Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions of young people there were in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Preston in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the trend in the number of such convictions.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice holds information on convictions by age group and Police Force Area, covering the period requested. The latest data available, until year ending June 2023, can be obtained in the following published tool: Outcomes by Offence tool: June 2023.
The tool linked above will allow you to select particular age groups of interest through the age group filter, and areas of the country through the police force area filter.
It is not possible to separately identify all convictions in Preston courts specifically, as those at magistrates’ courts in Preston are counted within the wider geographical area of Lancashire outlined in the first part of the question. Figures for the rest of 2023 will be available in the next update of the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publication, expected in May 2024.
The Ministry of Justice has not carried out any recent location-specific assessment of on how our policies have influenced the trend in the number of children convicted since 2019 in Preston, Lancashire and the North West. However, there has been analysis of the broader national trend, which is a fall in the overall number of children entering the criminal justice system more generally in recent years. Since 2012, the number of first-time entrants to the youth justice system has declined by 72%. This can be attributed to a number of drivers. These include changes to policing and criminal justice practices intended to increase police discretion to divert children who had committed low-level offences from the formal justice system, prevention programmes to support vulnerable families and Youth Offending Teams undertaking prevention work with children perceived to be at risk of offending.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether figures relating to sentencing referencing the statutory aggravating factor of providing a service to the public introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 are recorded.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating factors.
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the use of aggravating factors.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on encouraging the recruitment of more (a) women and (b) ethnic minority (i) judges and (ii) lawyers.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State regularly discusses a wide range of issues with Cabinet colleagues.
The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of encouraging diversity in the judiciary and legal professional bodies. The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF) and works closely with the Lord Chief Justice, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission and other members of the JDF, including the three relevant legal professional bodies, to address barriers to achieving greater diversity in the judiciary. In September 2020, JDF members published a summary of a wide range of actions they are undertaking at different career stages, collectively or individually, to help increase diversity in the judiciary. The JDF will publish a one-year update to the action plan this Autumn.
Statutory responsibility for encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board. The Government is committed to supporting a diverse legal profession and working closely with the professional bodies, regulators and key stakeholders to encourage greater diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to tackle reports of discrimination and bullying in relation to the (a) appointment and (b) promotion of judges within the judiciary system.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is the independent body that has responsibility for recommending candidates for the appointment and promotion of judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide jurisdiction. JAC processes are constantly reviewed and regularly independently assessed. They have been found to be fair, objective and in line with best practice.
The Lord Chancellor is concerned about any reports of discrimination and bullying within the judiciary, whilst recognising that the Lord Chief Justice is responsible for the welfare of the England and Wales courts judiciary and the Senior President of Tribunals for the welfare of judges in the UK unified tribunals. Judicial Grievance policies provide a route for judges to raise issues of bullying, harassment and/or discrimination and provide a framework for raising complaints formally or informally. In addition, the Judicial Guide to Conduct offers assistance to judges, coroners and magistrates about their conduct through the provision of a set of core principles.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle delays in court proceedings in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have responded quickly and innovatively to the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic to our criminal courts and the wider justice system.
As one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, our Crown Courts currently list thousands of cases each week, including the listing of over 230 jury trials. We have invested a record £142m to improve court and tribunal buildings – the biggest single investment in court estate maintenance for more than 20 years – and are spending £110m on a range of emergency measures to tackle the impact of COVID-19, including the recruitment of 1,600 additional staff. The opening of 17 Nightingale Courts has unlocked vital additional capacity, and we have plans to open a further 40 Nightingale court rooms.
We continue to build on these steps and are working closely with criminal justice partners to further improve performance. We have piloted temporary ‘COVID operating hours’ at seven Crown Court sites and a targeted consultation is underway on the potential further roll out of COVID operating hours.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department is doing to tackle the diversity gap in the upper levels of the legal profession.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of Government. Statutory responsibility for encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board (LSB). Ministry of Justice Ministers encourage the sector to ensure it more closely represents the diverse society it serves through ongoing engagement with the regulators and the legal profession.
In 2017 the LSB published revised guidance for legal services regulators for encouraging a diverse workforce, and introduced new transparency duties at firm and chambers level to monitor and publish diversity statistics. In 2019 the LSB published a summary of the progress of regulators against four diversity outcomes, which showed positive examples of a new approach to diversity, but also areas where further action is required.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of burials in England could be classified as natural burials for the most recent period in which figures are available.
Answered by Wendy Morton
This information is not centrally recorded. |
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adults were convicted of offences involving the grooming of children in Lancashire by age profile in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of convictions for offences involving the grooming of children by Police Force Area and age ranges up to December 2018, which can be found in the Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx
Please note that Police Force Areas provide breakdowns of where offences were dealt with (not where they were committed).
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what procedures are in place to (a) monitor and (b) prevent local authorities charging burial and cremation fees that above inflation rates.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not have procedures in place for these purposes.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, much money it costs his Department on average to hold a claimant's tribunal relating to personal independence payment.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance hearings is included in the overall cost of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Appeal).