Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce re-offending rates.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
A third of all crime is committed by people who have been in prison. If we want to reduce crime, we need to make sure that time spent in custody is used to reform offenders so that they contribute positively to society on release. I will be saying more about this in the White Paper.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) number of convictions, (b) conviction rate as a percentage of prosecutions brought and (c) rate of convictions as a percentage of crimes reported was for (i) murder, (ii) grievous bodily harm, (iii) sexual offences, (iv) burglary, (v) robbery, (vi) theft, (vii) criminal damage, (viii) public order offences, (ix) drug offences, (x) driving offences and (xi) all offences in (A) Elmbridge, (B) Surrey, (C) the South East of England and (D) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Penning
Crime is falling and is at its lowest level since records began in 1981, as per the Crime Survey in England and Wales. Since 2010 those who do offend are more likely to go to prison and for longer than ever before. For the first time in ten years, an immediate prison sentence is the most common disposal for indictable offences.
This follows a series of measures by the Government to toughen up sentencing and make sure those who commit these crimes face a significant term in prison, including an automatic life sentence for a second serious sexual or violent offence.
There are also several measures to strengthen sentencing in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which has completed its passage through Parliament and awaits Royal Assent. These include ensuring that all dangerous offenders who receive the tough Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS) are no longer automatically released two-thirds of the way through their custodial term. The Government has also banned the use of simple cautions for serious offences.
We are also determined that our justice system delivers the right outcomes for victims of crime and the public as a whole, and we have made great strides in recent years – not least through smarter use of technology, and joined-up working.
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty, along with conviction ratio at all courts of the offences specified in the question from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the tables as detailed below:-
Figures for Surrey can be viewed in Table 1
Figures for the South East of England can be viewed in Table 2
Figures for England as a whole can be viewed in Table 3
There are no courts in the Borough of Elmbridge; hence the figure for that portion of the question is zero. The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database cannot specifically identify the exact location of offences. These figures are based on the location of the court hearing the case.
Conviction ratio is provided in place of conviction rate as a case can be commenced in one year and concluded in a subsequent year.
A defendant may be convicted in a different year to that in which they were proceeded against. Variation in the conviction ratio can be caused either by a change in the percentage of cases that end in conviction or by a change in the percentage of cases that end in a conviction in the same year as the original proceeding. Therefore fluctuations in data, particularly in the last year for which figures are available can be misleading.
Rates of convictions as a percentage of reported crime cannot be provided. The Home Office collects data on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police. Of these, some crimes may be subsequently ‘no crimed’ (for example if it is believed a crime did not actually take place or was incorrectly recorded as a crime).
Therefore, conviction rates as a percentage of recorded crime could therefore present a misleading picture.
Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in Spring 2015.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many British citizens sentenced to probation in each (a) EU member state and (b) country outside the EU have been transferred back to the UK to serve their probation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
There is no statutory basis for community sentences imposed on British citizens by a court in another country, whether in the EU or outside it, to be enforced by the UK authorities; we are therefore not aware of any British citizens who have received a community sentence from a court in another jurisdiction and been transferred to the UK to serve that sentence.
The Framework Decision on Prisoner Transfer allows British citizens to be transferred back to a UK prison to serve a custodial sentence imposed by a court in another EU jurisdiction, and to subsequently serve a British post-custodial licence in the UK.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what arrangements the Government has in place to enable British citizens sentenced to probation in (a) another EU member state and (b) another country outside the EU to be transferred back to the UK to serve their probation in the UK.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
There is no statutory basis for community sentences imposed on British citizens by a court in another country, whether in the EU or outside it, to be enforced by the UK authorities; we are therefore not aware of any British citizens who have received a community sentence from a court in another jurisdiction and been transferred to the UK to serve that sentence.
The Framework Decision on Prisoner Transfer allows British citizens to be transferred back to a UK prison to serve a custodial sentence imposed by a court in another EU jurisdiction, and to subsequently serve a British post-custodial licence in the UK.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reform UK human rights law.
Answered by Simon Hughes
We agreed in the Coalition Agreement that our obligations under the Convention will continue to be enshrined in UK law. The Agreement also makes it clear that there will be no major changes to the human rights framework before the General Election in May 2015.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the per capita spending on prison officers was in England and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Information on the average total salary cost, including national insurance and pension contributions, of a prison officer as at 31 March each year since 2010 is contained in the table below.
Mean Annual Pay Cost of Prison Officers, Including Employer National Insurance and Pension Contributions – as at 31 March, 2010 to 2014
Year - At 31st March | Mean Annual Pay Cost (Nominal) |
2010 | 32,747 |
2011 | 34,024 |
2012 | 34,951 |
2013 | 35,608 |
2014 | 36,157 |
The pay costs shown are for Band 3 Prison Officers and their equivalents and include basic salary and local pay allowance where applicable.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with which countries the EU as a legal personality is currently negotiating co-operation agreements in the field of justice and home affairs.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
I refer to the response provided by the Minister for Europe on 24 March [PQ 191707 Col 70W]. In addition, JHA agreements have been concluded between the EU and Brazil, Ukraine and Moldova during the course of this Government, which build on the borders and immigration aspects of the Schengen system, in which the UK does not participate.
Asked by: Dominic Raab (Conservative - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with which countries the EU as a legal personality has concluded co-operation agreements in the field of justice and home affairs.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
I refer to the response provided by the Minister for Europe on 24 March [PQ 191707 Col 70W]. In addition, JHA agreements have been concluded between the EU and Brazil, Ukraine and Moldova during the course of this Government, which build on the borders and immigration aspects of the Schengen system, in which the UK does not participate.