Written Question

Life Imprisonment

Tuesday 26th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people received a life sentence with a tariff of between 10 years to less than 15 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40–49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

By law, prisoners serving life and other indeterminate sentences must complete their tariff in custody and thereafter be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to remain confined to custody. The Government is committed to supporting prisoners to reduce their risk and so progress towards safe release, but the priority is always to protect the public.

HL1687

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	14	55	88	98	95	94	95	33	10	*
2003	11	55	75	87	86	89	98	34	4	*
2004	16	55	95	105	86	90	114	26	16	*
2005	31	64	109	84	93	99	99	46	9	0
2006	22	65	101	114	78	75	112	30	6	*
2007	25	75	90	77	58	48	78	53	7	5
2008	30	56	95	84	67	53	100	36	19	0
2009	27	67	73	78	55	45	79	29	8	0
2010	18	45	60	78	55	39	59	28	10	*
2011	16	34	59	75	52	42	65	36	13	*
2012	15	49	63	73	61	39	75	34	12	*
2013	14	37	56	69	67	51	67	35	13	*
2014	21	44	77	74	45	40	85	51	9	6
2015	14	40	51	56	53	45	70	31	10	4
2016	10	45	64	58	50	46	86	43	16	3
2017	12	41	59	62	50	55	63	32	9	5
2018	29	54	62	57	57	60	74	46	15	*
2019	30	60	51	76	64	57	66	41	8	5
2020	22	42	53	45	35	37	45	23	3	*
2021	27	77	67	79	62	49	70	23	15	*

HL1688

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 10 years to less than 15 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40–49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	4	19	38	37	27	26	28	6	3	0
2003	4	20	21	21	24	25	24	4	0	*
2004	6	23	35	31	33	28	35	6	6	*
2005	10	26	38	29	24	26	24	17	*	0
2006	6	23	30	33	27	22	26	11	3	0
2007	11	37	39	25	27	10	26	23	*	*
2008	21	28	36	25	19	18	38	13	4	0
2009	14	32	26	20	20	14	24	6	4	0
2010	12	8	12	10	9	12	15	8	*	*
2011	12	9	17	16	12	11	14	7	8	0
2012	8	9	10	19	13	8	20	12	*	*
2013	7	11	3	12	12	5	17	11	4	0
2014	7	10	8	8	8	9	17	12	*	3
2015	8	5	10	8	12	4	12	7	3	*
2016	4	12	11	13	9	7	13	11	3	0
2017	5	3	5	7	5	8	8	7	3	*
2018	16	6	8	7	7	7	9	7	5	*
2019	12	9	3	6	8	8	11	4	*	4
2020	5	8	*	6	5	5	7	4	*	0
2021	9	11	7	10	6	4	11	3	*	*

HL1689

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 15 years to less than 20 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	0	4	15	10	10	11	8	5	*	0
2003	*	3	14	9	16	14	19	*	0	0
2004	0	11	23	23	12	13	15	*	*	0
2005	*	6	17	18	22	12	10	9	*	0
2006	*	14	16	24	8	10	15	3	*	0
2007	3	19	20	22	12	15	16	8	*	0
2008	*	18	22	19	12	15	17	5	*	0
2009	5	15	22	20	16	16	26	9	*	0
2010	*	16	19	28	18	8	21	8	*	0
2011	3	16	14	30	14	13	22	11	*	0
2012	6	16	18	9	19	7	19	9	4	0
2013	*	10	23	14	20	15	18	6	*	0
2014	5	10	24	19	6	8	21	13	*	*
2015	4	14	12	12	13	8	12	9	*	0
2016	3	10	17	6	12	9	27	11	6	*
2017	5	27	16	14	15	16	14	5	*	*
2018	10	21	12	14	14	21	16	14	4	0
2019	17	25	11	23	13	17	19	13	*	*
2020	13	20	10	5	10	6	11	5	0	0
2021	14	36	14	22	21	12	18	8	5	0

