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Written Question
Prisons: Wales
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the prison population in Wales.

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

On 16 October, the Lord Chancellor announced additional, longer-term measures to reform the justice system and continue to address the prison capacity challenges. The Lord Chancellor’s measures apply to England and Wales and include:

o Extending the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders;

o Introducing a presumption that sentences of twelve months or less are suspended to reduce reoffending;

o Legislating to allow prisoners to be held in overseas prisons;

o Reviewing the incentives around early guilty pleas to save the courts time, spare victims the ordeal of giving evidence in court, and cut the number of people in our prisons on remand;

o Looking at options to tackle the injustice of the now abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence and how the licence period could be reduced to restore greater proportionality to the IPP sentence;

o Reviewing our Home Detention Curfew (HDC) policy to increase the number of prisoners eligible for this successful rehabilitative measure;

o Reviewing the use of recall for offenders on release who infringe the terms of their licence; and,

o A new annual statement on prison capacity and up to £400m of funding for more prison places (enough to buy 800 new Rapid Deployment Cells).

The Government will continue to carefully monitor the evolving situation with demand for prison places so that we can make sure we have the right approaches in place to maintain the capacity required for a safe and effective criminal justice system.


Written Question
Prisoners: Wales
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support female Welsh prisoners held in English prisons, both during and after their imprisonment, to reintegrate into the community.

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

All women’s prisons have an embedded pre-release provision delivered by the Probation Service. The pre-release team liaise with the Community Probation Practitioner as allocated and support pre-release planning activity throughout the sentence. The teams will progress referrals that have been made to Commissioned Rehabilitative Service suppliers, including fast tracking services for women serving short sentences. This provision is provided for Welsh women in English prisons as part of the Women’s Pathfinder Whole System Approach (WSA), with a WSA Service Caseworker based in HMP Eastwood Park and Women's Partnership Integration Coordinators aligned to each Probation Delivery Unit area in Wales, helping to support inter-agency connection and coordination across women's services.


Written Question
Criminal Proceedings: Women
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many women have been assisted by the Women’s Pathfinder Whole System Approach since its establishment in 2013.

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

There was not a full Women’s Pathfinder Whole System Approach (WSA) service in place prior to 2019. Therefore, data does not exist for the number of women who have been assisted since 2013.

The commissioned Women’s Pathfinder WSA service in South Wales and Gwent went live in October 2019 and has assisted 4,117 women through referrals to the service from January 2020 to September 2023.


Written Question
Prisons: Pepper Spray
Monday 22nd November 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been held in prisons where pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been issued, broken down by (1) ethnicity, (2) religion, and (3) disability status, since 1 April 2019.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

PAVA is presently in 80 HMPPS prisons *, the below tables provide population figures across those 80 prisons firstly by ethnicity and secondly by religion. We are unable to provide this breakdown for disability as data is not available.

Note* The 80 prisons comprises 26 live sites which have issued to over 50% of their staff and the remainder have only issued to a small number of staff as part of an exceptional deployment.

Table 1: Prisoners held in prisons where pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been issued, by ethnicity, March 2019 - September 2021, in England and Wales

31-Mar-19

30-Sep-19

31-Mar-20

30-Sep-20

31-Mar-21

30-Sep-21

All

59,070

59,958

59,657

57,223

56,594

57,224

Asian / Asian British

4,599

4,642

4,635

4,464

4,534

4,709

Black / African / Caribbean / Black British

7,786

7,964

7,839

7,615

7,541

7,494

Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups

2,724

2,808

2,848

2,803

2,758

2,764

Other ethnic group

918

916

932

888

853

858

White

42,624

43,228

42,912

40,918

40,399

40,869

Not recorded

240

236

320

376

314

354

Not stated

179

164

171

159

195

176

Table 2: Prisoners held in prisons where pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been issued, by religion, March 2019 - September 2021, in England and Wales

31-Mar-19

30-Sep-19

31-Mar-20

30-Sep-20

31-Mar-21

30-Sep-21

All

59,070

59,958

59,657

57,223

56,594

57,224

Anglican

9,751

9,750

9,522

8,866

8,391

8,223

Free Church

505

535

547

559

539

531

Roman Catholic

10,380

10,453

10,386

9,873

9,547

9,723

Other Christian

7,741

7,828

7,584

7,302

7,350

7,570

Muslim

9,612

9,920

10,096

9,953

10,202

10,424

Hindu

263

271

271

237

247

256

Sikh

431

399

406

365

344

349

Buddhist

1,181

1,183

1,227

1,171

1,135

1,104

Jewish

363

406

406

395

384

383

Other religious groups

1,345

1,420

1,433

1,410

1,366

1,362

Other non-recognised

7

5

6

6

5

5

No religion

17,381

17,702

17,676

16,879

16,843

17,120

Not recorded

110

86

97

207

241

174

Data sources and quality
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.

