Female Offender Strategy

Lord Falconer of Thoroton Excerpts

Tuesday 29th September 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

The noble and learned Lord brings up an extremely important point. One of the biggest issues is to make sure that pre-sentencing assessments are done very well by very experienced and trained people. We are also working with the health community to make sure that, before sentencing, any health issues of offenders are dealt with in accordance with the new rules.

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Lab)]

The Female Offender Strategy was well received in 2018. The concern is about whether or not it is being effectively implemented. Paragraph 76 of the strategy says:

“We are committing to work with partners to develop a ‘residential women’s centres’ pilot in at least five sites across England and Wales.”


Could the Minister tell us how many of those five pilot sites are up and running, and what the plans for those that are not are?

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

I think I answered the noble and learned Lord’s question earlier: no, we have not delivered the five, but we are in the later stages of delivering the first one, as a pilot in Wales, and we have put forward £800,000 to do that.