Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on people convicted of a criminal offence who seek employment in education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government has a robust safeguarding framework in place in the form of the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) statutory guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The KCSIE guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
This guidance clearly sets out the requirements regarding safer recruitment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, that schools and colleges should undertake for all staff, including external staff, and visitors, to ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.
Employers must assess whether a conviction deems an individual to be suitable for a role, taking into account the nature of the offence, its relevance to the role and any safeguarding risks.
However, KCSIE stresses the importance of creating a culture of safer recruitment, ensuring that schools and colleges have robust processes and policies in place to ensure people who might pose a risk to children are not employed in education.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of convicted offenders had a pre-sentence report prepared by the Probation Service presented to the judiciary in England and Wales in (1) the Crown Court and (2) a magistrates' court in each of the past three years.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We cannot provide the percentage of convicted offenders with a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service and presented to the Crown Courts and Magistrates Court for the past three years as the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
However, we can provide the number of pre-sentence reports prepared by the probation service and presented to the Crown and Magistrates courts respectively.
Number of pre-sentence reports prepared and presented by the probation service in England and Wales:
| Crown Courts | Magistrates Courts |
2023 | 30,494 | 60,874 |
2022 | 25,079 | 58,161 |
2021 | 27,779 | 60,878 |
Note: Offender Management Statistics for the year of 2024 will be published on 24 April 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on people convicted of a criminal offence who seek employment in the Probation Service.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The vetting process includes review of any convictions that may lawfully be taken into account, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A balanced decision is made regarding offence history, based on the type of offence, the number of offences, and the length of time since the offences were committed.
We offer alternative employment entry schemes (Going Forward into Employment and Standard Plus) for people with lived experience, who would not be able to enter the organisation under the usual vetting routes. These schemes are open to people with recent offending history or who have recently been released from prison. Candidates are thoroughly risk-assessed and considered on a case-by-case basis, for suitable roles within the organisation.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what statutory requirements govern the preparation of pre-sentence reports in England and Wales by the Probation Service for all convicted offenders in (1) the Crown Court, and (2) the Magistrates Court.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Section 30 of the Sentencing Code provides for the provision of pre-sentencing reports for offenders where there is a requirement to obtain a PSR under the Code. This includes where the court is considering whether the offender should receive a sentence of immediate custody. It sets out that if an offender is aged 18 or over, a sentencing court must obtain and consider a pre-sentence report before forming an opinion unless, in the circumstances of the case, it considers that it is unnecessary to obtain a pre-sentence report.
PSRs include an assessment of the offender's behaviour, the risk they pose, and recommendations for sentencing options, helping to ensure that the sentence is tailored to the individual offender and their circumstances. The PSR can recommend various sentencing options, including community sentences and specific requirements like treatment programs. Based on the assessment, a PSR suggests the most appropriate sentence for the offence and makes recommendations to the Court; however, the final decision is at the judge’s discretion.
The Sentencing Council’s Imposition guideline provides sentencing courts with the general principles around imposing community orders and custodial sentences, and in what circumstances a custodial sentence can be suspended. The Lord Chancellor has been clear that the guidelines regarding pre-sentencing reports do not represent the views of this Government. The Lord Chancellor and the Chairman of the Sentencing Council have had a constructive discussion. It was agreed that the Lord Chancellor will set out her position more fully in writing, which the Sentencing Council will then consider before the guideline is due to come into effect.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on people convicted of a criminal offence who seek employment in the National Health Service.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Having a criminal record does not necessarily mean that a person cannot work in the National Health Service. Local employers should have robust and effective recruitment and background check requirements aligned with the NHS Employment Check Standards issued by NHS Employers, to ensure individuals they employ are suitable, skilled, competent and safe to carry out the role they are being appointed to do. This includes a criminal record check for all eligible positions.
Employers must consider the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order 1975 when asking for criminal record information. Any recruitment decision needs to be made on a case-by-case basis balancing the risks associated with any given role. The exception to this rule is where recruiting to a regulated activity under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, and where individuals are prohibited from working with adults and/or children who are in receipt of health care or services.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government who was the contracted provider of each prison that has either transferred back to the public sector control having been privately contracted, or closed having been privately contracted, since 2000; what were the contractual start dates; and what were the contractual expiry dates.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The key contractual dates for the current privately-operated prisons are set out in the table below.