Source: Prison NOMIS System


PQ HL3793 (Ministry of Justice; DASD-DES)


Written Question
Prisons: Pepper Spray
Monday 22nd November 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been (1) drawn, or (2) drawn and deployed, in prisons since 1 April 2019, broken down by prison.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

Establishment*

Total

Drawn only

Drawn and deployed

Aylesbury

20

5

15

Bedford

6

4

2

Belmarsh

1

1

0

Berwyn

1

0

1

Brinsford

18

4

14

Bure

1

1

0

Channings Wood

1

1

0

Durham

4

4

0

Elmley

1

0

1

Featherstone

6

4

2

Ford

1

0

1

Garth

1

0

1

Gartree

1

1

0

Hindley

13

5

8

Hull

25

4

21

Humber

1

0

1

Isis

1

0

1

Manchester

3

2

1

Moorland

3

1

2

Norwich

4

3

1

Nottingham

1

1

0

Preston

22

3

19

Ranby

2

1

1

Risley

42

15

27

Rochester

1

0

1

Stafford

2

1

1

Stocken

1

0

1

Swaleside

1

1

0

Swinfen Hall

31

5

26

Wakefield

7

6

1

Wandsworth

2

1

1

Wayland

2

2

0

Wealstun

36

11

25

Whitemoor

11

4

7

Winchester

3

0

3

Woodhill

3

1

2

Total

279

92

187

Ford

1

0

1

Garth

1

0

1

Gartree

1

1

0

Hindley

13

5

8

Hull

25

4

21

Humber

1

0

1

Isis

1

0

1

Manchester

3

2

1

Moorland

3

1

2

Norwich

4

3

1

Nottingham

1

1

0

Preston

22

3

19

Ranby

2

1

1

Risley

42

15

27

Rochester

1

0

1

Stafford

2

1

1

Stocken

1

0

1

Swaleside

1

1

0

Swinfen Hall

31

5

26

Wakefield

7

6

1

Wandsworth

2

1

1

Wayland

2

2

0

Wealstun

36

11

25

Whitemoor

11

4

7

Winchester

3

0

3

Woodhill

3

1

2

Total

279

92

187

Note* The above prisons comprise both those which have been through full rollout and deployed to over 50% of their eligible staff, and also prisons that have only issued as part of an exceptional deployment to a very small number of staff.


Written Question
Prisons: Pepper Spray
Monday 22nd November 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) incapacitant spray has been (1) drawn, or (2) drawn and deployed, in prisons since 1 April 2019, broken down by (a) ethnicity, (b) religion, and (c) disability status, of the prisoner.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

There haves been a total of 279 incidents involving PAVA since 1st April 2019, of those incidentsin 187 incidents PAVA was drawn and deployed and in 92 PAVA were as drawn only.

We are unable to provide this for disability as data for this is not available.

Ethnicity

Individuals Impacted

%

Drawn and Deployed

%

Drawn only

%

Asian/Asian British

33

6%

28

7%

5

3%

Black/Black British

182

35%

147

39%

35

24%

Mixed

57

11%

38

10%

19

13%

Other ethnic group

8

2%

7

2%

1

1%

White

241

46%

159

42%

82

57%

Not recorded

4

1%

2

1%

2

1%

Total

525

100%

381

100%

144

100%

Religion

Individuals Impacted

%

Drawn and Deployed

%

Drawn only

%

Buddhist

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Christian

198

38%

131

34%

67

46%

Hindu

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Jewish

3

1%

2

1%

1

1%

Muslim

133

25%

103

27%

30

21%

Sikh

2

0%

1

0%

1

1%

Other

12

2%

10

3%

2

1%

No religion

151

29%

112

29%

39

27%

Not recorded

26

5%

22

6%

4

3%

Total

525

100%

381

100%

144

100%


Written Question
Criminal Justice Royal Commission
Wednesday 21st July 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 9 November 2020 (HL Deb, col 798) and the answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 6 July (HL Deb, col 1149), what work has been undertaken by the team of officials appointed to work on the royal commission on criminal justice since November 2020; and what work are they currently undertaking.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

Work to establish a Royal Commission was slowed down last year to prioritise the safe operation of the Criminal Justice System in response to the impact of Covid. As we continue to recover and build back the CJS, it is right that we now pause work on the Royal Commission to allow space for the recovery work before revisiting where a Commission might add most value. As work on the Commission has paused, officials have been redeployed to other roles in government.


Written Question
Prisoners' Release: Females
Tuesday 22nd June 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to ensure women prison leavers supported by the Ministry of Justice’s temporary accommodation service are supported into permanent accommodation.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.

The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks’ emergency accommodation.

In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.

In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.

HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks’ temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS.


Written Question
Berwyn Prison: Welsh Language
Monday 15th February 2021

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Independent Monitoring Board, Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Berwyn, published on 17 September 2020, what assessment they have made of complaints that prisoners have been threatened with sanctions for speaking Welsh; and what steps are they taking following those complaints.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

No sanctions or warnings have been issued at HMP Berwyn for use of the Welsh Language since the prison opened in 2017. There has been one instance where a prisoner was improperly challenged for speaking Welsh in 2019; the matter was investigated, and the member of staff corrected before they issued a behaviour warning to the prisoner. No further complaints of this nature have been reported.

HMP Berwyn is committed to supporting its prisoners, which includes meeting the expectations of the Welsh Language Commissioner and helping encourage the speaking of Welsh at the prison.

Every prison in Wales, including HMP Berwyn, has a Welsh Language Action plan. HMP Berwyn has a dedicated Welsh Language Lead who provides updates to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, chaired by the Governor.


Written Question
Prisoners on Remand
Tuesday 6th October 2020

Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners have been released on bail in each month since 1 March because they have reached the maximum permissible period of remand.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Department does not currently collect this data centrally.