David Lammy

The British Embassy in Kabul has suspended operations. The UK Mission to Afghanistan based in Doha is leading our diplomatic, security and humanitarian engagement. We intend to establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul as soon as the security and political situation in the country allows and are coordinating this effort with allies.

The British Embassy in Kabul has suspended operations. The UK Mission to Afghanistan based in Doha is leading our diplomatic, security and humanitarian engagement. We intend to establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul as soon as the security and political situation in the country allows and are coordinating this effort with allies.

Neither the Foreign Secretary, nor any other Minister, has any plans to travel to Afghanistan. As with other G7 countries, our engagement with the Taliban is conducted by officials, not by Ministers.

The UK Government continues to support those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan. We are aware of a small number of former British Embassy staff who remain in Afghanistan. We continue to do all that we can to enable those who are eligible to relocate to the UK.

Where possible we seek to make our commitments in British Pound Sterling (GBP) to de-risk the impact of foreign currency fluctuation exposure for example the majority of our ODA programme budget is committed in GBP. Where we cannot commit in GBP, in particular across our operating budget, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has a Foreign Currency mechanism agreed with HM Treasury to maintain the department's spending power despite changes in the value of Sterling.

The UK was one of the first donors to offer its support in response to the earthquake that struck Afghanistan on 22 June, disbursing £2.5 million in full to the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Red Cross to provide life-saving shelter, medication, water and sanitation assistance to affected communities.

The UK has allocated over £799 million in humanitarian, development and security funding to Lebanon since 2011, providing humanitarian assistance since 2016. This funding benefits both Syrian refugees in Lebanon and vulnerable Lebanese. We make funding decisions based on regular assessment data collected by the humanitarian community. Since the economic decline over the last two years, additional assessment data has been collected on the humanitarian needs of the Lebanese, Palestinian refugees, and migrant communities, to complement the data on Syrian refugees. Short and medium-term needs across all population groups are myriad, covering basic needs including food, healthcare, and protection. Long-term needs can only be met through long-term solutions.

The UK is at the forefront of the international community in ensuring humanitarian support to Lebanon is principally based on humanitarian need, rather than refugee status, under a 'whole of Lebanon' response. We also continue to make clear that Lebanon's leaders must implement a credible reform process as the only sustainable way to address the ongoing crisis in Lebanon.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Prime Minister's letter to the Liaison Committee of 21 July; a copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Since his sentencing in December 2021, FCDO officials have consistently called on the Egyptian Government urgently to grant consular access to Alaa Abdel-Fattah. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, the Minister of State for North Africa, raised the case with Foreign Minister Shoukry during a call on 21 May; Lord (Tariq) Ahmad and the Foreign Secretary also raised the case with Minister Shoukry during the Foreign Minister's recent visit to London. As the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 21 June, we are working to secure his release.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Ministry of Defence on a range of foreign policy issues, including Afghanistan.

We do not speculate on future designations, or on cross-government discussions on potential targets. To do this could reduce the impact of designations. We have now sanctioned over 1000 individuals, and over 100 businesses since Putin's invasion of Ukraine including oligarchs worth £117 billion. We will not stop targeting Russia's economy until Ukraine prevails. The UK Government, along with our international allies, is working to ensure that happens.

The UK has supported multilateral fact-finding mechanisms to monitor Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including two OSCE Moscow Mechanism reports, which found evidence of clear violations of international law by Russian forces in Ukraine. These reports also noted with concern the issue of large-scale deportations of Ukrainian civilians to Russia. However, we are unable to verify the exact number of Ukrainian civilians forcibly deported to Russia, due to lack of access by international human rights and humanitarian institutions.

On 27 July the Tahbaz family confirmed Morad has been released from Evin prison on furlough and is at their home in Tehran. This welcome development follows intensive diplomatic efforts at all levels, by the UK and our partners. Morad Tahbaz is a UK-US-Iranian tri-national, and we will continue to work closely with the United States to secure his permanent release and departure from Iran. We urge the Government of Iran to end its practice of unfairly detaining British and other foreign nationals, and we will continue to work with likeminded partners to that end.

Details of ministerial commercial travel are published quarterly on gov.uk. Please see the link below for the FCDO return.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fcdo-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings#full-publication-update-history

The latest data was published on 14 July with an accompanying Written Ministerial Statement made in both Houses of Parliament on 15 July:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-07-15/debates/2207152000007/GovernmentTransparencyAndAccountability#

Earlier travel data from 2011-2021 for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from 2009 for the Department for International Development can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/minister-data and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations-in-the-department-for-international-development

The 2010 FCO information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The UK has contributed a total of £6 million, including an additional £2 million I announced on 18 July 2022, toward the UN plan to mitigate the environmental and humanitarian risk posed by the FSO Safer. In addition, the UK is coordinating with other donors to support the UN fundraising campaign and has provided technical assistance to the UN throughout the development of their response plan.

The UK Government is in contact with the Egyptian authorities and urgently seeking consular access. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah. The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities, including with regard to political prisoners in the Egyptian system, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. This includes raising the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.

The UK Government is in contact with the Egyptian authorities and urgently seeking consular access. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah. The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities, including with regard to political prisoners in the Egyptian system, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. This includes raising the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.

The UK Government is in contact with the Egyptian authorities and urgently seeking consular access. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah. The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities, including with regard to political prisoners in the Egyptian system, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. This includes raising the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.

Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. The World Justice Projects Rule of Law index ranks Rwanda top in African and amongst low income countries for order and security.

Rwanda has a strong record on economic and social rights, promotion of gender equality, and protecting the rights of migrants. We discuss regularly any concerns with the Government of Rwanda through our High Commission in Kigali and at Ministerial level we firmly believe that civil society and opposition parties must be able to operate freely, holding the Government to account and contributing to the debate on how Rwanda should be governed.

The Rwandan constitution prohibits all forms of discrimination based on identity. We continue to work with the Government and with minority communities in Rwanda to improve their situation in the country.

Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. The World Justice Projects Rule of Law index ranks Rwanda top in African and amongst low income countries for order and security.

Rwanda has a strong record on economic and social rights, promotion of gender equality, and protecting the rights of migrants. We discuss regularly any concerns with the Government of Rwanda through our High Commission in Kigali and at Ministerial level we firmly believe that civil society and opposition parties must be able to operate freely, holding the Government to account and contributing to the debate on how Rwanda should be governed.

The Rwandan constitution prohibits all forms of discrimination based on identity. We continue to work with the Government and with minority communities in Rwanda to improve their situation in the country.

The FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts will be laid in Parliament before the Summer recess, and will include further detail on FCDO's ODA spending.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest report makes clear that the window to keep 1.5 degrees alive is closing alarmingly fast. However, there are early signs of hope. For the first time, the IPCC scientists tell us that while emissions continue to rise, this growth is starting to slow. This shows that our policies and actions are starting to work. We must seize this opportunity, and double down now to accelerate action. The report also highlights the economic opportunities from the transition to a net zero economy, with the falling costs of renewable energy, and comes six months after the UK published its own comprehensive Net Zero Strategy.

The UK is encouraging all countries to revisit and strengthen their 2030 targets, as necessary, to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and to do this by the end of 2022, following the agreement reached in the Glasgow Climate Pact (GCP). As COP Presidency, the UK is leading by example and considering our own response. We will publish any updates to our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ahead of COP27. We are also working closely with partners through our COP Presidency to ensure major events including the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), G7 and G20 build on the GCP ahead of COP27.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating global food insecurity risks, already heightened by climate change, conflict and Covid-19. 43 million people are living a step away from famine; almost 570,000 people are estimated to be living in famine-like conditions. With 1.7 billion people in over 100 countries facing food, energy and commodity price rises, the global impact of Russia's war and the pursuit of practical solutions is a key priority for the UK.

