75, (h) 76-100 and (i) 101 or more convictions received (i) an immediate custodial sentence, (ii) a suspended sentence and (iii) a community sentence in each year since 2007.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These table include data covering the period 2007 – 2023, on:

• The number of occasions on which an offender was convicted of a violence against the person offence with a specified number of previous convictions and received a specified sentence.
• The percentage of occasions on which an offender was convicted of a violence against the person offence with a specified number of previous convictions and received a specified sentence.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences was that a convicted person committed for that same offence before receiving a sentence other than an immediate non-custodial sentence for offences relating to (a) possession of a blade or point, (b) possession of an offensive weapon, (c) common assault, (d) assaulting a police officer, (e) sexual assault, (f) public order, (g) theft, (h) robbery, (i) burglary, (j) drugs, (k) criminal damage, (l) breach of anti social behaviour order, (m) fraud and (n) vehicle taking in each of the last three years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information on the highest number of previous cautions and convictions an offender had for a specified offence type before receiving a custodial sentence, covering the period 2021 to 2023, can be viewed in the attached table.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in each police force area who were convicted but not sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence in each year since 2007 had (a) 26 to 50, (b) 51 to 75, (c) 76 to 100 and (d) over 100 previous convictions or cautions.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the number of offenders in each Police Force area with a specified number of previous convictions and cautions who were convicted but not sentenced to immediate custody for their latest offence in each of the given years. That is not to say that the offender has not received a sentence for immediate custody for any of the prior convictions.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people who were convicted in each year since 2007 who previously had (a) no and (b) between (i) one and four, (ii) five and nine, (iii) 10 and 15, (iv) 16 and 25, (v) 26 and 50, (vi) 51 and 75, (vii) 76 and 100 and (viii) 101 or more convictions received (A) an immediate custodial, (B) a suspended and (C) a community sentence.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2007 to 2023 on the proportion of offenders with a specified number of previous convictions by specified sentence type.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for the first time for (a) possession of a blade or point, (b) possession of an offensive weapon, (c) common assault, (d) assaulting a police officer, (e) sexual assault, (f) a public order offence, (g) theft, (h) robbery, (i) burglary, (j) a drug-related offence, (k) criminal damage, (l) breach of an anti-social behaviour order, (m) fraud and (n) vehicle taking in each year since 2007 had (i) no, (ii) between one and four, (iii) between five and nine, (iv) between 10 and 15, (v) between 16 and 25, (vi) between 26 and 50, (vii) between 51 and 75, (viii) between 76 and 100 and (ix) 101 or more convictions and cautions for previous offences of any type.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested is provided in the table attached with this answer. The table includes data covering the period 2007 – 2023, on the number of people sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for the first time for a specified offence and an indication (by band) of their previous cautions and convictions for previous offences of any type. That is to say, in this data set, the offender received their first sentence of immediate custody for that particular offence. Nothing in this data set indicates that the offender has not received a sentence of immediate custody before, for another offence.

This data is not regularly published or held in an easily accessible format. The information supplied has been sourced from a complicated retrieval from the Police National Computer database.

It should be noted that sentencing decisions in individual cases are for the independent judiciary.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many single justice procedure notices issued by local authorities for truancy relating to a child (a) with and (b) without special educational needs have been prosecuted in each of the last five years.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of prosecutions for truancy offences, however, information held centrally does not include whether the prosecution was processed through the Single Justice Procedure, or if the offence related to a child with or without special educational needs. This information may be held on court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much her Department has spent on training relating to the single justice procedure for (a) magistrates and (b) legal advisers in each of the last five years.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is not responsible for judicial training, which is the responsibility of the Judicial College.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing single justice procedure hearings to be observable by accredited journalists.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases are decided by a single magistrate, with support of a legal adviser, in private rather than in a hearing in open court. This means that cases can be dealt with by courts anywhere in the country and are therefore not scheduled in the same way as conventional cases in court proceedings. As a result of this, these cases can be decided quickly and are often used to fill gaps between in person hearings and so enable efficient use of magistrates’ court capacity and time. Magistrates have the ability to refer cases to open court if they feel it would be appropriate.

