Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prisoners who lack family or other support are being helped to form relationships to support their rehabilitation with people outside or peers inside.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We know that supporting and maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending, and positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime.
The Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCST) is completed in the first few days following entry to prison, which includes information concerning a prisoner’s parental responsibilities. We intend to amend the BCST questions in the first quarter of next year to enable the recording of data on prisoners’ family circumstances and caring responsibilities. Once those changes have been made, we will be able to access this information centrally.
As part of the work delivering on the recommendations arising from Lord Farmers reports into strengthening family ties and intergenerational offending, we will work with other government departments to commission updated research to improve our collective understanding of the overall number of children affected by parental incarceration and the likelihood of those children becoming offenders themselves. We are currently in the process of scoping this research project and will be looking to take this work forward next year. Once we have the research planned, we will then be able to advise regarding when this may be published.
We appreciate that circumstances of an individual’s background or the nature of their offending might mean it is inappropriate or impossible for a prisoner to engage with their family. As part of the work taken forward through the auspices of implementing Lord Farmers recommendations, Governors are empowered to investigate alternative options, which will support those individuals, ensuring that they receive the same benefits towards rehabilitation.
A pilot led by the Innovations Unit is starting in the New Year in HMP Brinsford initially, before moving to HMP Swinfen Hall. It is funded by the Local Leadership and Innovations fund and looks to adapt the Life Long Links Initiative, which is run in some local authorities, for those in custody. This initiative involves identifying people who were a significant and a positive influence on the young person in prison and then inviting them to pledge support through their time in custody and after they have been released.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the planned publication date is for the collection of research into the numbers of children affected by parental incarceration as referred to in the Prisons Strategy White Paper; and what steps his Department is taking to address the specific needs of that group of children.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We know that supporting and maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending, and positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime.
The Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCST) is completed in the first few days following entry to prison, which includes information concerning a prisoner’s parental responsibilities. We intend to amend the BCST questions in the first quarter of next year to enable the recording of data on prisoners’ family circumstances and caring responsibilities. Once those changes have been made, we will be able to access this information centrally.
As part of the work delivering on the recommendations arising from Lord Farmers reports into strengthening family ties and intergenerational offending, we will work with other government departments to commission updated research to improve our collective understanding of the overall number of children affected by parental incarceration and the likelihood of those children becoming offenders themselves. We are currently in the process of scoping this research project and will be looking to take this work forward next year. Once we have the research planned, we will then be able to advise regarding when this may be published.
We appreciate that circumstances of an individual’s background or the nature of their offending might mean it is inappropriate or impossible for a prisoner to engage with their family. As part of the work taken forward through the auspices of implementing Lord Farmers recommendations, Governors are empowered to investigate alternative options, which will support those individuals, ensuring that they receive the same benefits towards rehabilitation.
A pilot led by the Innovations Unit is starting in the New Year in HMP Brinsford initially, before moving to HMP Swinfen Hall. It is funded by the Local Leadership and Innovations fund and looks to adapt the Life Long Links Initiative, which is run in some local authorities, for those in custody. This initiative involves identifying people who were a significant and a positive influence on the young person in prison and then inviting them to pledge support through their time in custody and after they have been released.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to begin recording data on prisoners' family circumstances and caring responsibilities as set out in the Prisons Strategy White Paper; and what data will be recorded.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We know that supporting and maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending, and positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime.
The Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCST) is completed in the first few days following entry to prison, which includes information concerning a prisoner’s parental responsibilities. We intend to amend the BCST questions in the first quarter of next year to enable the recording of data on prisoners’ family circumstances and caring responsibilities. Once those changes have been made, we will be able to access this information centrally.
As part of the work delivering on the recommendations arising from Lord Farmers reports into strengthening family ties and intergenerational offending, we will work with other government departments to commission updated research to improve our collective understanding of the overall number of children affected by parental incarceration and the likelihood of those children becoming offenders themselves. We are currently in the process of scoping this research project and will be looking to take this work forward next year. Once we have the research planned, we will then be able to advise regarding when this may be published.
