Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison staff (a) in administrative grades and (b) employed as instructional officers have received (i) a financial incentive or (ii) extra pay since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, by grade; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We are making special payments to our hardworking prison staff who continue to go above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.
As at 31st May 2020, 1,843 (33%) of administrative staff and 1,032 (79%) of Instructional Officers working in prisons have received a financial incentive and extra pay.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) operational, and (b) non-operational prison staff have received (i) a financial incentive, or (ii) extra pay since the start of the covid-19 outbreak, by grade; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We are making special payments to our hardworking prison staff who continue to go above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.
As at 31st May 2020, 30,799 prison staff have received a financial incentive or extra pay. This is made up of 26,272 (92%) of operational staff and 4,527 (50%) of non-operational staff in prisons.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to extend the freeze on bailiff visits in England and Wales for people whose finances have been adversely affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Visits by enforcement agents (bailiffs) to take control of goods at residential premises and on highways are currently suspended under the Taking Control of Goods and Certification of Enforcement Agents (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 25 April. This restriction will remain in place while the social distancing restrictions that limit the reasons for which a person can leave the place in which they live are in force under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020.
My department is working with the enforcement agent industry to ensure that enforcement agents take a proportionate approach to payment with people who have been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the freeze on bailiff visits in England and Wales until an independent regulator is established.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Visits by enforcement agents (bailiffs) to take control of goods at residential premises and on highways are currently suspended under the Taking Control of Goods and Certification of Enforcement Agents (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 25 April. This restriction is a public health measure and will remain in place while the social distancing restrictions that limit the reasons for which a person can leave the place in which they live are in force under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020.
Separately, the Ministry of Justice is reviewing the implementation of reforms, contained in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and introduced in 2014, which govern how enforcement agents take control of goods. This includes consideration of how regulation of the sector might be strengthened. We will publish our review in due course.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason Government guidance entitled Coronavirus Restricted Temporary Release measures states that children serving sentences for drug offences, including simple possession of a class A drug under s5(1) and (2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act, are specifically excluded from consideration for release.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Protecting the health and well-being of our staff and the children in our care is paramount. Currently, the youth secure estate has sufficient headroom to enable every child to have their own room and physical distancing is being observed in line with Public Heath England guidance.
We will temporarily release a small number of children who are judged to be low risk and near the end of their sentence. Children who have committed drug-related offences are excluded from eligibility to ensure public confidence in the administration of justice. The threshold for custody is higher for children and young people so drug offences are likely to be more serious ones.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 18 March 2020, Official Report, column 335WH, whether the performance of different tasks in prisons during the covid-19 outbreak will be (a) fully risk-assessed before staff are asked to perform them and (b) voluntary.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In line with the latest Government advice, as of 24 March all non-essential activities in prisons involving groups of people should be stopped. This includes social visits, education, non-essential work, association, communal dining, periods of mass prisoner movement, religious services and access to the gymnasium.
In order to boost staff availability part of contingency planning may include the need to ask staff directly employed by HMPPS to work in a different place and potentially do different tasks, this includes redeploying operationally trained staff currently working in headquarters back into prisons. We are working closely with Trade Union colleagues to ensure that there is a suitable framework that provides clear guidance in respect of what would be an appropriate range of tasks, this will be fully risk assessed before staff are asked to perform the tasks. The decisions on this will be made by Governors at establishments based on local needs.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Justice of 18 March 2020, Official Report, column 335, that some contingency planning may include the need to ask staff to work in a different place and potentially do different tasks, whether prison governors are authorised to ask staff not directly employed by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service to perform tasks outside of their normal work area of responsibility.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In line with the latest Government advice, as of 24 March all non-essential activities in prisons involving groups of people should be stopped. This includes social visits, education, non-essential work, association, communal dining, periods of mass prisoner movement, religious services and access to the gymnasium.
In order to boost staff availability part of contingency planning may include the need to ask staff directly employed by HMPPS to work in a different place and potentially do different tasks, this includes redeploying operationally trained staff currently working in headquarters back into prisons. We are working closely with Trade Union colleagues to ensure that there is a suitable framework that provides clear guidance in respect of what would be an appropriate range of tasks, this will be fully risk assessed before staff are asked to perform the tasks. The decisions on this will be made by Governors at establishments based on local needs.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Justice of 18 March 2020, Official Report, column 335, that some contingency planning may include the need to ask staff to work in a different place and potentially do different tasks, whether prison education staff will be expected to perform non-education tasks in prisons during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In line with the latest Government advice, as of 24 March all non-essential activities in prisons involving groups of people should be stopped. This includes social visits, education, non-essential work, association, communal dining, periods of mass prisoner movement, religious services and access to the gymnasium.
In order to boost staff availability part of contingency planning may include the need to ask staff directly employed by HMPPS to work in a different place and potentially do different tasks, this includes redeploying operationally trained staff currently working in headquarters back into prisons. We are working closely with Trade Union colleagues to ensure that there is a suitable framework that provides clear guidance in respect of what would be an appropriate range of tasks, this will be fully risk assessed before staff are asked to perform the tasks. The decisions on this will be made by Governors at establishments based on local needs.