We are calling for all countries to keep food trade flowing. At the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings in April, the UK and our partners secured the largest ever financial commitment from the World Bank: $170 billion until end June 2023 to support countries faced with economic hardship as a result of the Russian invasion and its impact on the world. With G7 allies, we are discussing Germany's proposal for a G7 Global Alliance on Food Security, to scale up a rapid, needs-based coordinated response, while building on current food security architecture and avoiding a fragmented global response.

We are appalled at the recent terror attacks in Israel and unequivocally condemn rocket attacks against Israel by militants in Gaza. We are also concerned by ongoing tensions across the West Bank and recent violence on Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount.

We urge all parties to work to de-escalate the situation, avoid provocative acts and respect the historic Status Quo, which provides the most appropriate means of managing access to holy sites. All religious sites must be treated with utmost respect. Officials in our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem have been engaging with the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to support them in restoring calm. We expressed our concerns and reiterated our call for calm at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on 19 April.

We are appalled at the recent terror attacks in Israel and unequivocally condemn rocket attacks against Israel by militants in Gaza. We are also concerned by ongoing tensions across the West Bank and recent violence on Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount.

We urge all parties to work to de-escalate the situation, avoid provocative acts and respect the historic Status Quo, which provides the most appropriate means of managing access to holy sites. All religious sites must be treated with utmost respect. Officials in our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem have been engaging with the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to support them in restoring calm. We expressed our concerns and reiterated our call for calm at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on 19 April.

We are appalled at the recent terror attacks in Israel and unequivocally condemn rocket attacks against Israel by militants in Gaza. We are also concerned by ongoing tensions across the West Bank and recent violence on Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount.

We urge all parties to work to de-escalate the situation, avoid provocative acts and respect the historic Status Quo, which provides the most appropriate means of managing access to holy sites. All religious sites must be treated with utmost respect. Officials in our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem have been engaging with the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to support them in restoring calm. We expressed our concerns and reiterated our call for calm at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on 19 April.

The UK is committed to working with all parties across the Holy Land to ensure the safety and security of the holy sites and all who worship there. We discussed this issue with our likeminded partners at a UNSC emergency meeting on 19 April. Officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv and British Consulate General in Jerusalem have made it clear the need to protect holy sites with local authorities.

Respect for the historic status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem is important at all times, especially during religious festivals. We encourage all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo to ensure the safety and the security of the Al Haram Al Sharif / Temple Mount and all who worship there.

We condemn in the strongest terms the firing of rockets by militants in Gaza into Israel over the past week and the threat such attacks pose. Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties.

The UK condemns the DPRK's escalation of ballistic missile testing, all in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We strongly encourage the DPRK to change course and to abandon its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. As the Foreign Secretary and G7 counterparts made clear in March, we call on the DPRK to accept the repeated offers of unconditional dialogue put forward by all relevant parties. The UN Security Council meeting on 25 March, convened by the UK, US and like-minded countries, was the first open session on DPRK since December 2019. We are clear that until the DPRK returns to dialogue, all countries must fully implement UNSC Resolutions, including the enforcement of sanctions agreed by the UNSC to curtail the DPRK's prohibited programmes. We remain committed to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, working closely with allies and partners in upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to DPRK's illegal activities.

The UK condemns the DPRK's escalation of ballistic missile testing, all in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We strongly encourage the DPRK to change course and to abandon its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. As the Foreign Secretary and G7 counterparts made clear in March, we call on the DPRK to accept the repeated offers of unconditional dialogue put forward by all relevant parties. The UN Security Council meeting on 25 March, convened by the UK, US and like-minded countries, was the first open session on DPRK since December 2019. We are clear that until the DPRK returns to dialogue, all countries must fully implement UNSC Resolutions, including the enforcement of sanctions agreed by the UNSC to curtail the DPRK's prohibited programmes. We remain committed to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, working closely with allies and partners in upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to DPRK's illegal activities.

The UK condemns the DPRK's escalation of ballistic missile testing, all in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We strongly encourage the DPRK to change course and to abandon its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. As the Foreign Secretary and G7 counterparts made clear in March, we call on the DPRK to accept the repeated offers of unconditional dialogue put forward by all relevant parties. The UN Security Council meeting on 25 March, convened by the UK, US and like-minded countries, was the first open session on DPRK since December 2019. We are clear that until the DPRK returns to dialogue, all countries must fully implement UNSC Resolutions, including the enforcement of sanctions agreed by the UNSC to curtail the DPRK's prohibited programmes. We remain committed to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, working closely with allies and partners in upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to DPRK's illegal activities.

Since 24th February, FCDO staff have been surged to support our response to the crisis in Ukraine in addition to staff already working in this area. We have also drawn in staff from across government. Within our surge response, staff with Russian and Ukrainian language skills are being deployed. The staffing footprint in our embassies bordering Ukraine is kept under regular review with staff numbers adjusted according to need.

Since 24th February, FCDO staff have been surged to support our response to the crisis in Ukraine in addition to staff already working in this area. We have also drawn in staff from across government. Within our surge response, staff with Russian and Ukrainian language skills are being deployed. The staffing footprint in our embassies bordering Ukraine is kept under regular review with staff numbers adjusted according to need.

Since 24th February, FCDO staff have been surged to support our response to the crisis in Ukraine in addition to staff already working in this area. We have also drawn in staff from across government. Within our surge response, staff with Russian and Ukrainian language skills are being deployed. The staffing footprint in our embassies bordering Ukraine is kept under regular review with staff numbers adjusted according to need.

The FCDO has one correspondence mail box - Fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk - and the correspondence team allocate consular correspondence from this address to consular officials. Since 24 February to 30 March the FCDO has received 1003 consular related emails from Members of Parliament.

During Op Pitting, the Government evacuated all British Council employees from Afghanistan. The Government also agreed to resettle more than 50 of the most vulnerable British Council contractors. Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will offer ACRS places to eligible at risk British Council contractors.

During Op Pitting, the Government evacuated all British Council employees from Afghanistan. The Government also agreed to resettle more than 50 of the most vulnerable British Council contractors. Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will offer ACRS places to eligible at risk British Council contractors.

We are supporting our Ukrainian staff who have represented the UK in extremely challenging circumstances. All Ukrainian staff currently employed directly by the British Government in Kyiv, and their family members, are eligible to come to the UK and will be supported on arrival. Our former staff in Ukraine are eligible to come to the UK if they qualify under one of the Home Office schemes.

We are supporting our Ukrainian staff who have represented the UK in extremely challenging circumstances. All Ukrainian staff currently employed directly by the British Government in Kyiv, and their family members, are eligible to come to the UK and will be supported on arrival. Our former staff in Ukraine are eligible to come to the UK if they qualify under one of the Home Office schemes.

The FCDO contacted all 2021 Afghan Chevening scholars in August to offer them evacuation to the UK under Operation Pitting. Officials across Government worked around the clock to enable the vast majority of scholars and their families to travel to the UK on military evacuation flights. Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will offer ACRS places to eligible at risk Chevening alumni.

The FCDO contacted all 2021 Afghan Chevening scholars in August to offer them evacuation to the UK under Operation Pitting. Officials across Government worked around the clock to enable the vast majority of scholars and their families to travel to the UK on military evacuation flights. Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will offer ACRS places to eligible at risk Chevening alumni.

Lebanon is facing a severe economic crisis. Its people are suffering from the failure of Lebanon's political elites to deliver much-needed and long-promised reforms, exacerbated by the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020. The humanitarian situation is worsening. To help set Lebanon on the right path, the authorities must ensure the parliamentary elections scheduled for 15 May take place on time and are free and fair. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £787 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon to support Syrian refugees and other vulnerable people. The UK and members of the International Support Group for Lebanon stand with the people of Lebanon in their time of need, but we are clear that Lebanon's leaders must implement a credible reform process as the only sustainable way to address the crisis.

