Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Lindsay Roy

Tuesday 3rd July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Blunt]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend because, as he says, it is essential to maintain security while enabling learning and skills to be relevant in prisons. Prisoners’ educational internet access will now be via the virtual campus that is being installed where it is technically possible to do so in all adult prisons in England. It offers very secure access to online tools and resources that have been through thorough quality assurance and rigorous security checks, and has the potential to be developed so that prisoners’ in-cell time as well as their out-of-cell time could be much more productive than it is today.

[Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes) (Lab)]

Is it not the case that despite good intentions, the Government are no closer to making work in prisons the norm than they were two years ago?

[Mr Blunt]

That is complete nonsense. There has been a culture change across the whole of the prison system, and prison governors are stepping up to the plate and driving the agenda forward. At the same time, we have taken an enormous amount of trouble to put in place a code of practice and the necessary policy underpinnings so that we can take work in prisons to the maximum level that we can achieve. There is a profound change under way involving substantial and substantive work and I hope that the hon. Gentleman will support us in that endeavour.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Lindsay Roy

Tuesday 28th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes) (Lab)]

10. What the reason is for the time taken to implement agreements on the compensation of victims of terrorism overseas.

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

We are examining this issue in tandem with the domestic criminal injuries scheme and will publish our proposals on victims in the coming weeks.

[Lindsay Roy]

I thank the Minister for his response. Has he made an assessment of how other countries, such as France and Australia, have been able to implement promptly the agreements on compensation for such victims outwith their natural boundaries?

[Mr Blunt]

As the hon. Gentleman will know, the House decided when we passed the Crime and Security Act 2010 that it was likely that the forward-looking scheme would relate to the criminal injuries compensation scheme. We are coming forward with proposals on the criminal injuries compensation scheme and are taking these things in tandem.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Lindsay Roy

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Blunt]

It will come as no surprise to my hon. Friend, given our mutual background, that I would regard such discrimination against former members of the armed services as wholly unacceptable. If prison officers can produce evidence for that, I would be extremely interested to receive it.

[Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes) (Lab)]

T8. The Crime and Security Act 2010 received Royal Assent more than a year ago. How much longer will victims of overseas terrorism have to wait to receive their compensation? Those victims include Will Pike, who will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, following injuries sustained in the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008.

[Mr Blunt]

I saw Will Pike and his father last week along with another representative of victims of terrorism overseas. We are bringing forward proposals on that, and will do so when we bring forward comprehensive proposals on victims, witnesses and criminal injuries compensation.