Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the National Tactical Response Group has been deployed in each year since 2018.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) are a specialist resource that provide intervention options to the Silver and Gold commanders. NTRG is a highly trained team that provide expertise in technical interventions that would carry higher risk of failure or injury, and which require skills and equipment limited only to NTRG staff.
The information requested can be found in the table(s) below.
Number of deployments of National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) by year since 2018 | |
Year | Number of deployments of NTRG |
2018 | 628 |
2019 | 719 |
2020 | 455 |
2021 | 384 |
2022 | 570 |
2023 | 794 |
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Tornado Teams have been deployed to incidents in prisons in England and Wales in each year since 2018.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:
The table below lists how many times Tornado Teams have been deployed at the end of each year since 2018.
Year | Deployments to Prisons |
2018 | 10 |
2019 | 10 |
2020 | 6 |
2021 | 4 |
2022 | 9 |
2023 | 13 |
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on expanding the scope of legal aid to cover special guardianship orders in private family proceedings as set out in Legal Support Action Plan, published February 2019; and if he will meet interested parties, including the all-party Parliamentary group on Kinship Care.
Answered by Sarah Dines
I am pleased to confirm that the Government intends to bring forward secondary legislation to expand the scope of legal aid to Special Guardianship Orders in Autumn 2022 to deliver on the commitment made in the Legal Support Action Plan, published in 2019.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for legal aid for (a) special guardians and (b) prospective special guardians, including the removal of means testing; and if he will publish any economic modelling undertaken in relation to that assessment.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
In February 2019 as part of the Legal Support Action Plan, we committed to bringing special guardianship orders into scope of legal aid.
Although work was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic response, we are intending to look into the role of special guardians and at the scope for extending legal aid to special guardians in private law proceedings as part of wider consideration of the civil legal aid scheme more generally.
We are currently conducting a review of the means test for legal aid. We plan to conclude the review in later 2021, at which point we will publish a full consultation paper setting out our future policy proposals in this area which will include a full impact assessment. We will take these proposals into consideration for the approach to means testing when looking into special guardianship orders.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the February 2019 Legal Support Action Plan, when he plans to bring forward proposals to extend eligibility for non‑means tested legal aid for parents, or those with parental responsibility, who wish to oppose applications for placement orders or adoption orders in public family law proceedings.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
In February 2019 as part of the Legal Support Action Plan, we agreed to remove the means test for those with parental responsibility to oppose placement or adoption orders in family law proceedings and we committed to bringing special guardianship orders into scope of legal aid.
Over the past year many elements of the Action Plan are up and running and work is proceeding on other. For example, the Civil Legal Aid Means Test Review is currently underway and is due to consult in the Autumn of this year, £3.1m has been provided for legal support for litigants in person, and changes have been made to the Civil Legal Aid telephone service, making it easier for people to get face to face advice. Furthermore, we’ve widened the scope of legal aid to cover immigration matters for separated migrant children.
Work onthis specific action has been delayed, most recently due to the focus on the ongoing response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the prioritisation of Covid recovery. However, we still intend to undertake this work and will communicate revised timelines to stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the February 2019 Legal Support Action Plan, when he plans to bring forward proposals to expand the scope of legal aid to cover special guardianship orders in private law.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
In February 2019 as part of the Legal Support Action Plan, we agreed to remove the means test for those with parental responsibility to oppose placement or adoption orders in family law proceedings and we committed to bringing special guardianship orders into scope of legal aid.
Over the past year many elements of the Action Plan are up and running and work is proceeding on other. For example, the Civil Legal Aid Means Test Review is currently underway and is due to consult in the Autumn of this year, £3.1m has been provided for legal support for litigants in person, and changes have been made to the Civil Legal Aid telephone service, making it easier for people to get face to face advice. Furthermore, we’ve widened the scope of legal aid to cover immigration matters for separated migrant children.
Work onthis specific action has been delayed, most recently due to the focus on the ongoing response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the prioritisation of Covid recovery. However, we still intend to undertake this work and will communicate revised timelines to stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prospective kinship carers joined as parties to care proceedings were granted legal aid, in each year since 2016.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Applications for legal aid by prospective special guardians in private law proceedings:
Financial year | Certificates Granted | % Granted | Average Costs (£) |
2016-17 | 131 | 71% | 1,830 |
2017-18 | 145 | 77% | 1,874 |
2018-19 | 125 | 70% | 2,000 |
2019-20 | 183 | 79% | 2,887 |
2020-21 | 165 | 73% | 2,754 |
Please note that average costs are based on those cases which have billed in this period. Cases may conclude and bill in a different period from that which they were granted in.