Lebanon is facing a severe economic crisis. Its people are suffering from the failure of Lebanon's political elites to deliver much-needed and long-promised reforms, exacerbated by the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020. The humanitarian situation is worsening. To help set Lebanon on the right path, the authorities must ensure the parliamentary elections scheduled for 15 May take place on time and are free and fair. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £787 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon to support Syrian refugees and other vulnerable people. The UK and members of the International Support Group for Lebanon stand with the people of Lebanon in their time of need, but we are clear that Lebanon's leaders must implement a credible reform process as the only sustainable way to address the crisis.

The UK recognises how urgent and important it is to ensure countries most vulnerable to climate change, including those in the MENA region, are able to respond to the risks they face. The UK is fully committed to working with countries to deliver the commitments made in the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26, including through the Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh work programme, to deliver on the Global Goal on Adaptation; developed countries' commitment to double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries by 2025; and the Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage. The UK is strengthening climate resilience and adaptive capacity in MENA by investing in green finance, regional water management and weather and information services which will reduce exposure to climate risks.

Saudi Arabia is a major political, energy, diplomatic and economic power in the Middle East. The UK has vital national security and prosperity interests in maintaining and developing our longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia.

We have seen positive social change on women's rights, sports, entertainment and cultural spaces under Vision 2030, the Kingdom's socio-economic reform programme. However, Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Human Rights Priority Country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.

Since the military coup in October 2021, Ministers, British Embassy staff in Khartoum and senior FCDO officials have encouraged all Sudanese political actors to engage in dialogue and sought to demonstrate our support for Sudan's transition to democracy. We have also consistently called for an end to arbitrary detentions, the immediate lifting of the State of Emergency and for Sudanese people to be able to protest without fear of violence. The UK also provides support to the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), as the UN mission mandated to support Sudan's transition to democracy. In addition to this, we provide targeted support to non-state actors and civil society groups working towards inclusive political processes.

Working with partners, including the US, Norway, EU, Saudi Arabia and UAE, we will continue to use our diplomatic engagement in Khartoum, the region and elsewhere to support the next phase of talks that the UN and African Union will facilitate. This includes maintaining pressure on the military to engage and deliver the people's demands for freedom, peace and justice; a message delivered on 3 March in meetings with Sudan's military leadership in Khartoum by senior FCDO officials.

Ensuring the defeat of Daesh and countering the terrorist threat posed in Syria, Iraq and beyond is a core priority for the UK Government. While Daesh no longer holds territory and their assets have been substantially degraded, we cannot be complacent. The recent attack on Ghwaryan prison in North East Syria, along with attacks in Iraqi provinces, underline the continuing threat Daesh poses both to the UK and regional stability, and thus the ongoing importance of the Global Coalition Against Daesh mission. The UK remains fully committed to working with our partners to ensure Daesh's global defeat.

We condemn atrocities committed by Daesh against civilians and welcome efforts to bring Daesh to justice. We have contributed £2 million to the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD), to gather evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq. Since 2012, we have also provided over £14 million in support of Syrian and international efforts to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations, including championing the work of the IIIM (International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism).

The UK is a leading humanitarian donor in Yemen, contributing over £1 billion in aid since the conflict began. The UK is spending £87 million in aid in Yemen this financial year, which feeds around 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month, supports 400 healthcare clinics and provides clean water for 1.6 million people. A negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the humanitarian suffering. The UK supports fully the efforts of the UN Special Envoy and urges the parties to engage constructively with UN-led efforts towards peace.

The Foreign Secretary met US Secretary of State Blinken on 9 March and discussed negotiations on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). They agreed on the urgency of concluding the deal in Vienna. The deal would provide a fair and comprehensive offer of US sanctions-lifting for the benefit of the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Foreign Secretary also underlined the urgency for concluding this deal in a recent call with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, making clear that there would not be a better deal on offer.

In any armed conflict, it is vital that humanitarian agencies have safe and unimpeded access to affected populations. The Prime Minister discussed the importance of humanitarian access with President Zelenskyy on 9 March. I [Minister Cleverly] also stressed the importance of facilitating humanitarian access when I spoke with my Russian counterpart on 25 February.

Russia is failing to honour their obligations under international humanitarian law by reportedly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. We continue to call on Russia to uphold its obligation to fully respect international humanitarian law and human rights law. We will not spare any effort to ensure that violations of international law in Ukraine are investigated, that evidence is gathered and that the perpetrators are held accountable.

The UK has now committed £395 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. We have also contributed £3.5 million to provide medical supplies to Ukraine. We have called on Russia to enable humanitarian access and safe passage for civilians to flee the violence. We are calling on the international community, allies, donors and multilateral humanitarian organisations, to speak as one and demand full humanitarian access at all times.

The UK has now pledged £220 million of humanitarian assistance to support a well-coordinated and well-funded response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the region. UK assistance has enabled a 14-person UK field team of humanitarian experts to deploy to Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation. The FCDO has also deployed a UK Medical Health Assessment Team to Romania and Moldova to assess options for rapidly deploying UK Emergency Medical Team capabilities in response to the crisis in Ukraine. We have provided over 760,000 UK medical items to Ukraine and 9,000 to Moldova. The UK committed £25 million to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Appeal, which (including the UK's contribution) has now raised over £174 million.

The Office of Financial Sanctions (OFSI) undertakes an annual frozen assets review, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI, from which this figure is taken. The figures are then published in OFSI’s annual review each autumn. The total frozen assets reported in the 2021 annual review were £12.2 billion. The figures for 2021 are being finalised.

As at September 2020, the value of assets reported to OFSI as frozen in the UK under The Iran (Sanctions) (Human Rights) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 was £17.60.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, is the competent authority for financial sanctions in the UK. The number of active staff in OFSI since Financial Year 2016-2017 can be found in the table below:

Where the number of individuals covered is less than five, HMG considers that to provide an exact figure would constitute the disclosure of personal data. HMT is therefore unable to provide a breakdown of full time vs. part time staff.

In light of recent developments in Ukraine, the number of staff has since increased. Releasing further details of OFSI’s budget and headcount by function could prejudice its operational effectiveness.

HM Treasury does not hold data regarding the number of staff in the OFSI who speak (a) Russian and (b) Ukrainian.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, is the competent authority for financial sanctions in the UK. The number of active staff in OFSI since Financial Year 2016-2017 can be found in the table below:

Where the number of individuals covered is less than five, HMG considers that to provide an exact figure would constitute the disclosure of personal data. HMT is therefore unable to provide a breakdown of full time vs. part time staff.

In light of recent developments in Ukraine, the number of staff has since increased. Releasing further details of OFSI’s budget and headcount by function could prejudice its operational effectiveness.

HM Treasury does not hold data regarding the number of staff in the OFSI who speak (a) Russian and (b) Ukrainian.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme claims service opened on 13 May 2020, ahead of schedule. At this time no such information is available.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme claims service opened on 13 May 2020, ahead of schedule. At this time there have been no payments made.

On 1 August 2019 the government made £2.1bn available for the 2019-20 financial year, to support preparations to leave the EU without a deal. Some of this funding supported measures necessary to prepare for the UK’s future outside the EU, whether via a deal or “no deal”.

This provision was additional to the £4.2bn of “core” funding already provided by the government between 2016-17 and 2019-20, for departments and devolved administrations to prepare for Brexit in any scenario.

The Serious Violence Taskforce was established in 2018 to oversee the implementation of the Serious Violence Strategy. It last met on 26 June 2019.