Although journalists cannot observe magistrates deciding individual SJP cases, there is already more information published on SJP cases than cases heard in open court. This allows scrutiny from journalists, who can request additional information on cases under the Criminal Procedure Rules. Under a protocol agreed between HMCTS and media organisations, magistrates’ courts must provide lists of both pending cases and copies of the court register to local media. This includes SJP cases. The protocol also outlines what documents relating to SJP cases can be provided to the media – unlike any other case type, this includes a copy of the prosecution statement of facts or, if there is no statement of facts, the witness statement(s) and any defence representations in mitigation. We will keep the procedure under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 12 January 2022 (HL Deb cols 1151–2), when the Ministry of Justice's independent review of the qualifications and experience required of spoken word interpreters in HM Courts and Tribunal Service will be completed, and when it will be published.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We have been considering the findings of the independent review to help inform the development of new tender specifications. This is a complex process and covers a wide range of agencies within the Ministry of Justice. We will, of course, publish the outcome of the review once the tendering process is complete.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many women are currently being held in prison for non-violent offences; and what proportion of female prisoners have children who have been taken into care as a result of their custody.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Please find below a breakdown of the sentenced female prison population by main offence group, as of the latest published population snapshot.

Table 1: Sentenced female prison population by main offence group, as at 31 March 2024

We have provided a table for the sentenced female population, but information on the female remand population [split by 'untried' and 'convicted unsentenced'] by offence group this can be found here: Prison-population-31-Mar-2024.ods (live.com).

We do not hold information on the number of children taken into care as a result of maternal imprisonment, however we are working to improve our understanding of the impact of maternal imprisonment on children. For example, on 18 July 2024 we published analysis looking into the number of parents in prison with children and the number of children with parents in prison. This analysis indicated that 55% of women in prison have children under 18 but did not show how many of these women had their children living with them before going to prison. We are also piloting prison-based children’s social workers in women’s prisons that support women with family court proceedings, parental rights and maintaining or strengthening family ties.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the adult population were held in prison on 1 January;  whether they have carried out any comparison with other European countries; and, if so, what European countries they have benchmarked those figures against.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The adult prison population in England and Wales as of 31 December 2023 was 87,227. It is not possible to robustly estimate the proportion of the adult population of England and Wales this represented at that time, because population estimates beyond mid-2023 have not yet been published by the Office for National Statistics.

The Department and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service routinely monitor, and seek to learn from prison systems in other jurisdictions. This can include, among other areas, monitoring prison population data. We do not specifically benchmark our population data against any other jurisdictions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the annual cost of each prisoner held in prison.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

An average cost per prisoner, cost per prison place and overall prison unit cost for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are routinely published by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year on the gov.uk website.

The overall average annual cost for keeping an individual in a prison is £51,108, which is taken from the latest published Prison Unit Cost statistics for 2022-23.

The Ministry of Justice expects the 2023-24 Prison Unit Cost statistics to be published in December 2024, once the 2023-24 HMPPS Annual Report & Accounts are published.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people currently held in prison are serving sentences of one year or less.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As at 30 June 2024, prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales held 3,277 male and female prisoners serving sentences of one year or less.

Note:

The figure presented includes fine defaulters.

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: Prison NOMIS

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are currently held in prison; and how many were held on 1 January in each of the past ten years up to 1 January 2024.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 March 2024, the latest date for which we have figures, 76,869 British nationals were held in prison in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice does not disaggregate data for Northern Ireland citizens. Data for 1 January in each of the past ten years up to 1 January 2024 are included in the attached table.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the proportion of people held in prisons with significant difficulties with literacy.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The literacy and numeracy skills of all prisoners are assessed on entry to custody. Data on education participation in prison are published annually as official statistics in the Prison Education Statistics and Accredited Programmes in Custody publication. In 2022-23, prisoners took a total of 58,907 English initial assessments. 65 per cent of those prisoners in 2022-23 were at Entry Levels 1-3 in English (i.e., below the lowest GCSE grade).

All prisons now have a reading strategy, and we have published a national Reading Framework to support prisons in maintaining their strategy. HMPPS has introduced a Literacy Innovation Fund, to pilot two specialist reading and literacy projects across fifteen prisons, to offer education to prisoners at the lowest reading level. Literacy provision is a significant element of the core education offer, with all prisons offering functional skills qualifications in Literacy from Entry Level to Level 2.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that the prisons system's new 'early release scheme' includes comprehensive support for prisoners with programs for (1) employment, (2) training and, (3) rehabilitation to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Unlike the previous Government’s End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme, the change to the Standard Determinate Sentence release point has an eight week implementation period. This give probation and other agencies enough time to properly prepare release plans for offenders and ensure they are less likely to reoffend.