HL1690

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 20 years to less than 25 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	0	0	*	*	*	*	3	0	*	0
2003	0	*	4	6	3	*	*	*	0	0
2004	0	*	5	11	*	4	4	*	*	0
2005	0	4	10	4	6	8	5	3	*	0
2006	0	9	12	11	7	*	9	*	0	0
2007	0	7	7	*	4	*	*	6	0	0
2008	*	5	15	14	9	5	14	*	0	0
2009	*	10	10	11	6	4	10	4	0	0
2010	*	11	13	20	12	6	8	3	0	0
2011	0	7	10	15	8	9	11	6	0	0
2012	0	16	15	15	10	6	19	7	*	0
2013	0	8	14	14	9	11	7	9	*	0
2014	*	11	14	12	12	10	16	10	*	*
2015	0	10	10	12	9	13	8	3	4	0
2016	0	11	24	13	6	9	14	7	*	0
2017	0	7	15	15	11	6	10	7	0	0
2018	0	18	15	15	16	10	11	6	*	0
2019	0	13	19	18	14	8	13	10	*	0
2020	*	11	23	16	10	5	13	3	0	0
2021	*	11	24	18	9	10	13	*	3	0

Notes for all figures in the tables provided above:

1. Due to rounding, the interquartile range may not equal the difference between the third and first quartiles.

2. Figures do not include whole-life orders.

3. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.

4. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

5. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

6. The figures in these tables 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. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.

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Written Question

Life Imprisonment

Tuesday 26th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people received a life sentence and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

By law, prisoners serving life and other indeterminate sentences must complete their tariff in custody and thereafter be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to remain confined to custody. The Government is committed to supporting prisoners to reduce their risk and so progress towards safe release, but the priority is always to protect the public.

HL1687

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	14	55	88	98	95	94	95	33	10	*
2003	11	55	75	87	86	89	98	34	4	*
2004	16	55	95	105	86	90	114	26	16	*
2005	31	64	109	84	93	99	99	46	9	0
2006	22	65	101	114	78	75	112	30	6	*
2007	25	75	90	77	58	48	78	53	7	5
2008	30	56	95	84	67	53	100	36	19	0
2009	27	67	73	78	55	45	79	29	8	0
2010	18	45	60	78	55	39	59	28	10	*
2011	16	34	59	75	52	42	65	36	13	*
2012	15	49	63	73	61	39	75	34	12	*
2013	14	37	56	69	67	51	67	35	13	*
2014	21	44	77	74	45	40	85	51	9	6
2015	14	40	51	56	53	45	70	31	10	4
2016	10	45	64	58	50	46	86	43	16	3
2017	12	41	59	62	50	55	63	32	9	5
2018	29	54	62	57	57	60	74	46	15	*
2019	30	60	51	76	64	57	66	41	8	5
2020	22	42	53	45	35	37	45	23	3	*
2021	27	77	67	79	62	49	70	23	15	*

HL1688

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 10 years to less than 15 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40–49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	4	19	38	37	27	26	28	6	3	0
2003	4	20	21	21	24	25	24	4	0	*
2004	6	23	35	31	33	28	35	6	6	*
2005	10	26	38	29	24	26	24	17	*	0
2006	6	23	30	33	27	22	26	11	3	0
2007	11	37	39	25	27	10	26	23	*	*
2008	21	28	36	25	19	18	38	13	4	0
2009	14	32	26	20	20	14	24	6	4	0
2010	12	8	12	10	9	12	15	8	*	*
2011	12	9	17	16	12	11	14	7	8	0
2012	8	9	10	19	13	8	20	12	*	*
2013	7	11	3	12	12	5	17	11	4	0
2014	7	10	8	8	8	9	17	12	*	3
2015	8	5	10	8	12	4	12	7	3	*
2016	4	12	11	13	9	7	13	11	3	0
2017	5	3	5	7	5	8	8	7	3	*
2018	16	6	8	7	7	7	9	7	5	*
2019	12	9	3	6	8	8	11	4	*	4
2020	5	8	*	6	5	5	7	4	*	0
2021	9	11	7	10	6	4	11	3	*	*