The Government remains incredibly grateful for the work of the Taskforce which brought together Ministers, senior leaders and key partners. The Taskforce influenced additional action and investment in this area, for example through the creation of the new £200m Youth Endowment Fund, the consultation on the new duty on agencies to reduce serious violence and the launch of the Independent Review of Drugs Misuse.

The Government’s Manifesto set out an ambitious package of reforms to deliver on the people’s priorities and tackle violent crime and safeguard people’s streets and neighbourhoods. The Prime Minister and Home Secretary are driving this with a new cross-Whitehall Crime and Justice Taskforce to ensure we use every lever at our disposal to fight crime.

We will consider the future role for the Serious Violence Taskforce in delivering these priorities, within this context.

The Ministry of Justice publishes official statistics on the number of police cautions and court convictions issued for possession of cannabis offences. Data for the period 2008 and 2018 can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2018

The Government remains resolutely committed to the principle of family reunion.

When the UK leaves the EU, we will cease to participate in EU instruments at the end of the transition period, including the Dublin Regulation. This means that the ability of unaccompanied children under Dublin to reunite with family will end, unless a replacement agreement is negotiated. The Government has been clear that it is committed to seeking such an agreement with the EU, thereby ensuring these children can continue to reunite with family once we are out of Dublin. The Home Secretary wrote to the European Commission on 22 October to begin negotiations.

The UK will continue to be bound by the Dublin Regulation provisions during the transition period, allowing us to continue to transfer family reunion cases to the UK throughout 2020, and we will continue to process all family reunion requests that have been submitted but not completed under Dublin before the end of the transition period.

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last five years is as follows:

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last ten years is as follows:

MOJ does not hold information regarding what proportion of the data held by MOJ is on databases provided or managed by CGI IT UK Limited.

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the expected timetable is for retiring or replacing the 54 applications in scope of the contract at award is as follows:

• 5 applications have been retired or replaced since award; and
• 43 further applications will be retired or replaced as follows
• 7 by the end of financial year 2021/22
• 16 by the end of financial year 2024/25
• 20 following the 2021 spend review period.
• It is expected that the remaining 6 applications will be retained for longer term use

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the Ministry of Justice does not intend to publish details of the 54 applications in scope of the contract and their length of use on security advice.

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last five years is as follows:

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last ten years is as follows:

MOJ does not hold information regarding what proportion of the data held by MOJ is on databases provided or managed by CGI IT UK Limited.

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the expected timetable is for retiring or replacing the 54 applications in scope of the contract at award is as follows:

• 5 applications have been retired or replaced since award; and
• 43 further applications will be retired or replaced as follows
• 7 by the end of financial year 2021/22
• 16 by the end of financial year 2024/25
• 20 following the 2021 spend review period.
• It is expected that the remaining 6 applications will be retained for longer term use

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the Ministry of Justice does not intend to publish details of the 54 applications in scope of the contract and their length of use on security advice.

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last five years is as follows:

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last ten years is as follows:

MOJ does not hold information regarding what proportion of the data held by MOJ is on databases provided or managed by CGI IT UK Limited.

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the expected timetable is for retiring or replacing the 54 applications in scope of the contract at award is as follows:

• 5 applications have been retired or replaced since award; and
• 43 further applications will be retired or replaced as follows
• 7 by the end of financial year 2021/22
• 16 by the end of financial year 2024/25
• 20 following the 2021 spend review period.
• It is expected that the remaining 6 applications will be retained for longer term use

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the Ministry of Justice does not intend to publish details of the 54 applications in scope of the contract and their length of use on security advice.

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last five years is as follows:

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last ten years is as follows:

MOJ does not hold information regarding what proportion of the data held by MOJ is on databases provided or managed by CGI IT UK Limited.

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the expected timetable is for retiring or replacing the 54 applications in scope of the contract at award is as follows:

• 5 applications have been retired or replaced since award; and
• 43 further applications will be retired or replaced as follows
• 7 by the end of financial year 2021/22
• 16 by the end of financial year 2024/25
• 20 following the 2021 spend review period.
• It is expected that the remaining 6 applications will be retained for longer term use

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the Ministry of Justice does not intend to publish details of the 54 applications in scope of the contract and their length of use on security advice.

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last five years is as follows:

The total spending of the Ministry of Justice on services provided under contracts with CGI IT UK Limited in each of the last ten years is as follows:

MOJ does not hold information regarding what proportion of the data held by MOJ is on databases provided or managed by CGI IT UK Limited.

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the expected timetable is for retiring or replacing the 54 applications in scope of the contract at award is as follows:

• 5 applications have been retired or replaced since award; and
• 43 further applications will be retired or replaced as follows
• 7 by the end of financial year 2021/22
• 16 by the end of financial year 2024/25
• 20 following the 2021 spend review period.
• It is expected that the remaining 6 applications will be retained for longer term use

With reference to the Application Maintenance and Support Contract with CGI IT UK Limited awarded by the Ministry of Justice in November 2020, the Ministry of Justice does not intend to publish details of the 54 applications in scope of the contract and their length of use on security advice.

The publication of the Female Offender Strategy in June 2018 was the start of a new and significant programme of work to deliver better outcomes for female offenders. There was no deadline attached to delivering the Strategy when it was published and we have always been clear that it will take several years to deliver its objectives, including reducing the women’s prison population.

In June 2018, the female prison population was 3,803. This had reduced by 16% to 3,196 by June 2021, although it is likely that the impact of the pandemic will be responsible for some of this reduction. As of October 2021, there were 3,227 women in prison.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes monthly individual prison population and capacity information through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-population-statistics.

As part of our commitment to coordinate and signpost people to the right legal support, we have made improvements to telephone signposting from MoJ telephone support lines, for individuals who do not fall within the scope of legal aid. In collaboration with DLHUC, we have also developed an online (guided pathway) signposting pilot to help individuals resolve housing disrepair issues in private rented accommodation. The online pilot launched on GOV.UK in April and offers tailored guidance and information about an individual’s rights and responsibilities, with the aim that individuals will be able to resolve their issues independently before they escalate.

The Government has also committed to piloting early legal advice in social welfare law and this pilot will start in early 2022.

The Bail Act 1976 and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 provides the framework for courts to remand children to custody.

Court outcomes broken down by type of remand and ethnicity are available from 2011 in the Crown Court and 2013 for the Magistrates’ Court and can be found at the following links under remand:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2020

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

Information on ethnicity for the Magistrates’ Courts for 2011 and 2012, however, could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

The Legal Aid Agency publishes volumes of applications and grants for civil representation in the inquest and employment law categories at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/legal-aid-statistics. The published figures (in that link) cover from the 2013/14 and 2006/07 financial years respectively.

Historic volumes are shown below. Please note that the earliest data available in the inquest category dates from the 2002/03 financial year. Data prior to the 2013/14 financial year for this category is sourced from raw data from a legacy operational database which, like any operational database, may contain errors. The figures have not been subject to validation or quality assured to the standard of Official Statistics, and should therefore not be interpreted as such.

The Legal Aid Agency publishes volumes of applications and grants for civil representation in the inquest and employment law categories at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/legal-aid-statistics. The published figures (in that link) cover from the 2013/14 and 2006/07 financial years respectively.

Historic volumes are shown below. Please note that the earliest data available in the inquest category dates from the 2002/03 financial year. Data prior to the 2013/14 financial year for this category is sourced from raw data from a legacy operational database which, like any operational database, may contain errors. The figures have not been subject to validation or quality assured to the standard of Official Statistics, and should therefore not be interpreted as such.