Ahead of implementation of the change to the Standard Determinate Sentence release point in September, we are working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure that prisons and Jobcentres are prepared to support temporarily higher volumes of prisoners approaching release as they transition into the community.

We will collectively ensure that relevant staff in prisons and Jobcentres will have the right data on prisoners who are being released, when and from which prisons. We will provide guidance and regular communications to those staff so they are aware of what actions to take.

This will ensure that prisoners are supported to prepare for release and supported in the community through the provision of bank accounts and ID, referrals to work programmes on release, arranging employment pre-release, and timely access to benefits where appropriate.

This work supports our aim to break the cycle of reoffending, and ensuring those who leave prison are supported as they transition into the community, helping to turn lives around and cut crime.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights "List of issues in relation to the seventh periodic report of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"; and what other related actions are planned.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is currently preparing its response to the United Nations Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ List of Issues Report, in relation to the Seventh Periodic Report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and will provide it to the UN shortly. We have had regular contact with the secretariat to the Committee on the timetable for our response.

The Government will then prepare for the interactive dialogue with the Committee which is expected to take place in 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure and enforce oversight and governance of (1) sharia courts, and (2) Muslim arbitration tribunals.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has no plans to regulate religious dispute resolution processes (such as sharia courts) where all parties consent to those processes. This is consistent with Britain’s long history of freedom of worship and religious tolerance, and the legal rights and remedies of the parties involved remain in place.

Decisions of such bodies are only enforceable if there is a valid arbitration agreement by which all parties have consented to the process, as provided under the terms of the Arbitration Act 1996 for any arbitration panel.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners, listed by prison and category of prisoner, have been released early as part of their measures to address prison overcrowding.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We are constantly monitoring the use of End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) and its impact.

ECSL was implemented in October 2023. Since its operation, the number of ECSL releases between 17 October 2023 and 30 June 2024 was 10,083. Further information on ECSL data is intended for future publication in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Prison Education Service for (a) increasing literacy, (b) reducing reoffending and (c) increasing employment opportunities for ex-offenders.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

There is good evidence relating to the positive impact of prison education and we continue to carry out evaluation and work to link data to better understand outcomes for prison learners.

Literacy provision is a significant element of the current education offer, with all prisons offering functional skills qualifications in Literacy from Entry Level to Level 2.

From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, the number of prison learners participating in a functional skills course (English and maths) increased by 71%, from 16,866 to 28,832. Prisoners achieving a full or partial grade increased by 80% from 10,755 to 19,329.

There is good evidence that participation in any form of in-prison education reduces reoffending by up to 9 percentage points. Research from 2018 also showed that learners were significantly more likely to be in P45 employment one year from release, than non-learners (by 1.8 percentage points).

We are continuing to evaluate education initiatives such as the recent Literacy Innovation Fund and Future Skills Projects to add to our knowledge of what works. To further build understanding, the Better Outcomes through Linked Data programme is developing the quantitative evidence base with the aim of understanding the role of different types of prison education in contributing to positive employment outcomes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners found work within six months of their release in each year since 2010.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that finding employment in the year after release makes offenders less likely to reoffend, by up to nine percentage points. Getting ex-offenders into work is critical to the Government’s work to break the cycle of reoffending. That is why in our manifesto, this Government committed to improve access to purposeful activity, including learning, and to support prisons to link with employers and the voluntary sector to support ex-offenders into work.

Information on the number and proportion of prison leavers employed at 6 months post release is available from April 2020. The most recent figures were published on 25 July 2024 in the Offender Employment Outcomes Update to March 2024 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-employment-outcomes-update-to-march-2024.

The proportion of prison leavers in jobs within six months of their release more than doubled across the past three performance years, from 14% in 2020/21 to 31% in 2023/24.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to impose a duty on the Courts to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There are no plans to impose a duty on the Courts to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less.