We appreciate that circumstances of an individual’s background or the nature of their offending might mean it is inappropriate or impossible for a prisoner to engage with their family. As part of the work taken forward through the auspices of implementing Lord Farmers recommendations, Governors are empowered to investigate alternative options, which will support those individuals, ensuring that they receive the same benefits towards rehabilitation.
A pilot led by the Innovations Unit is starting in the New Year in HMP Brinsford initially, before moving to HMP Swinfen Hall. It is funded by the Local Leadership and Innovations fund and looks to adapt the Life Long Links Initiative, which is run in some local authorities, for those in custody. This initiative involves identifying people who were a significant and a positive influence on the young person in prison and then inviting them to pledge support through their time in custody and after they have been released.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken since the Farmer Review to increase the involvement of families in release planning.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We know that supporting and maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending, and positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime.
While the focus for strengthening and maintaining engagement between offenders and their friends and family has been on working with those in prisons, it is essential that the ‘golden thread’ that Lord Farmer highlighted be pulled through the gate to support those in the community.
HMPPS are committed to engaging with families and significant others to integrate offenders into the community on release from prison. To this end we have launched several initiatives to test this approach, such as a 10-year proof of concept project called ‘Grand Avenues’, which will focus on targeted support for male offenders and their families, in an area of Cardiff, through co-design, ongoing supervision and engagement upon their release in the community.
HMPPS are additionally investing in initiatives to test formal engagement of families and significant others in Probation supervision which meets the expectations of HM Inspector of Probation and has outcomes for reducing reoffending, communities and individuals.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that Government funding allocated to local authorities for children's and young people's mental health services is used effectively to meet their needs; and what oversight there is for the effective use of those funds.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Local authority commissioned public health services in England are funded through a ring-fenced Public Health Grant, which has been maintained in the Chancellor’s Financial Statement.
Local authorities are best placed to make individual funding decisions based on local need. We will continue to work with the Local Government Association and professional bodies to share evidence and guidance that allows councils to make the best decisions to meet local need.
Each local authority must submit a return to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, setting out how the Grant has been spent at the end of each financial year.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what processes her Department has in place to ensure that freedom of religion or belief abuses are being monitored and taken into account as decisions are being made to sanction people responsible for human rights abuses.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
The Global Human Rights (GHR) sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world. All designation decisions must be taken in accordance with the designation criteria set out in the regulations. We have also published a policy note setting out factors that are likely to be relevant to whether a person may be designated under the GHR sanctions regime. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. We will consider targets, guided by the objectives of the sanctions regime and the evidence.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Cuban counterparts on the detention of Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We are clear that all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully, and that detention must not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly, and religion. The UK was one of the first countries to call for the Cuban people to be allowed to express their views freely and peacefully following the Cuban Government's response to demonstrations on 11 July.
We are concerned to hear reports that Pastor Rosales Fajardo has been maltreated while detained, and that the authorities may seek a 10-year prison sentence. We have raised our concerns over ongoing detentions directly with the Cuban Government, both in London and Havana.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how parliamentarians can make referrals to the UK sanctions scheme.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Parliamentarians can engage with the Government via the usual means on information concerning possible designations, including by writing to the Foreign Secretary, or by contacting sanctions@fcdo.gov.uk. All designations will need to meet the legal tests as set out in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, which includes ensuring designations are underpinned by robust evidence.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how civil society groups can make referrals to the UK sanctions scheme.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
If any person or organisation, including civil society groups, wishes to submit information to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office concerning possible designations under a sanctions regime they may do so to sanctions@fcdo.gov.uk. The Government has published two Information Notes aimed at helping support Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and civil society engage with Government on Global Human Rights and Global Anti-Corruption sanctions.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure local authorities make sufficient land available for burials to take place locally.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Decisions on local burial space are for local authorities as they are best placed to understand what is required for their local area. Government would not consider intervening at scale unless evidence suggested burial space became a national issue. In the event of a specific request for intervention from a local authority the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government would work with the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for burial law, to support the local authority as appropriate.