A review of Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases dealt with between 1st September and 30th October 2020 showed that legal advisers and justices identified errors in 10% of cases. The errors are not caused by the type of proceedings; work done over the summer of 2020 suggested that the primary cause was the volume of regulations and the constant amendments, combined with the speed of introduction and the conditions in which officers issuing fixed penalty notices had to work. In the autumn of 2020, work was done with police forces and justices’ legal advisers to reduce the errors. Anecdotally, and from limited data, the error rate with the new round of SJP proceedings appears to be lower than last year. As the regulations ceased in the summer, the numbers of Covid SJP cases are set to decline.

It is for judges to decide whether it is in the interest of justice to enable a live link to be used having considered representations from parties in the case. We will continue to conduct research and testing to ensure that the current technology is reliable, user-friendly and accessible and meets the requirements of justice.

The MoJ is conducting an evaluation of the HMCTS reform programme to ensure that the effects of reform can be identified and assessed. This evaluation will help identify if the reform programme has met its aims and what effects it had, for whom and why, including the impacts on vulnerable users. Our evaluation framework for HMCTS Reform was published in May 2021. An interim evaluation report is planned for publication in 2022, and a final evaluation report will be published following the end of the reform programme.

We are keen to evaluate impacts as part of any future research however plans for this are still to be confirmed.

Ministry of Justice (MOJ) does not routinely hold data on barristers’ specialisms. However as part of the Criminal Legal Aid Review, MOJ worked with the Bar Council and other stakeholders to combine key datasets which were summarised in a published Data compendium. This shows that the number of barristers in England and Wales who reported themselves as specialising in crime, and who carried out some publicly-funded criminal work, was 2,780 in 2018-19 and 2,690 in 2019-20 (Table 5.3). Comparable data is not available prior to 2018-19.

Table 5.13 shows that, in 2019-20, 87% of this group were junior barristers and 13% were QCs.

In the ten months September 2020 to June 2021 (in line with published statistics) one court recorded an average utilisation rate of below 50%, recording 48%, and no courts were below 25%. This court is the Central Criminal Court and utilisation was affected by a number of factors including maintenance works in two courtrooms and the reconfiguration of eight smaller courtrooms into jury deliberation rooms in support of social distancing. Only court sittings are recorded in utilisation calculations. This is management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction, which is subject to change.

£6m has been spent on the installation of 74 x-ray body scanners. This sum is comprised of hardware, installation and commissioning costs combined with construction works required in prisons to accommodate the hardware. Some additional associated spend linked to MOJ project and programme resourcing has been incurred but has not been included as is not directly attributed to specific projects.

The remaining investment is for the implementation of measures across a number of priority sites to operate ‘airport style’ gate security, drugs trace detection, mobile phone blocking, an expanded counter corruption investigation team and a new ‘corruption prevention’ function and multi-agency investigations into high harm Serious and Organised Criminals.

The most recent data indicates that 36% of the female prison population are held for offences of violence against the person. However, of the remaining 64%, there may be other offenders held for offences where violence has occurred but because there is no set guidance on which other types of offences should be classed as ‘violent’/’non-violent’, it is difficult to provide an exact total proportion.

Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

To help stem attrition in Operational Band 2-5’s grades Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has created a retention strategy which is linked to wider activities around employee experience, employee lifecycle and staff engagement at work. As part of this strategy, we are looking at leaver trend data, undertaking in-depth exit interviews and using this feedback to establish the drivers of attrition in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Local, Regional or National Interventions are then agreed to ensure that we are embedding retention plans in establishments. This work consists of reviewing existing data, policy, process and benefit arrangements for staff and establishing how best to optimise them in order to retain employees and stabilise the workforce.

There is no centrally held data on the number of children remanded for their own protection and the requested information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

As prison capacity expands, total staffing requirements are increasing. The department carefully monitors resourcing levels to ensure that we can manage current staffing levels and make accurate predictions around future needs. Work is ongoing to define the workforce need in association with the new prisons and expansion projects.

In-cell technology is available in three prisons and one young offender institution. We are currently deploying in-cell technology into a further 11 prisons – including the remaining three young offender institutions.

The technology provides access to digital services and includes educational, mental health content and more.

We plan to make the education providers ‘virtual campus’ system available on the in-cell equipment in due course.

Access to digital education continues to be available to prisoners in other areas of the prison.

The Urgent Notification (UN) process was launched in 2017. Since then, the UN was invoked seven times across Her Majesty’s Prisons and Young Offenders’ Institution:

2018

- HMP Nottingham – invoked on 17 January.

- HMP Exeter – invoked on 30 May.

- HMP Birmingham – invoked on 20 August.

- HMP Bedford – invoked on 13 September.

2019

- HMP Bristol – invoked on 13 June.

- HMP/YOI Feltham A – invoked on 24 July.

2021

- HMP/YOI Chelmsford – invoked on 27 August.

The vast majority of the establishments have made crucial improvements in the areas of concerns highlighted by the Inspectorates. Some of this is noted by the Inspectorates in their follow up visits at the establishments.

The safety and wellbeing of all children and prisoners under our care is paramount so they can turn their lives around. Any concerns raised by the Inspectorates during their visits are taken seriously.

More information on the establishments that were issued with an Urgent Notification can be found on the gov.uk website here.

As of 30 June 2021, 6 women were held in prisons in England and Wales for non-payment of fines.

The death of ‘Baby A’ was a tragedy and we have taken a range of actions to prevent this from happening again in partnership with Health.

On 20 September the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a new policy on pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units and maternal separation from children up to the age of two in women’s prisons, which contains a range of reforms for improving the care of pregnant women, including reforms that address the learning from Baby A.

As part of our reforms, we have increased central data collection on self-declared pregnancies in women’s prisons. We will be publishing annual snapshots in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The first publication on 29 July, which covers the period July 2020 - April 2021, showed that on average there were 26 women in prison self-declared as pregnant each week. At present, there is no central collection that breaks this data down into those sentenced and those held on remand, however this is collected locally by individual prisons to ensure care is appropriate.

Women in prison should have access to the same range and quality of healthcare services compared to that which they would find in the community, including midwifery, obstetric and health visiting services. For information on the commissioning of clinical services for pregnant women in prison please refer to NHS England and NHS Improvement, the responsible authority.

The death of ‘Baby A’ was a tragedy and we have taken a range of actions to prevent this from happening again in partnership with Health.

On 20 September the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a new policy on pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units and maternal separation from children up to the age of two in women’s prisons, which contains a range of reforms for improving the care of pregnant women, including reforms that address the learning from Baby A.

As part of our reforms, we have increased central data collection on self-declared pregnancies in women’s prisons. We will be publishing annual snapshots in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The first publication on 29 July, which covers the period July 2020 - April 2021, showed that on average there were 26 women in prison self-declared as pregnant each week. At present, there is no central collection that breaks this data down into those sentenced and those held on remand, however this is collected locally by individual prisons to ensure care is appropriate.

Women in prison should have access to the same range and quality of healthcare services compared to that which they would find in the community, including midwifery, obstetric and health visiting services. For information on the commissioning of clinical services for pregnant women in prison please refer to NHS England and NHS Improvement, the responsible authority.

The information requested, from 1st June 2014, can be found at: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

‘Transforming rehabilitation: a strategy for reform’ was published on 9th May 2013. The National Probation Service (NPS) came into existence on 1st June 2014. The Ministry of Justice do not hold Probation Officer or Probation Service Officers leavers data from the previous Probation Trusts’ for the period between the announcement on 9th May 2013 to the point the NPS was formed on 1st June 2014 or for Community Rehabilitation Companies from the 1st of June 2014 until the services unified in June 2021.

No mother has been denied a place on a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in the Women’s Custodial Estate due to lack of capacity since 2017, when current data collection commenced.