We intend to launch an independent review of sentencing. While the terms of reference are not yet defined, this will look to ensure the sentencing framework is consistent and clear to the public. We will announce more details of this review in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have taken part in the Future Skills programme; and in which sectors they were trained.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Future Skills Programme is live in 23 prisons, with training being delivered across a range of sectors including construction, warehousing, hospitality, and third sector case work. The programme will run until March 2025 and is being monitored and evaluated. The requested information will be published as part of the evaluation which is anticipated to be available on GOV.UK by summer 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisons have neurodiversity support managers.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All public prisons have successfully recruited a Neurodiversity Support Manager. All private prisons have also recruited Neurodiversity Support Managers, unless they already held equivalent neurodiversity specialisms and expertise.

Due to natural role attrition, as of 29 July 2024, there are 116 Neurodiversity Support Managers in post across the 124 prisons in England and Wales.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the written ministerial statement of 21 May 2024 entitled Prisons safety update: wet-shave razors, HCWS493, whether she plans to implement the phased removal of wet-shave razors from an initial 30 prisons in the adult male closed estate.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

I can confirm that we are continuing the plans for a phased removal of wet-shave razors and that this will be implemented in up to 30 prisons in the adult male estate in 2024/25.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will update the Victim's Code so that children who have experienced sexual exploitation are able to access immediate professional psychological help.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Victims’ Code sets out the services and support that victims and survivors of crime are entitled to receive from the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Currently, under the Code, all victims and survivors, including children, are entitled to be given information and be referred to support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime. This is regardless of whether anyone has been charged or convicted of a criminal offence or when the crime itself occurred. If they choose not to report the crime, they can also access support services directly.

We will be carefully considering the implementation of measures under the Victims and Prisoners Act, including the measure to publicly consult on and issue a new Victims’ Code, and the requirement to consider whether different provision for child victims and survivors is needed in the Code to meet their distinct needs.

We recognise the importance of supporting child victims and survivors through access to various forms of support, including psychological help. The Department provides Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with annual grant funding to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services to victims and survivors of all crime, including children and young people. PCCs commission local providers at their discretion based on their assessment of local need in relation to and not exclusively for child sexual exploitation. We also provide direct grant funding to over 60 specialist organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. These services offer tailored support programmes to victims and survivors of all ages, including children, to help them cope with their experiences and move forward.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any payments have been made from the Exchequer to the Press Recognition Panel during the calendar year 2024; whether any future payments are scheduled; and if so, whether they will publish any success criteria attached to them.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides funding for the Press Recognition Panel (PRP) annually. MoJ made a payment to the PRP of £430k for the 2024/25 financial year in April 2024. Whilst the Lord Chancellor is the conduit for the PRP with HM Treasury, they have no responsibility under the Royal Charter that created the PRP, for setting the PRP’s success criteria. Instead, the Royal Charter sets out that the PRP Board must have regard to the need to ensure the PRP achieves value for money. The PRP report against this criteria, and other deliverables, in its annual report and accounts which are publicly available.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments they have made of the value for money of taxpayer funding made in 2022 and 2023 to the Press Recognition Panel; whether they will publish any such assessments; and if none were made, why not.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Value for money lies at the heart of all Government decisions, and the Royal Charter sets out that the Press Recognition Panel (PRP) Board must have regard to the need to ensure it achieves value for money. The PRP has an objective of ‘Ensuring our systems and processes are effective and provide value for money’ and reports on this annually in its annual report and accounts, which are published on its website.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what records they keep on the number of (1) suicides, and (2) attempted suicides, in prisons in England and Wales; whether, and if so where, those records are published; and how they utilise those records to track health and well-being outcomes in each prison where such records are kept.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The data on self-inflicted deaths and self-harm across the prison estates is recorded in our published Safety in Custody Statistics. The number and rates of deaths and self-harm across the estate is published quarterly in the Safety in Custody Summary Tables, the latest version of which can be found at: Safety-in-custody-summary-q1-2024_final_table.xlsx (live.com).

HMPPS does not produce official statistics on suicides or attempted suicides, because it is not always known whether a person engaging in self-harming behaviour intends or intended to die by suicide. We therefore collect data on self-inflicted deaths (a term that we use to refer to any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life irrespective of intent) and on incidents of self-harm.

This national data informs the development of the prison safety programme, and governors use local data to understand their populations and their safety risks and to inform their safety strategies. Each prison holds a regular safety meeting that includes discussion of the local self-harm data and learning from any self-inflicted deaths that have occurred there.

