Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department takes to ensure that recall decisions are (a) fair and (b) proportionate to public safety concerns.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government’s absolute focus is on public protection. Offenders on licence can be swiftly recalled to prison if they breach their licence conditions. The recall of an offender to custody is an important public protection measure, and successive thematic reviews conducted by HM Chief Inspector of Probation have found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately.
Additionally, HMPPS has issued guidance to probation practitioners, to ensure all safe alternatives to recall are considered before a decision is taken to recall an offender.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to provide adequate mental health support for prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is right that Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were abolished. We are committed to working at pace to support the progression of all those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that undermines public protection.
We are committed to improving outcomes for offenders with mental health needs, including IPP prisoners, and recognise the importance of providing the right interventions at the right time.
This is reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England which was published in 2023 and which sets out a shared priority workplan to deliver safe, decent and effective care for offenders in prison and the community.
Health and justice partners have committed to providing an equivalent standard, range and quality of healthcare in prisons to that available in the community. If a prisoner has a severe mental health need to an extent that detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 may be appropriate, they will be referred and assessed by qualified clinicians to determine whether to transfer to a mental health hospital is warranted.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department takes to support the reintegration of released prisoners.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Effective reintegration of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce reoffending, as it aims to ensure that the elements proven to reduce reoffending are in place when an offender leaves prison.
This includes making sure someone has a home, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits. For example, to support a smoother transition into the community, we are delivering our temporary accommodation service so all offenders leaving prison at risk of homelessness are offered up to 12 weeks of accommodation to provide a stable base on release. To help ensure prisoners are matched to jobs on release, Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards are in every resettlement prison.
We will also ensure that pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, to ensure their needs are identified early, and individual robust plans are in place to address resettlement needs.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to reform Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is right that Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were abolished. We supported reforms to the IPP licence in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 in opposition. They commenced on 1 November, which terminated the licence for around 1,800 IPP offenders in the community. The remaining reforms will be implemented on 1 February 2025.
The Government is determined to make further progress to support those serving the IPP sentence towards a safe and sustainable release, but not in a way that compromises public protection.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the use of hospices in social and community care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person, their families, and carers, receive high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to help ensure taxi drivers can access affordable loans to support the transition from petrol and diesel cars to electric vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since its introduction in 2017, the Plug-in Taxi Grant (PiTG) has provided more than £70m to support the purchase of over 11,000 zero emission cabs. The grant is currently funded until at least the end of this financial year.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to help taxi drivers wanting to transition to cleaner-fuel vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since its introduction in 2017, the Plug-in Taxi Grant (PiTG) has provided more than £70m to support the purchase of over 11,000 zero emission cabs. The grant is currently funded until at least the end of this financial year.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Pakistani counterpart for the release of Imran Khan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 4 September to discuss a range of key issues, including Pakistan's domestic political situation. We have consistently urged the Pakistani authorities to demonstrate their democratic credentials by acting in line with their international obligations and with respect for fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial for all its citizens.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make new capital funding available for school buildings in Bury North constituency; and if she will meet with (a) the hon. Member for Bury North, (b) representatives from The Derby High School and (c) Bury Council to discuss that funding.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
The department is committed to improving the condition of the estate through the department’s annual funding, the continuing school rebuilding programme and by fixing the problem of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
We will set out further details on wider spending plans, including for capital funding, following upcoming fiscal events.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to assess waiting lists for elective surgery on the basis of average wait times rather than longest possible wait time.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government. We have committed to achieving the National Health Service’s constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament. Whilst our focus is on achieving this constitutional standard, it is unacceptable that patients are waiting over a year for care. Therefore, the Government will continue to review and treat the patients who have waited the longest for treatment as well as monitoring progress on the 18-week standard. Tackling the longest waits will be a key part of achieving our commitment.
The Department and NHS England use a range of data metrics to assess elective waiting lists. This is supported by the publication of monthly statistics that include the number of incomplete patient pathways and time spent on the waiting list, as well as average wait times, measured as the median wait time for incomplete patient pathways. This monthly publication is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2024-25/