As of 17 September 2021, a woman in prison was on average 46 miles from their origin address.

There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring and locating prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, including their security assessment, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison.

HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where women have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.

Around 97% of prisoners have an origin location; i.e. addresses that are recorded in our central IT system. If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. This information is included in the data provided above. Those with no recorded origin are typically foreign nationals or those recently received into custody.

The numerical information provided has been drawn from administrative IT systems, which as with any large scale recording system are subject to possible error with data entry and processing.

Hostage incidents within prisons are rare occurrences and HMPPS has comprehensive contingencies in place to resolve them as safely as possible. We have trained negotiators and intervention staff who provide a range of tactical interventions to establishments experiencing incidents of this nature. If an immediate threat to life is identified HMPPS has an agreed protocol with the Armed Policing Portfolio to hand over control of the incident, however we have not needed to call on the protocol since 1989.

The table below provides details of hostage incidents, broken down by victim type each year from March 2010 to March 2021. We publish hostage data in the HMPPS annual digest, therefore we are unable to release data for the period from March 2021 to March 22 until the data is released in July 2022.

Note: These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last case the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Over the past decade, prison capacity has been taken out of use both temporarily and on a longer-term basis for a number of reasons, including deterioration in the standard and condition of the accommodation. Accommodation is also taken out of use for essential maintenance and refurbishment. It is not possible, however, to provide a reasonable estimate as to which of these decisions was a result of ‘poor maintenance’.

We are investing £315m in capital funding over the next year to improve the condition of the existing estate. Some 1,900 places are currently out of use to enable this work along with more minor repairs. This will be supported by 1,000 temporary cells which can accommodate prisoners during maintenance and refurbishment work.

Centrally held court data does not include the amount of time spent remanded in custody, and therefore obtaining this information would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

Prison receptions data has enabled an approximation of the data that has been requested. The attached table provides information on the average time spent on remand by all prisoners entering custody after sentencing between January 2010 and March 2021.

The decision to remand an individual in custody or to grant bail is solely a matter for the courts acting in accordance with the Bail Act 1976 and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012, which provides a framework of remand in custody and creates a presumption in favour of bail for all defendants involved in criminal proceedings.

The Ministry of Justice holds information for remand outcomes broken down by ethnicity in the Magistrates’ and Crown Court at the following links:

Remand Population and Total Population by Ethnicity in England and Wales 2015-2020

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1006270/Population_30June2021_Annual.ods

Remand Population by Magistrates Court

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987718/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2020.xlsx

Remand Population by Crown Court

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987720/remands-crown-court-tool-2020.xlsx

Research by the Youth Justice Board on Ethnic disproportionality in remand and sentencing in the youth justice system was published on 21 January 2021 and can be accessed via the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952483/Ethnic_disproportionality_in_remand_and_sentencing_in_the_youth_justice_system.pdf

Routine Youth Justice Statistics 2019/2020 released on 28th January show remand broken down by ethnicity: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2019-to-2020

HM Prison and Probation Service has conduct and discipline policies in place which set out the minimum standards of conduct expected of all civil servants. Staff must exercise particular care to ensure that their dealings with prisoners, former prisoners and their friends and relations are not open to abuse, misrepresentation or exploitation. Staff relationships with prisoners must be professional at all times, and the HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit proactively follows up on intelligence to detect and investigate potentially inappropriate relationships.

The table below shows the number of prison staff dismissed after conduct and discipline action due to inappropriate relationships with a prisoner/ex-prisoner from the years 2009/10 to 2019/20. The figure for 2020/21 will be available in November following publication of the 2020/21 HMPPS Staff Equalities Report.

Table 1: Prison staff¹ dismissed² after conduct and discipline³ action for inappropriate relationship with a prisoner / ex-prisoner 4⁴, for years 2009/10 to 2019/20

Notes to tables:

1. Prison Staff relates to anyone working in HM Prison Service or the Youth Custody Service (YCS). Therefore it excludes anyone working in HQ or National Probation Service.

2. Information on the outcomes of any appeal is not included.

3. Conduct and discipline cases are defined as where a penalty has been imposed on a member of HMPPS staff for a reason of conduct

4. Staff subject to at least one conduct and discipline that was concluded during the year. If an individual had multiple charges then they will be counted only once.

5. Figures for 2020/21 will be published on 25 November 2021 in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Annual Staff Equalities Report.

The HMPPS Annual Digest for the relevant years, where available, contains information in relation to weapons and illicit substances found within the estate. It does not contain data broken down into different classes of weapon. There is no available data in relation to the proportion of finds attributable to individuals visiting the prison estate.

The Government takes seriously the conveyance of weapons and other illicit items and substances into prisons.

In August 2019, the Government committed to invest £100 million in prison security in an ambitious new Security Investment Programme. One of the aims of the Programme was to reduce illicit items entering the prison estate.

Since then, we have installed 73 X-ray body scanners across the prison estate and to date have had over 9000 positive indications. The roll out of Enhanced Gate Security (EGS), replicating the tough measures used in airport screening, has resulted in hundreds of illicit items prevented from entering prisons.

The offence of prison mutiny, contrary section 1 Prison Security Act 1992 is committed when two or more prisoners, on the premises of any prison, engage in conduct which is intended to further a common purpose of overthrowing lawful authority in that prison. The offence is aimed at behaviour intended to make a prison, or part of prison, ungovernable.

The Crime in Prison referral Agreement was published in May 2019 and includes riots, serious disorder, including prison mutiny as offences that mandate a referral to the police.

Please see below for the information on (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions for the offence of prison mutiny in England and Wales in each year from December 2013 to December 2020. Data from 2010 – 2013 is not readily available and would require additional work outside of the timeframe for a response.

The Ministry of Justice is not able to provide data on (a) charges for the offence of prison mutiny; this information is not held centrally on the court proceedings database.

Legal aid is available to obtain an injunction to protect survivors of domestic violence. This is not subject to any upper means limit; applicants cannot be found financially ineligible for this form of support.

Save for the above, whether someone is a survivor of domestic violence is not recorded for types of legal aid for other categories of law, eligibility for which would be subject to the applicable means and merits tests.

The HMPPS Annual Digest for the relevant years, where available, contains information in relation to the number of drug finds on the prison estate. The digest contains all available data on drug type and class.

The Government takes seriously the conveyance of drugs into prisons, including psychoactive substances. In April 2021 we published a National Prisons Drugs Strategy to reduce drug misuse in our prisons, in order to increase safety for both staff and prisoners, and contribute towards ensuring that prisons are places of opportunity and change for prisoners.

In September 2016, HMPPS became the first prison service in the world to introduce innovative mandatory drug tests for psychoactive substances. We have made it a criminal offence to possess psychoactive substances in prison and trained more than 300 sniffer dogs specifically to detect these drugs.

In August 2019, the Government committed to invest £100 million in prison security in an ambitious new Security Investment Programme. One of the aims of the Programme was to reduce the quantity of drugs entering the prison estate.

Since then, we have installed 73 X-ray body scanners across the prison estate and to date have had over 9000 positive indications. The roll out of Enhanced Gate Security (EGS), replicating the tough measures used in airport screening, has resulted in hundreds of illicit items being prevented from entering prisons.

A prisoner escapes when they are able to pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of HMPPS escorting staff.

These offences are monitored closely to identify any trends and each incident is fully investigated to prevent future incidents and keep the public safe. Prisoners who escape or abscond can face extra time in prison.

Please see data below for (a) the number of prisoners who escaped from prison vans/vehicles and (b) remain on the run set out by offences convicted and length of custodial sentence in England and Wales from the 12 months ending 2011 to the 12 months ending March 2021. To note ‘vehicles’ includes all vehicles that an escape occurs from, not just prison escort vans.