HL1689

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 15 years to less than 20 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 years of age and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	0	4	15	10	10	11	8	5	*	0
2003	*	3	14	9	16	14	19	*	0	0
2004	0	11	23	23	12	13	15	*	*	0
2005	*	6	17	18	22	12	10	9	*	0
2006	*	14	16	24	8	10	15	3	*	0
2007	3	19	20	22	12	15	16	8	*	0
2008	*	18	22	19	12	15	17	5	*	0
2009	5	15	22	20	16	16	26	9	*	0
2010	*	16	19	28	18	8	21	8	*	0
2011	3	16	14	30	14	13	22	11	*	0
2012	6	16	18	9	19	7	19	9	4	0
2013	*	10	23	14	20	15	18	6	*	0
2014	5	10	24	19	6	8	21	13	*	*
2015	4	14	12	12	13	8	12	9	*	0
2016	3	10	17	6	12	9	27	11	6	*
2017	5	27	16	14	15	16	14	5	*	*
2018	10	21	12	14	14	21	16	14	4	0
2019	17	25	11	23	13	17	19	13	*	*
2020	13	20	10	5	10	6	11	5	0	0
2021	14	36	14	22	21	12	18	8	5	0

HL1690

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of between 20 years to less than 25 years, and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing in each year since 2002.

	Age at Sentence
Year of sentence	Under 18	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 to 29	30 to 34	35 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 and over
2002	0	0	*	*	*	*	3	0	*	0
2003	0	*	4	6	3	*	*	*	0	0
2004	0	*	5	11	*	4	4	*	*	0
2005	0	4	10	4	6	8	5	3	*	0
2006	0	9	12	11	7	*	9	*	0	0
2007	0	7	7	*	4	*	*	6	0	0
2008	*	5	15	14	9	5	14	*	0	0
2009	*	10	10	11	6	4	10	4	0	0
2010	*	11	13	20	12	6	8	3	0	0
2011	0	7	10	15	8	9	11	6	0	0
2012	0	16	15	15	10	6	19	7	*	0
2013	0	8	14	14	9	11	7	9	*	0
2014	*	11	14	12	12	10	16	10	*	*
2015	0	10	10	12	9	13	8	3	4	0
2016	0	11	24	13	6	9	14	7	*	0
2017	0	7	15	15	11	6	10	7	0	0
2018	0	18	15	15	16	10	11	6	*	0
2019	0	13	19	18	14	8	13	10	*	0
2020	*	11	23	16	10	5	13	3	0	0
2021	*	11	24	18	9	10	13	*	3	0

Notes for all figures in the tables provided above:

1. Due to rounding, the interquartile range may not equal the difference between the third and first quartiles.

2. Figures do not include whole-life orders.

3. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.

4. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

5. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

6. The figures in these tables 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. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.

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Written Question

Healthy Start Scheme

Wednesday 20th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential merits of introducing an automatic registration process for the Healthy Start scheme.

Answered by Lord Kamall

The Department has not considered the potential merits of introducing an automatic registration process for the Healthy Start scheme.

The NHS Business Services Authority operates the Healthy Start scheme which has recently transitioned from paper vouchers to a prepaid card. All applicants to the scheme, where they meet the eligibility criteria set out in the legislation, must accept the terms and conditions of the prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHS Business Services Authority cannot automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card.

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Written Question

Community Centres: Advisory Services

Wednesday 13th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment of increasing the numbers of face-to-face advice services covering (1) household finances, and (2) benefit entitlement, in community centres that provide food to households on low incomes.

Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott

No assessment has been made.

DWP staff provide benefit and employment support across Great Britain through our national network of Jobcentres, who work in partnership with a variety of organisations that offer local budgeting and debt advice support.

