Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted under the single justice procedure by offence in each month of 2024; and what the plea rates were for offences charged under the single justice procedure in the same period.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The requested information is provided in the attached table.
The Government is concerned about the consistency in standards of private prosecutors, including those who use the Single Justice Procedure. This is why we launched a consultation on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors and safeguards in the Single Justice Procedure. The consultation closed on 08 May and we are considering our response carefully.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much Youth Investment Fund money has been allocated to (a) organisations, (b) authorities and (c) other entities with premises within South Norfolk constituency in each year since applications were open.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in this Government's National Youth Strategy will be shaped by engagement with young people and the youth sector, and will be dependent on Spending Review decisions.
Over £120,000 has been invested in South Norfolk and an additional £1.4 million in the wider Norfolk County through the Youth Investment Fund.
The Secretary of State’s Written Statement, of 15 May 2025, sets out the Department’s 2025/26 funding for youth programmes - an investment of over £145 million - to provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can continue to access opportunities, as we transition to the new National Youth Strategy.
The package of funding includes £79.4 million of reprofiled Youth Investment Fund Phase 2 to ensure the successful delivery of projects scheduled for completion in 2025/26. This includes the pipeline of 25 Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) projects.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of funding allocated through the Youth Investment Fund has been allocated to (a) Town and (b) Parish Councils in each year applications were open.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in this Government's National Youth Strategy will be shaped by engagement with young people and the youth sector, and will be dependent on Spending Review decisions.
Over £120,000 has been invested in South Norfolk and an additional £1.4 million in the wider Norfolk County through the Youth Investment Fund.
The Secretary of State’s Written Statement, of 15 May 2025, sets out the Department’s 2025/26 funding for youth programmes - an investment of over £145 million - to provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can continue to access opportunities, as we transition to the new National Youth Strategy.
The package of funding includes £79.4 million of reprofiled Youth Investment Fund Phase 2 to ensure the successful delivery of projects scheduled for completion in 2025/26. This includes the pipeline of 25 Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) projects.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of assault on unpaid work staff have been reported in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Community Rehabilitation Companies previously held responsibility for unpaid work, until being unified back into the National Probation Service on 26 June 2021. HM Prisons and Probation Service does not hold incident reporting information prior to this date. The data below is taken from the accident reporting platform for the financial years 2021-2025.
It is important to us that all our staff on the frontline are safe and we will do whatever it takes to protect our hardworking staff. Detailed risk assessments are carried out and probation staff are trained at handling incidents and de-escalation. Anyone who assaults a member of staff could have criminal charges brought against them.
Date Range | Physical Assault | Non-Physical Assault |
1/6/21 – 31/3/22 | 21 | 102 |
1/4/22 – 31/3/23 | 22 | 303 |
1/4/23 – 31/3/24 | 36 | 318 |
1/4/24 – 31/3/25 | 30 | 366 |
1/4/25 – 24/4/25 | 0 | 22 |
Note: Physical Assaults includes any incident where contact is made. Non-Physical Assaults includes verbal or written abuse and intimidating behaviour.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have offered courses in (a) parenting and (b) relationships in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HMPPS does not hold the data on how many prisons have offered courses in parenting and relationships in each of the last 10 financial years. Courses delivered under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) include both accredited and non-accredited courses as commissioned by the Governor, and the data system does not have the ability to filter by these subject categories. Whilst data records indicate that a number of courses have taken place since 2019, this only captures data for England, PEF provision only, and provides limited information on courses which are due to take place in the future
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an estimate of the value added by unpaid work projects on the secure estate.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While there is not anything specifically named ‘unpaid work’ in prisons, and we therefore cannot provide information on how much has been spent on it, convicted prisoners are expected to work and there are various jobs across prison workshops, kitchens, laundries and other services like wing cleaning, for which prisoners are paid. Prison industries can be commercial, employer-led spaces or can make products for the internal prison market that we would otherwise have to buy (such as cell furniture, prisoner clothing), saving the taxpayer money.
There are also payback punishments in prisons, which act as a means for enabling prisoners to make amends to their prison community for their misbehaviour.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money has been spent on unpaid work in the secure estate in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While there is not anything specifically named ‘unpaid work’ in prisons, and we therefore cannot provide information on how much has been spent on it, convicted prisoners are expected to work and there are various jobs across prison workshops, kitchens, laundries and other services like wing cleaning, for which prisoners are paid. Prison industries can be commercial, employer-led spaces or can make products for the internal prison market that we would otherwise have to buy (such as cell furniture, prisoner clothing), saving the taxpayer money.
There are also payback punishments in prisons, which act as a means for enabling prisoners to make amends to their prison community for their misbehaviour.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders entering the secure estate had an (a) English and (b) mathematics functional skills level (a) below and (b) above entry-level 3 in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The functional skills level of prisoners recorded from initial English and maths assessments are published as part of the annual Prison Education and Accredited Programmes Statistics at Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics - GOV.UK. The Ministry of Justice holds this data from 2019. Before this, prison education was the responsibility of the Department for Education.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders on the secure estate undertook (a) unpaid work, (b) education and (c) vocational training in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We set out management information relating to three relevant elements of purposeful activity below. However, this data was only developed as a measure from 2021/2022 so we are unable to provide it for the last 10 years. The percentages include prisoners who complete at least one session per week (part-time activity).
The measures don’t apply to privately managed prisons who use different data recording systems. They also exclude from scope those prisoners on remand, those aged over 65, those who were in healthcare or segregation for more than five days in the week, prisoners in more than one prison in the week and/or those only in prison for less than a week.
Category | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Industries | 14% | 19% | 21% |
Education | 13% | 20% | 21% |
Services | 32% | 33% | 34% |
There is nothing we refer to as ‘unpaid work’ in prison but prisoners work in various roles across the prison both in industry (for example in textiles workshops) and in services (for example working in the kitchens or laundry). ‘Education’ covers both functional skills and vocational training (we do not separate them)
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of force by staff on the secure estate on reoffending rates.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Physical intervention to resolve incidents is only ever to be used as a last resort. Staff receive extensive training in de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution to reduce the need for physical intervention, and regular reviews and analyses of use of force incidents help identify areas for improvement and ensure accountability. In its Use of Force Policy Framework - GOV.UK, His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) sets out mandatory instructions and professional standards for staff, ensuring that any use of force is lawful, necessary, and proportionate.
The rehabilitation services and interventions that HMPPS provides help to address underlying issues that may lead to conflict, reducing the need for force to be used. They also give prisoners the support and skills they need to find employment, accommodation, and to build and maintain support networks, which we know are significant factors in reducing re-offending.