Number of Escapes¹ from Vehicles², by main offence type at the time of escape, in England and Wales, 12 months ending March 2011 to 12 months ending March 2021

Note:

1 There were 26 escapes from vehicles between April 2010 and March 2021. None of the escapees currently remain at large as a result of these incidents.

2 "Vehicles" includes all vehicles that an escape occurred from, not just prison escort vans.

3 Escapees who were untried at the time of the escape have there offence not recorded as they were not convicted at the time of the incident.

Data Sources and Quality:

These figures have been drawn from the prison-NOMIS and HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Number of Escapes¹ from Vehicles² by custody type^3,4,5 in England and Wales, 12 months ending March 2011 to 12 months ending March 2021

Notes

1 There were 26 escapes from vehicles between April 2010 and March 2021. None of the escapees currently remain at large as a result of these incidents.

2 Vehicles includes all vehicles that an escape occurred from, not just prison escort vans.

3 This table shows the custody type and judicially impose sentence length for the prisoner at the time of the incident.

4 As administrative data is used to extract this informaiton, it is not possible to calculate the amount of time the prisoner has or will serve in custody. Where an individual has been sentenced, the judiciall imposed sentence length covers the full sentence length (in days) given to the prisoner, including any time spent on probation after the custodial part of the sentence has been served.

5 Data pre-2015 was taken from a different data source, and as such is not directly comparable with data for 2015 onwards.

Data Sources and Quality:

These figures have been drawn from the prison-NOMIS and HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

The figures in the table are high but could be attributed to a handful of cases which have been incorrectly recorded. We are unable to do a manual check as files are only retained for twelve months.

The table below provides a list of former court buildings which are closed and unsold. Three of these buildings are currently being used as Nightingale courts as a temporary measure as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Holding costs include utilities, rates, maintenance and security, and with the exception of the Nightingale courts, are from the closure of the court until 31^st August 2021. For the Nightingale courts, holding costs are calculated until their date of temporary reopening.

We assessed all unsold former court buildings as potential Nightingale courts, but due to condition issues and operational limitations, only the three buildings noted were suitable.

The decision to close any court is not taken lightly. It only happens following full public consultation and only when effective access to justice can be maintained. Courts that have closed were either underused, dilapidated or too close to another court.

The information that would allow this question to be answered accurately is not held centrally. HMCTS is working to clear the outstanding caseload caused by the pandemic and will ensure that there is capacity to manage any additional appeals that may flow from the state of affairs in Afghanistan.

The information requested for is provided in the attached Tables.

Legal aid is available to obtain an injunction to protect survivors of domestic violence. This is not subject to any upper means limit; applicants cannot be found financially ineligible for this form of support. Applications are subject to a merits test to assess their suitability for legal aid funding. Please note that volumes relate to applications for legal aid and not individual applicants; an individual may submit more than one application for public funding. Less than 1.4% of applications for legal aid for a non-molestation order were refused since 2010. Less than 7% of applications for an occupation order were refused since 2010.

Applications for legal aid for occupation orders and non-molestation orders:

Legal aid is available to obtain an injunction to protect survivors of domestic violence. This is not subject to any upper means limit; applicants cannot be found financially ineligible for this form of support. Applications are subject to a merits test to assess their suitability for legal aid funding. Please note that volumes relate to applications for legal aid and not individual applicants; an individual may submit more than one application for public funding. Less than 1.4% of applications for legal aid for a non-molestation order were refused since 2010. Less than 7% of applications for an occupation order were refused since 2010.

Applications for legal aid for occupation orders and non-molestation orders:

The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 in England and Wales, up to December 2020, available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, which can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx

Data showing the number of defendants prosecuted under section 5 of this Act, in England and Wales from 2010 to 2020 (latest available) can be found in the attached table.

The data supplied is a subset of published information from the Courts Proceedings database.

Following the invoking of the Urgent Notification protocol at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre (STC) last December, Ministers called an urgent meeting with senior representatives from the provider MTC. HMPPS officials were then instructed to deploy to Rainsbrook to scrutinise actions taken by MTC in response to the Urgent Notification. Subsequent meetings were conducted between officials, with regard to monitoring the Urgent Notification action plan. As this is a contracted service the YCS/HMPPS contract management and commercial teams have met internally and with MTC on a regular basis.

We ordered the provider to take the immediate action necessary to address the unacceptable failings at Rainsbrook, including a focus on ensuring all children in the Reverse Cohorting Unit had a suitable amount of time out of their room. Whilst inspectors acknowledged that this issue had been addressed, and that the Youth Custody Service had strengthened its oversight of the STC, a second Urgent Notification was invoked on 18 June following a full inspection of the centre with reference to separate serious concerns.

We have now transferred all children from Rainsbrook to alternative appropriate accommodation. Separately, we are also considering the future of the centre, with a further announcement to be made on this position in due course following conclusion of the current commercial matters.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To answer this accurately each individual personnel file held on each prison officer in post over the last 10 years would need to be examined. Most older personnel files are still held in hard copy format and would need to be brought back from storage.

Due to a lack of data collected on victim characteristics, we do not have any rape or sexual assault statistics available on prosecutions or convictions by victim ethnicity.

However, I am able to provide data on the estimated prevalence rates of rape and sexual assault by victim ethnicity. This can be found at Sexual offences prevalence and victim characteristics, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

Information on the ethnicity of the alleged victim or victims of rape and sexual assault offences is not centrally held within the court proceedings database. Overall information on prosecutions and convictions for rape and sexual assault offences in England and Wales, up to December 2020, is available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, which can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx

The number of outstanding cases by Crown Court for each year since 2014 is currently published as part of the National Statistics publication ‘Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly’ in the ‘Crown Court cases received, disposed, outstanding tool’. The published data for the second quarters of these years reflects the outstanding caseload in Crown Courts at the end of June of those respective years. The most recent data can be found in Criminal Statistics Quartely January to March 2021 linked below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021

and the received, disposed and outstanding tool can be accessed here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/996073/cc_rdos_tool.xlsx

This data is only available split by individual Crown Court back to 2014.

The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions for rape and offences in England and Wales, up to December 2020, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987715/outcomes-by-offence-2020.xlsx

In order to isolate rape offences, type ‘rape’ into the ‘Offence’ filter and select all results that appear (19C-19H). Rows 55 to 77 will display a range of values based on sentence lengths.

Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes that have a long-lasting impact on victims. Provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, currently before Parliament, will ensure that all serious sexual offenders, including those convicted of rape, will be required to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison if given a standard determinate sentence of more than 4 years.

It is regrettable that you voted against this.

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

As has been the practice of successive Administrations, it is not government policy to comment on security procedures in government buildings.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Cabinet Office guidance to departments on use of private emails.

It is government policy not to comment on specific technical security controls; however, the incidental personal use of private email accounts from departmental systems is subject to our IT Acceptable Use Policy, in spare time.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Cabinet Office guidance to departments on use of private emails.

It is government policy not to comment on specific technical security controls; however, the incidental personal use of private email accounts from departmental systems is subject to our IT Acceptable Use Policy, in spare time.

We do not currently publish pregnancy data routinely.

As part of our fundamental review of policy relating to mothers and expectant mothers in prison, we have committed to providing national pregnancy data in future.

Further information on the review, including our findings and resulting reforms regarding data collection, can be found in our summary report published in July 2020:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/905559/summary-report-of-review-of-policy-on-mbu.pdf.

The tragic death of a baby at Bronzefield in September 2019 is subject to a number of ongoing investigations, including by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman. We will reflect any learning from the investigations in our new policy, which will be published shortly.

I can confirm that the Ministry of Justice has referred a number of Freedom of Information requests to the Clearing House during the last two years.