Individuals assessed as at risk of suicide and self-harm are given individualised support through our case management process. This approach places a strong emphasis on having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to by reintroduce the Litigation Funding Agreements (Enforceability) Bill, originally introduced in the last Parliament, and if not, what steps they plan to take to mitigate the impact on third party litigation funding of the judgment in R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Tribunal and others, [2023] UKSC 28.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.

Following the PACCAR judgment, concerns have been raised about the need for greater regulation of Litigation Funding Agreements, or greater safeguards for claimants.

The Government is keen to ensure access to justice in large-scale and expensive cases, whilst also setting up adequate safeguards to protect claimants from unfair terms.

The Civil Justice Council is considering these questions and others in its review of third-party litigation funding, and hopes to report in summer 2025. The Government will take a more comprehensive view of any legislation to address issues in the round once that review is concluded.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis UK courts have had jurisdiction to hear cases started in Russian Courts between Russian companies and individuals since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The question of whether courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction to hear claims brought by parties from other countries are determined by the courts in accordance with common law principles and international conventions.

In English and Welsh law, the determination of the appropriate forum (where no international convention applies) to hear a dispute is the one in which the case may most suitably be tried in the interests of all the parties and the ends of justice. Matters which a court will take into account in deciding this would include whether there are any factors connecting the dispute to a particular jurisdiction.

It is open to the opposing party to challenge a claim on the basis that it should have been brought in another jurisdiction.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government why Russian state-owned companies are being allowed access to UK courts to pursue litigation concerning penalties imposed by Russian courts.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The question of whether courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction to hear claims brought by parties from other countries are determined by the courts in accordance with common law principles and international conventions.

In English and Welsh law, the determination of the appropriate forum (where no international convention applies) to hear a dispute is the one in which the case may most suitably be tried in the interests of all the parties and the ends of justice. Matters which a court will take into account in deciding this would include whether there are any factors connecting the dispute to a particular jurisdiction.

It is open to the opposing party to challenge a claim on the basis that it should have been brought in another jurisdiction.

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Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 21 March (HL3214) what assessment has been made of the drop in prosecutions for poaching in England, from 107 in 2019 to 34 in 2023.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the problems and distress which poaching can cause for local communities. Tackling it is one of the UK's national wildlife crime priorities.

The number of prosecutions for poaching in England can vary year from year due to a number of factors. For example, the levels of hare coursing, an abhorrent form of poaching, can be affected by the suitability of local ground conditions during a hare coursing ‘season’. If it is too wet, there is an increased risk that the vehicles used to facilitate coursing might get stuck in fields where hares are found so the activity is less likely to be carried out. If it is too dry, the dogs used by coursers are at an increased risk of injury. The numbers of prosecutions in a local area will also depend on effective enforcement. The level of resourcing assigned to tackle poaching may vary year from year depending on decisions taken by local police forces.

The difference in prosecutions between 2019 and 2023 might also have been affected by a key change in legislation. The 2019 figure provided by the Ministry of Justice in its answer of 21 March (HL3214) is from a time prior to the enactment of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This legislation increased police powers and sentences for a number of hare coursing offences. It is reasonable to suspect it had a deterrent effect on potential offenders and offences that may have led to prosecution. In combination with this new legislation, improved police tactics, intelligence and information sharing as well as the use of community protection notices and criminal behaviour orders may also have had an impact on recent poaching prosecution numbers. Finally, it must be noted that the 2023 figure of 34 used in the Lord Bishop’s question is not consistent with the other years as it only includes prosecutions for the months from January to June rather than, as with the years being compared with it, the full calendar year.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to co-ordinate with other Departments on tackling fraud through the Serious Fraud Office.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

I work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, to support the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) mission to tackle fraud. My department will continue to support this mission through our superintendence of the SFO. I visited the SFO earlier this month to learn about their important work to deliver justice for victims of economic crime and protect the UK’s reputation as a safe place to do business.

The SFO works effectively with other law enforcement agencies through the National Economic Crime Centre to collectively co-ordinate the UK’s response to fraud. Earlier this year this co-ordination led to the National Crime Agency arresting four individuals following an SFO search of three sites in relation to an investigation into an alleged £140m investment fraud.

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