Prison | Operator | Current contract dates | Previous operator | Previous contract dates |
Altcourse | Sodexo | 01/06/2023 to 32/05/2033 | G4S | 01/12/1997 to 31/05/2023 |
Ashfield | Serco | 01/11/2024 to 31/10/2034 | Serco | 01/11/1999 to 31/10/2024 |
Bronzefield | Sodexo | 17/06/2004 to 16/06/2029 | N/A | N/A |
Doncaster | Serco | 01/10/2011 to 30/9/2026 | Serco | Not known – this was a Home Office contract |
Dovegate | Serco | 09/07/2001 to 08/07/2026 | N/A | N/A |
Five Wells | G4S | 04/02/2022 to 03/02/2032 | N/A | N/A |
Fosse Way | Serco | 29/05/2023 to 28/05/2033 | N/A | N/A |
Forest Bank | Sodexo | 20/01/2000 to 19/01/2025 | N/A | N/A |
Northumberland | Sodexo | 01/12/2013 to 30/11/2028 | HMPPS | N/A |
Oakwood | G4S | 24/04/2012 to 23/04/2027 | N/A | N/A |
Parc | G4S | 15/12/1997 to 14/12/2022 | G4S | 15/12/2022 to 14/12/2032 |
Peterborough (female) | Sodexo | 28/03/2005 to 27/03/2030 | N/A | N/A |
Peterborough (male) | Sodexo | 28/03/2005 to 27/03/2030 | N/A | N/A |
Rye Hill | G4S | 21/10/2001 to 20/10/2026 | N/A | N/A |
Thameside | Serco | 01/06/2012 to 31/12/2036 | N/A | N/A |
*Inherited from the Home Office
The key contractual dates for prisons that were previously privately-operated are set out in the table below.
Prison | Operator | Contract dates | Date transitioned back to PSP | Reason for return to PSP/closure |
Birmingham | G4S | 01/10/2011 to 30/09/2026 | 30/06/2019 | Step in by public sector. |
Lowdham Grange | Sodexo Serco | 16/02/2023 to 15/02/2033 16/02/1998 to 16/02/2023 | 01/08/2024 | Step in by public sector. |
Wolds | G4S | July 1991 to July 2013 | July 2013 | Outcome of competition |
Buckley Hall | Group 4 | 1994 to 2001 | 2001 | Outcome of Competition |
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government who is the contracted provider for each current private sector prison; when were the contractual start dates; when are the contractual expiry dates; and where the contracted provider has changed, who was the previous contracted provider and what was the start date and end date of that provider.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The key contractual dates for the current privately-operated prisons are set out in the table below.
Prison | Operator | Current contract dates | Previous operator | Previous contract dates |
Altcourse | Sodexo | 01/06/2023 to 32/05/2033 | G4S | 01/12/1997 to 31/05/2023 |
Ashfield | Serco | 01/11/2024 to 31/10/2034 | Serco | 01/11/1999 to 31/10/2024 |
Bronzefield | Sodexo | 17/06/2004 to 16/06/2029 | N/A | N/A |
Doncaster | Serco | 01/10/2011 to 30/9/2026 | Serco | Not known – this was a Home Office contract |
Dovegate | Serco | 09/07/2001 to 08/07/2026 | N/A | N/A |
Five Wells | G4S | 04/02/2022 to 03/02/2032 | N/A | N/A |
Fosse Way | Serco | 29/05/2023 to 28/05/2033 | N/A | N/A |
Forest Bank | Sodexo | 20/01/2000 to 19/01/2025 | N/A | N/A |
Northumberland | Sodexo | 01/12/2013 to 30/11/2028 | HMPPS | N/A |
Oakwood | G4S | 24/04/2012 to 23/04/2027 | N/A | N/A |
Parc | G4S | 15/12/1997 to 14/12/2022 | G4S | 15/12/2022 to 14/12/2032 |
Peterborough (female) | Sodexo | 28/03/2005 to 27/03/2030 | N/A | N/A |
Peterborough (male) | Sodexo | 28/03/2005 to 27/03/2030 | N/A | N/A |
Rye Hill | G4S | 21/10/2001 to 20/10/2026 | N/A | N/A |
Thameside | Serco | 01/06/2012 to 31/12/2036 | N/A | N/A |
*Inherited from the Home Office
The key contractual dates for prisons that were previously privately-operated are set out in the table below.