Any FOI requests which are referred to the Clearing House are done so in line with the published criteria available on gov.uk. The Clearing House, which has been in existence since 2004, provides advice to ensure a consistent approach across government to requests for information.

The Ministry of Justice consistently receives some of the highest volumes of Freedom of Information requests compared to other Government Departments and has sustained performance above the Information Commissioner’s timeliness target of 90% for 43 consecutive months.

The Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure that legal aid is made available in accordance with the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (2012), for cases where the relevant criteria, such as the financial eligibility of the applicant and/or the degree of legal merit in their case, is met, where applicable.

The Ministry of Justice works within HM Treasury allocations as shown in the Main and Supplementary Estimates (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-main-estimates) each year. However, the nature of Legal Aid funding means that it is demand led, and as such the MoJ ensures sufficient allocation is made to cover the incurred costs.

Spend on legal aid since 2010 can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/legal-aid-statistics, which currently shows expenditure up to and including December 2020.

The information requested can be found in the tables below.

The first table represents the number of outstanding cases for Teesside Crown Court cases.

The second table represents the number of outstanding cases at Teesside, Peterlee and Hartlepool Magistrates Courts.

Teesside Crown Court cases are reported separately to Teesside Magistrates Court cases as they are different courts.

HMCTS refer to all cases as outstanding rather than a backlog. Strictly speaking, the data below provided below is thus based on outstanding cases and not backlog of cases. There will always be a ‘stock’ of outstanding cases based on the size of each site and mix of cases.

On 23 April, the Cabinet Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the management of outside interests in the Civil Service.

The Committee published this letter on 26 April. It can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/5623/documents/55584/default/

The Cabinet Secretary’s letter sets out a series of steps to improve processes. This programme of work will also take account of any recommendations that emerge from Nigel Boardman’s review.

The Civil Service Management Code sets out, at paragraph 4.3.4, the requirement that civil servants must seek permission before accepting any outside employment which might affect their work either directly or indirectly. The applicable principles are those set out in the Business Appointment Rules. The Civil Service Management Code is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-servants-terms-and-conditions.

Where the civil servant is a member of the departmental board any outside employment, as well as other relevant interests will be published as part of the Annual Report and Accounts or other transparency publication.

The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of defendants sent to Crown Court for trial and sentencing in England and Wales up to December 2019, available in the ‘Magistrates’ Court’ data tool, which can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888347/magistrates-court-tool-2019.xlsx

The pivot sheet shows the number of defendants sent for trial (row 27) and committed for sentencing (row 29) from the Magistrates’ Court to the Crown Court in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested is provided in the table below for hearings in the Crown Court and the magistrates’ courts:

In the civil courts, we regularly publish data on hearings adjourned due to Covid-19 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/hmcts-weekly-management-information-during-coronavirus-march-2020-to-february-2021. We have extracted the last three months of data in the table below. Data on hearings adjourned overall in the civil courts is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

We do not hold data centrally on hearings adjourned in the family courts. Our case management system does record where a hearing has been vacated, but we do not hold information on whether this is because the hearing was adjourned, the case was concluded, or the hearing was not required.

Nightingale courts have provided a much-needed boost to the crown-court system, providing more capacity at a time of social distancing. As at 31 March we have 30 Nightingale courts open, providing a total of 60 courtrooms.

There are 19 Nightingale venues where hire agreements are currently due to expire at the end of June. We are exploring options to extend the leases in order to maximise the use of the court estate. We will continue to consider where Nightingale courts are needed for local operational reasons and we remain in close contact with the landlords of all existing venues.

We have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases. This means prisons and probation services are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

Recognising the unique environment in prisons, we routinely test staff and offenders to bolster our defences against the virus, and conduct mass testing in outbreak sites – meaning we can identify more cases, isolate them earlier and move quickly to contain outbreaks and protect the NHS.

The below table shows the establishments which had more than 10 and 50 open positive cases as of 15 February 2021. Open positive cases are individuals who have tested positive and are either still in their isolation period or are still showing symptoms. Establishments that had more than 50 cases are not listed in the more than ten group, and no prisons or YOIs have more than 100 such cases.

It should be noted that although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Much of the data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic has been done at pace, with recording practices evolving as we understand more about the requirements and conditions we are facing. In order to present the timeliest information, the data presented in this table have not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics.

We have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases. This means prisons and probation services are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

Recognising the unique environment in prisons, we routinely test staff and offenders to bolster our defences against the virus, and conduct mass testing in outbreak sites – meaning we can identify more cases, isolate them earlier and move quickly to contain outbreaks and protect the NHS.

The below table shows the establishments which had more than 10 and 50 open positive cases as of 15 February 2021. Open positive cases are individuals who have tested positive and are either still in their isolation period or are still showing symptoms. Establishments that had more than 50 cases are not listed in the more than ten group, and no prisons or YOIs have more than 100 such cases.

It should be noted that although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Much of the data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic has been done at pace, with recording practices evolving as we understand more about the requirements and conditions we are facing. In order to present the timeliest information, the data presented in this table have not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics.

We have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases. This means prisons and probation services are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

Recognising the unique environment in prisons, we routinely test staff and offenders to bolster our defences against the virus, and conduct mass testing in outbreak sites – meaning we can identify more cases, isolate them earlier and move quickly to contain outbreaks and protect the NHS.

The below table shows the establishments which had more than 10 and 50 open positive cases as of 15 February 2021. Open positive cases are individuals who have tested positive and are either still in their isolation period or are still showing symptoms. Establishments that had more than 50 cases are not listed in the more than ten group, and no prisons or YOIs have more than 100 such cases.

It should be noted that although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Much of the data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic has been done at pace, with recording practices evolving as we understand more about the requirements and conditions we are facing. In order to present the timeliest information, the data presented in this table have not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics.

Escapes from prisons and young offender institutions (YOI) are rare. On the rare occasions that they do occur, the prisoner, once returned to custody, is held in tougher conditions and faces further punishment.

Please see data below for the number of prisoner escapes in England and Wales in 2020 and the prison or institution from which the escape took place.

The data recorded is from April 2019 – March 2020.

Escapes 2019-2020:

From establishments – 1

From HMPPS Escorts – 1

In 2019, there was one escape from a prison establishment in the adult male estate HMP Channings Wood, a male Category C. The prisoner was later caught, returned to custody and received an additional sentence for absconding lawful custody. There were no escapes from YOIs in 2020.

Escapes from prison are rare. Each and every escape is fully investigated and as part of this, any learning from the incident is analysed centrally to offer support to establishments. To ensure public protection prisoners who escape are held in stricter conditions when they are returned to custody. Please see data below for the number of prisoner escapes in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. The data is recorded every year from April – March, for example, April 2019 – March 2020.

The safety and security of court and tribunal users is paramount. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has embedded a series of measures designed to keep its buildings, and the people within them (including staff, judiciary, contractors, jurors, and users) safe and secure. Among other things, security search on entry procedures are in place to ensure risks to personal safety are minimised. Details of the policy, including information on items not allowed into court and tribunal buildings are available online.

All illegal drugs discovered on court or tribunal users are confiscated and reported to the police. The data below includes that provided by HMCTS previous security contractors G4S and Mitie. G4S began recording numbers of drug confiscations in April 2017. Mitie began recording this in November 2018. Since April 2020 OCS has been HMCTS’ security provider. The numbers shown below relate specifically to the confiscation of drugs from persons on entry to court or tribunal buildings during ordinary security search procedures. Increased search procedures can take place when defendants enter into custody areas based on risk assessment and these can include a body search.

The information requested is provided in the attached annex

The information provided is for the five largest contracts by total value over the lifetime of the contract.