The Government is keen to ensure that everyone accesses the benefits they are entitled to, which is why we have just launched an eligibility checker that can be found at Gov.uk.

DWP also funds the Money and Pensions Service that provides additional support to help people – particularly those most in need – to improve their financial wellbeing. It provides access to high-quality money and debt advice through its “MoneyHelper” services and signposting to third party organisations best placed to help.

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Written Question

Fuel Oil and Liquefied Natural Gas

Tuesday 12th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many households in the UK rely on (1) oil, and (2) liquified petroleum gas, as their sole source of energy.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Oil as primary source:

• 760,000 households in England (The English Housing Survey (2019));
• 129,000 households in Scotland (The Scottish House Condition Survey (2019));
• 140,000 households in Wales (The Welsh Housing Conditions Survey (2017/18));
• 526,000 households in Northern Ireland (The Northern Ireland House Condition Survey (2016).

Liquified petroleum gas as primary source:

• 160,000 households in England (The English Housing Survey (2019));
• 18,000 households in Scotland (The Scottish House Condition Survey (2019));
• Data on liquified petroleum gas has not been published separately in Wales or Northern Ireland.

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Written Question

Fuel Oil and Liquefied Natural Gas: Prices

Tuesday 12th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had regarding the adequacy of regulations governing the costs paid by off-grid households for (1) oil, and (2) liquified petroleum gas.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government understands that fuel prices are an important component of off-grid household and business expenditures and recognises the impact of fuel costs on UK consumers.

The main drivers of changes in heating oil and liquified petroleum gas are the international traded prices of crude oils and refined products. The Government continues to monitor the market closely. An open and competitive market is the best way to keep prices low.

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Written Question

Food Technology

Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to teach cookery skills at (a) primary, and (b) secondary, schools in England, and (2) to introduce a model curriculum which covers a basic range of cookery skills.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Cooking and nutrition are part of the national curriculum for design and technology, which is mandatory in state-maintained schools from key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves, and others, healthy and affordable food.

A food preparation and nutrition GCSE was introduced in September 2016. This requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food. The first exams in this new qualification were taken in September 2018.

Furthermore, the department recognises that a firm grounding in cooking and healthy eating can play an important part in enabling individuals to reach their full potential to lead fulfilling and healthy lives. The Levelling Up White Paper has furthered the department’s ambitions to drive up food education in schools. This will include developing new curriculum content covering a basic range of cookery skills. We will also be investing up to £200,000 to pilot new training for school governors and academy trusts on a whole school approach to food.

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Written Question

Children: Finance

Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment of revising the income-based eligibility threshold for the (1) 15-hour childcare offer for two year olds, (2) the Healthy Start Scheme, and (3) free school meals.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

At present, we do not plan to revise the income thresholds for the 15-hour childcare for two-year-olds. The national eligibility criteria aims to support the most disadvantaged children. It is right to target the support based on evidence of which children stand to benefit the most but are least likely to be accessing a place.

The Healthy Start Scheme is the responsibility for the Department of Health and Social Care.

Free school meal eligibility is kept under review ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them.

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Written Question

Free School Meals

Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent estimate they have made of the number of children in England who are eligible for income-related free school meals but are not registered for the scheme.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal but do not make a claim. Our last estimate is that take-up is around 89% of those who are entitled.

Whilst take-up of free school meals is strong, the department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this, we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.

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Written Question

Prisoners: Females

Thursday 30th June 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women aged (1) 18 to 25, and (2) 26 and above, went to prison in each of the last 10 years; what was the average length of sentence for each of those categories; and what were the 10 most common offences that led to the imprisonment of women during this period.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is in the attached table.

The Female Offender Strategy, published in June 2018, made it clear we want fewer women serving short sentences in custody and more managed in the community. Custody is intended as a last resort, for the protection of the public and the punishment and rehabilitation of the offender.

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