Prison | Operator | Contract dates | Date transitioned back to PSP | Reason for return to PSP/closure |
Birmingham | G4S | 01/10/2011 to 30/09/2026 | 30/06/2019 | Step in by public sector. |
Lowdham Grange | Sodexo Serco | 16/02/2023 to 15/02/2033 16/02/1998 to 16/02/2023 | 01/08/2024 | Step in by public sector. |
Wolds | G4S | July 1991 to July 2013 | July 2013 | Outcome of competition |
Buckley Hall | Group 4 | 1994 to 2001 | 2001 | Outcome of Competition |
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the names of the current healthcare providers for each prison in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due to the size of the data, a table showing the names of the current healthcare providers for each prison in England is attached. This does not include providers sub-contracted to provide services for substance use, neurodiversity, mental health, or dental, amongst other services.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been (1) drawn, or (2) drawn and deployed, in prisons in 2022 and 2023; and what was the (a) ethnicity, (b) religion, and (c) disability status, of the prisoner involved.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The requested information, by prisoner ethnicity and religious affiliation, is provided in the tables below:
PAVA incident reports by ethnic group (2022, 2023)
| 2022 |
| 2022 Total | 2023 |
| 2023 Total |
Ethnic Group | Drawn and used | Drawn not used |
| Drawn and used | Drawn not used |
|
Asian | 42 | 9 | 51 | 62 | 11 | 73 |
Black | 245 | 67 | 312 | 349 | 132 | 481 |
Mixed | 53 | 21 | 74 | 91 | 47 | 138 |
Other | 15 | * | 20 | 19 | 15 | 34 |
White | 167 | 61 | 228 | 319 | 212 | 531 |
Unknown | - | * | * | * | * | * |
Grand Total | 522 | 164 | 686 | 843 | 418 | 1,261 |
PAVA incident reports by religion group (2022, 2023)
| 2022 |
| 2022 Total | 2023 |
| 2023 Total |
Religion Group | Drawn and used | Drawn not used |
| Drawn and used | Drawn not used |
|
Christian | 259 | 66 | 325 | 341 | 161 | 502 |
Muslim | 186 | 54 | 240 | 335 | 142 | 477 |
No Religion | 62 | 31 | 93 | 141 | 92 | 233 |
Other | 15 | 13 | 28 | 24 | 23 | 47 |
Unknown | - | - | - | * | - | * |
Grand Total | 522 | 164 | 686 | 843 | 418 | 1,261 |
The Use of Force Policy Framework sets out the context in which force is used lawfully by trained prison staff as well as setting out a professional standard for using force.
All prison officers trained in how to use PAVA undergo regular refreshers which cover the lawful use of force in the custodial setting.
HMPPS is closely monitoring the use of PAVA in all sites at senior levels.
These figures have been drawn from HMPPS Management information. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. We do not provide exact data when the figure is five or fewer, as this risks identification of individuals. In these cases, the figure has been replaced by the symbol *. This approach is in accordance with our standards on data disclosure.
Information relating to the use of PAVA spray on prisoners with disabilities is recorded in a number of formats. To be able to identify all such cases, it would be necessary to review all potentially relevant records, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the (1) mean, and (2) median, tariff length for prisoners receiving a life sentence aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 34 (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59, (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 and over, at the time of sentencing, in each year from 2002.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested in can be found in the attached table.
Data sources and quality
Note that the tariff length is the time between date of sentencing and tariff expiry date, and does not take into account any time spent on remand. The figures do not include whole-life orders. The numbers are subject to revision as more data become available; any changes in the numbers since the last publication of this information is as a result of more sentencing data becoming available.
The data have come from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording systems, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be amended as part of data cleansing or updates.