Figures relate to applications for legal aid certificates submitted to the Legal Aid Agency. Equivalent figures for advice and assistance provided under the Legal Help scheme are not available, as the decision to grant funding at that tier rests with the solicitor providing the legal services.
Applications may not be granted for a variety of reasons, including being rejected for administrative reasons, with withdrawn or abandoned by the applicant, or not satisfying one or more of the requisite eligibility criteria.
Legal aid to obtain a special guardianship order is available, subject to means and merits tests, and evidence of either domestic violence or a risk of child abuse.
Information on applications for legal aid from non-parent parties in care proceedings for the purposes of pursuing placement of the subject child with them, or prospective kinship carers joined as parties to care proceedings, is only available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to applications for legal aid from non-parent parties in care proceedings for the purposes of pursuing placement of the subject child with them, (a) how many and what proportion of those applications were granted and (b) what the average award was, in each year since 2016.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Applications for legal aid by prospective special guardians in private law proceedings:
Financial year | Certificates Granted | % Granted | Average Costs (£) |
2016-17 | 131 | 71% | 1,830 |
2017-18 | 145 | 77% | 1,874 |
2018-19 | 125 | 70% | 2,000 |
2019-20 | 183 | 79% | 2,887 |
2020-21 | 165 | 73% | 2,754 |
Please note that average costs are based on those cases which have billed in this period. Cases may conclude and bill in a different period from that which they were granted in.
Figures relate to applications for legal aid certificates submitted to the Legal Aid Agency. Equivalent figures for advice and assistance provided under the Legal Help scheme are not available, as the decision to grant funding at that tier rests with the solicitor providing the legal services.
Applications may not be granted for a variety of reasons, including being rejected for administrative reasons, with withdrawn or abandoned by the applicant, or not satisfying one or more of the requisite eligibility criteria.
Legal aid to obtain a special guardianship order is available, subject to means and merits tests, and evidence of either domestic violence or a risk of child abuse.
Information on applications for legal aid from non-parent parties in care proceedings for the purposes of pursuing placement of the subject child with them, or prospective kinship carers joined as parties to care proceedings, is only available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to applications for legal aid by prospective special guardians in private law proceedings, (a) how many and what proportion of those applications were granted and (b) what the average award was, in each year since 2016.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Applications for legal aid by prospective special guardians in private law proceedings:
Financial year | Certificates Granted | % Granted | Average Costs (£) |
2016-17 | 131 | 71% | 1,830 |
2017-18 | 145 | 77% | 1,874 |
2018-19 | 125 | 70% | 2,000 |
2019-20 | 183 | 79% | 2,887 |
2020-21 | 165 | 73% | 2,754 |
Please note that average costs are based on those cases which have billed in this period. Cases may conclude and bill in a different period from that which they were granted in.
Figures relate to applications for legal aid certificates submitted to the Legal Aid Agency. Equivalent figures for advice and assistance provided under the Legal Help scheme are not available, as the decision to grant funding at that tier rests with the solicitor providing the legal services.
Applications may not be granted for a variety of reasons, including being rejected for administrative reasons, with withdrawn or abandoned by the applicant, or not satisfying one or more of the requisite eligibility criteria.
Legal aid to obtain a special guardianship order is available, subject to means and merits tests, and evidence of either domestic violence or a risk of child abuse.
Information on applications for legal aid from non-parent parties in care proceedings for the purposes of pursuing placement of the subject child with them, or prospective kinship carers joined as parties to care proceedings, is only available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the level of support for women leaving prison.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending. It is vital that we do so to better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. This includes supporting women when they are leaving prison.
In June 2018, the Government published the Female Offender Strategy. This set out a programme of work to improve outcomes for female offenders and make society safer by tackling the underlying causes of offending and reoffending. We have begun work on delivering the first of five Residential Women’s centres, a key commitment in our Strategy. These will provide a robust community alternative for women who would otherwise receive a short custodial sentence, offering safe residential accommodation and holistic support to address the often-complex needs that underlie their offending behaviour.
The Concordat on Women in or at risk of contact with the Criminal Justice System was a commitment in the Female Offender Strategy and was published on 23 January 2021. The Concordat contains an action plan that the signatory Government departments have agreed to deliver to work together more closely at a national level to identify and respond to the often multiple and complex needs of women. The Concordat strongly promotes the idea of and need for greater collaboration at local levels, including through the adoption of whole system approaches.
We are working across Government with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Welsh Government and Other Government Departments, to address the barriers offenders face in securing suitable accommodation.
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 in Summer. It will be in operation during the next 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 Offender Managers, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers with complex needs receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation.