Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase to Employer's National Insurance Contributions on rape crisis centres.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances. We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.
This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.
To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.
Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help ensure that rape support charities receive adequate funding.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances. We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.
This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.
To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.
Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for rape crisis centres.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances. We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.
This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.
To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.
Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the funding model for rape crisis centres.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances. We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.
This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.
To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.
Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and government departments should note and follow the ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings and policies, to ensure we are fully compliant with the ruling.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff network events took place in her Department in May 2025; and what the names of those events were.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by staff rather than the Department. The majority of staff time spent on network activities is voluntary and unpaid.
We are aware of seven events organised by networks in May 2025:
Parenting in the Fast Lane: Managing work, life, and everything in between. Parents Network panel event.
Meet the new MoJ Armed Forces Network and commemorate VE Day.
My journey to Islam: A panel event hosted by the MoJ Muslim Network where colleagues explore their experience of joining Islam.
Meet your staff networks: lunchtime marketplace event in Petty France.
Parent’s Network and Safe Space Forum session on understanding the impact of domestic abuse.
Frontline Staff Network Knowledge Sharing event: Tips for presenting data.
Let’s Talk Menopause: Supporting the Workplace in Menopause (SWIM) Network Event for Managers.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52848 on Offenders: Foreign Nationals, for what reason that data is not collected by nationality.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Our current approach to publication of nationality data is in line with that used during the previous Conservative Government. However, we continue to monitor the data that we collect and publish and will keep this under review.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times were drugs were found in (a) men's and (b) women's prisons in each year between 2015 and 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The information requested can be found via the following link: 08_Finds_drug_type_data_tool.ods.
In the pivot table, “Prison Name” should be entered in the rows and “Month” in columns to find the number of incidents by prison.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners were identified as having used or handled illegal drugs in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Drugs pose a significant challenge in prisons, with nearly half of prisoners having an identified drug need. It is therefore crucial we have a multi-pronged approach to tackling drugs, combining security focused activity with treatment and recovery initiatives so that individuals can break the cycle of reoffending and turn their lives around.
The scale of the issue is clear, and data on drug finds in prisons has remained consistently high in recent years. We also conduct random mandatory drug testing in prisons to support our understanding of performance in establishments, although volumes are not currently consistently high enough to enable robust, publishable national data on the percentage of positive test results.
The number of incidents where drugs were found in prisons, by gender of establishment, between April 2019 to March 2024 were[1]:
| 12 months ending March | ||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Male Establishments | 20,235 | 18,736 | 16,098 | 13,864 | 20,049 |
Female Establishments | 1,323 | 1,556 | 1,589 | 790 | 1,009 |
Total drug find incidents | 21,575 | 20,295 | 17,700 | 14,724 | 21,145 |
The number of drug find incidents at HMP Styal can also be found in the statistics published in the HMPPS Annual Digest: 08_Finds_drug_type_data_tool.ods. It should also be noted that both “illegal drug incidents” and “drug incidents” are being interpreted as drug find incidents for this request and therefore the figures do not represent all drug-related incidents. There are other drug related incidents that can occur within prison.
To curb the supply of drugs, a range of security measures have been implemented, including tackling the use of illicit mobile phones which are the single biggest enabler of drug conveyance. These security measures include X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security (EGS), X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and specialist equipment to alert staff to the potential presence of drugs on various items and materials.
Reducing supply is only part of the solution; we also need to reduce the demand for drugs. To drive down demand and support recovery, there are 85 prisons with Incentivised Substance Free Living Units. These provide a dedicated, supportive environment for any prisoner who wants to live drug-free in prison. To bring together this rehabilitative and security focused approach to tackling drug use, 54 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons are working to ensure that local drug strategies are effectively implemented.
We also conduct targeted drug testing in custody to help keep people safe, and identify individuals who may benefit from a referral for a treatment referral, or inform disciplinary action. Governors and Independent Adjudicators (IA) have a range of options available to them to effectively manage drug taking behaviour, including awarding added days to the time spent in custody (IA only). Rehabilitative activities can also be mandated by governors as a condition of a punishment. Those prisoners who fail to comply with the rehabilitative activity will have their suspended punishment activated. The Government keeps the effectiveness of this process under review.
[1] HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK
Notes:
The figures for drug incidents have been drawn from the 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:
(1) Figures include incidents at HMPPS operated Immigration Removal Centres and within the youth estate.
(2) It is important to consider with incidents of finds in prisons that an increase in numbers may be as a result of more items being found, as opposed to more items being present. However, any increase in finds is not necessarily attributable to any one particular security counter-measure.
(3) The sum of drug find incidents in Male and Female establishments do not equal the total number incidents as there are drug finds from other locations. This includes escort areas and Medway secure training centre, which are included in the total number of drug find incidents.
(4) There was a change in the way finds were recorded in March 2022. The reason for the change was to make it easier for prisons to record incidents where multiple items were found within one incident. Each find incident now enables the prisons to select single or multiple types of find initially. For incidents with only a single type of find, the prisons select the type of find from a drop down list, and can now input this information much quicker. For incidents with multiple types of find, it should still be easier for prisons to input this information, so may result in small increases in some of the individual finds categories.
(5) The inclusion of new categories and changes to some of the existing categories mean that finds incidents prior to March 2022 are not directly comparable with later figures, so caution needs to be taken when interpreting changes over the years.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug incidents were recorded in HMP/YOI Styal in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Drugs pose a significant challenge in prisons, with nearly half of prisoners having an identified drug need. It is therefore crucial we have a multi-pronged approach to tackling drugs, combining security focused activity with treatment and recovery initiatives so that individuals can break the cycle of reoffending and turn their lives around.
The scale of the issue is clear, and data on drug finds in prisons has remained consistently high in recent years. We also conduct random mandatory drug testing in prisons to support our understanding of performance in establishments, although volumes are not currently consistently high enough to enable robust, publishable national data on the percentage of positive test results.
The number of incidents where drugs were found in prisons, by gender of establishment, between April 2019 to March 2024 were[1]:
| 12 months ending March | ||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Male Establishments | 20,235 | 18,736 | 16,098 | 13,864 | 20,049 |
Female Establishments | 1,323 | 1,556 | 1,589 | 790 | 1,009 |
Total drug find incidents | 21,575 | 20,295 | 17,700 | 14,724 | 21,145 |
The number of drug find incidents at HMP Styal can also be found in the statistics published in the HMPPS Annual Digest: 08_Finds_drug_type_data_tool.ods. It should also be noted that both “illegal drug incidents” and “drug incidents” are being interpreted as drug find incidents for this request and therefore the figures do not represent all drug-related incidents. There are other drug related incidents that can occur within prison.
To curb the supply of drugs, a range of security measures have been implemented, including tackling the use of illicit mobile phones which are the single biggest enabler of drug conveyance. These security measures include X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security (EGS), X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and specialist equipment to alert staff to the potential presence of drugs on various items and materials.
Reducing supply is only part of the solution; we also need to reduce the demand for drugs. To drive down demand and support recovery, there are 85 prisons with Incentivised Substance Free Living Units. These provide a dedicated, supportive environment for any prisoner who wants to live drug-free in prison. To bring together this rehabilitative and security focused approach to tackling drug use, 54 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons are working to ensure that local drug strategies are effectively implemented.
We also conduct targeted drug testing in custody to help keep people safe, and identify individuals who may benefit from a referral for a treatment referral, or inform disciplinary action. Governors and Independent Adjudicators (IA) have a range of options available to them to effectively manage drug taking behaviour, including awarding added days to the time spent in custody (IA only). Rehabilitative activities can also be mandated by governors as a condition of a punishment. Those prisoners who fail to comply with the rehabilitative activity will have their suspended punishment activated. The Government keeps the effectiveness of this process under review.
[1] HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK
Notes:
The figures for drug incidents have been drawn from the 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:
(1) Figures include incidents at HMPPS operated Immigration Removal Centres and within the youth estate.
(2) It is important to consider with incidents of finds in prisons that an increase in numbers may be as a result of more items being found, as opposed to more items being present. However, any increase in finds is not necessarily attributable to any one particular security counter-measure.
(3) The sum of drug find incidents in Male and Female establishments do not equal the total number incidents as there are drug finds from other locations. This includes escort areas and Medway secure training centre, which are included in the total number of drug find incidents.
(4) There was a change in the way finds were recorded in March 2022. The reason for the change was to make it easier for prisons to record incidents where multiple items were found within one incident. Each find incident now enables the prisons to select single or multiple types of find initially. For incidents with only a single type of find, the prisons select the type of find from a drop down list, and can now input this information much quicker. For incidents with multiple types of find, it should still be easier for prisons to input this information, so may result in small increases in some of the individual finds categories.
(5) The inclusion of new categories and changes to some of the existing categories mean that finds incidents prior to March 2022 are not directly comparable with later figures, so caution needs to be taken when interpreting changes over the years.