Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Greg Mulholland

Tuesday 8th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

2. What steps he is taking to ensure the provision of adequate legal advice in young offender institutions.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Crispin Blunt)]

The training requirement to carry out the Prison Service order requiring legal services officers to be available in every prison, including young offender institutions, could not be delivered. In future, governors will be required to give prisoners information on how to access legal advice as part of their induction into custody. The Prison Service order will be promulgated before the end of the year. Juvenile offender institutions have discrete advocacy services available for prisoners under 18 years old.

[Greg Mulholland]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Last year a study of 25 young offender institutions and 300 requests for legal help from young people showed that 80% of those struggling to access legal advice were from a black and ethnic minority background, and 9% were female, which is disproportionate when compared with the general population. What plan do the Government have to tackle that?

[Mr Blunt]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing that to my attention. We will examine the new arrangements for induction into custody and the advocacy services available to make sure that any suggested discrimination that is happening will not be allowed to recur.

Television: Licensing

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Greg Mulholland

Tuesday 8th March 2011 Ministerial Corrections

[Greg Mulholland]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Leeds North West constituency have been prosecuted for not having a television licence in the last 12 months.

[Official Report, 11 October 2010, Vol. 516, c. 153W.]

Letter of correction from Mr Crispin Blunt:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland) on 11 October 2010. The answer overstated by 80 the number of persons proceeded against for television licence evasion in the West Yorkshire police force area for 2008.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Mr Blunt]

The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for the offence of television licence evasion under the Communications Act 2003, in the West Yorkshire police force area for 2008 (latest available), was 6,652. Figures are not available at constituency level so police force area level data have been provided in lieu.

The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Data for 2009 will be published on 21 October 2010. The publication date for 2010 figures has not been finalised but will be announced on the UK National Statistics release calendar.

The correct answer should have been:

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Greg Mulholland

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

The Government are rightly focused on getting more people who are out of work into work, but a particular group of concern is ex-offenders. Will the Government, as part of the big society, continue to support charitable organisations such as the Apex Trust, which does a wonderful job in getting those offenders back into work?

[Mr Blunt]

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. One of the mechanisms we will use is payment-by-results schemes to turn offenders into taxpayers. That means that there will be rewards both for stopping offenders reoffending and for getting offenders into employment.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Greg Mulholland

Tuesday 15th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Blunt]

Yes.

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

The previous Government refurbished the Ministry of Justice building at a cost of £130 million shortly before they announced redundancies, including to front-line managers, that saved £50 million. Can the Minister and his team say that this Government will have a better and more responsible set of priorities for spending in his Department?

[Mr Blunt]

rose—