Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to make whole-life orders mandatory when sentencing people found guilty of the murder of a child.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Whole life orders are already the starting point for the murder of a child where such a murder is premeditated or involves the abduction of the child or sexual or sadistic motivation. On 26 August, the Prime Minister announced plans to make whole life orders the default for those who commit murders in these, and other particularly heinous, circumstances.
The Government also plans to make the murder of an individual, whether an adult or a child, subject to a mandatory whole life order if the murder involves sexual or sadistic conduct.
These reforms will ensure that those who murder the most vulnerable members of our society in the worst possible ways will face the most severe punishment available.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has considered the potential merits of making it compulsory for convicted offenders to attend court for sentencing.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Offenders should be brought before the court to face the consequences of their crimes. That is why, on 30 August 2023, the Government announced its intention to introduce two new measures with the aim of compelling offenders to attend their sentencing hearings.
First, a new power for courts to order an offender to attend their sentencing hearing. Where an offender refuses to attend without a just excuse, they will be in breach of this order and will face a maximum of 24 months’ custody in addition to their sentence for the original offence. The measure will apply to all offenders convicted of an offence which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Second, an express power in legislation for judges to require production of offenders for specific sentencing hearings. Alongside this we will make it clear in legislation that force can be used in appropriate circumstances by prison staff and prisoner escort and custody services (PECS) staff where they consider it necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to bring offenders to hearings.
We recognise that there will be circumstances where an offender’s presence may be distressing to victims and their families. Courts must have the discretion to do what is right in each case, and we anticipate that judges will consider victims’ and families’ wishes in making their decision.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to allocate sufficient resources to the prevention of repeat offences.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
This Government is tackling the causes of reoffending to keep our communities safe. Between 2010/11 and 2020/21, the overall proven reoffending rate has decreased from 31.6% to 24.4%.
We know that by helping offenders into skills training, work, and stable accommodation we can significantly reduce their likelihood of reoffending. Over the 3-year Spending Review, we are therefore investing in a range of interventions, including delivering our temporary accommodation service so that prison-leavers have a stable base on release, building stronger links with employers and offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release.
We are also delivering probation Commissioned Rehabilitative Services which provide offenders with tailored, community-based support to address areas of need associated with reoffending.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on tackling extremism within prisons.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my Hon. Friend, the Member for Stockton South, to the answer given by my predecessor on Wednesday 29 June 2022 to Question 23808, and include a direct link to that answer from Written Questions, Answers and Statements – UIN 23808.
As outlined in that previous answer, following the tragic attacks in 2019 and 2020 at Fishmongers’ Hall, Whitemoor Prison, Streatham and Reading, we have overhauled our approach to counter terrorism in prisons. Through the CT Step Up Programme, we have uplifted our capacity and addressed gaps in our capabilities to tackle the terrorist threat, including:
We have also ended the automatic early release of terrorists through the Terrorist Offenders Act 2020 and introduced a 14-year minimum jail term for the most dangerous terrorist offenders through the Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021. These vital laws mark the largest overhaul of terrorist legislation in decades.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help prisoners develop new skills before leaving prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We are delivering a new Prisoner Education Service, focused on work-based training and skills, which will help to improve prisoners’ employability ahead of release. This will help to cut crime and bring us safer streets by reducing reoffending, while helping to fill skills shortages in the economy.
As part of this work, we changed the law in September this year so that prisoners who are assessed as safe for Release on Temporary Licence can undertake apprenticeships. The first prisoner apprentices have started work on highway maintenance and in hospitality.
We are also building stronger links with employers, including through our prison Employment Advisory Boards. Chaired by local business leaders, they will provide challenge and advice on how to align the training delivered in prisons with the skills our labour market needs. Chairs have now been appointed to 72 Employment Advisory Boards.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle drug use in prisons.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The cross-government Drugs Strategy, published in December 2021, sets out a 10-year plan to reduce the supply and demand for drugs, deliver a high-quality treatment and recovery system, and reduce drug harms. The strategy was underpinned by record £900m investment across government to tackle drug misuse, including £120m funding for the MoJ to get more offenders into treatment.
To do this we are: piloting Problem-Solving Courts to combat drug and alcohol fuelled crime; rolling out Drug Recovery Wings where prisoners commit to remain abstinent and undergo regular voluntary drug tests; recruiting Drug Strategy Leads in all male category C and women's prisons to coordinate a whole system approach to tackling drugs, as well as Health and Justice Coordinators across all probation regions to ensure continuity of care for prison leavers.
This is all in addition to the existing £100m already invested to combat crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking through the criminal justice system to tackle alcohol and drug related crime.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The cross-government Drugs Strategy, published in December 2021, sets out a 10-year plan to reduce the supply and demand for drugs, deliver a high-quality treatment and recovery system, and reduce drug harms. The strategy was underpinned by record £900m investment across government to tackle drug misuse, including £120m funding for the MoJ to get more offenders into treatment.
To do this we are: piloting Problem-Solving Courts to combat drug and alcohol fuelled crime; rolling out Drug Recovery Wings where prisoners commit to remain abstinent and undergo regular voluntary drug tests; recruiting Drug Strategy Leads in all male category C and women's prisons to coordinate a whole system approach to tackling drugs, as well as Health and Justice Coordinators across all probation regions to ensure continuity of care for prison leavers.
This is all in addition to the existing £100m already invested to combat crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of prison places.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We have delivered over 3,100 additional prison places through a combination of refurbishments, temporary accommodation, repurposing the Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre and the new prison HMP Five Wells which opened earlier this year. The new prison HMP Fosse Way is due to open in 2023 and early works are already underway at the new prison next to HMP Full Sutton. Two major refurbishments are underway at HMP Birmingham and HMP Liverpool and a new houseblock at HMP Stocken is under construction.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help offenders find employment following their release from prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Improving employment outcomes for prison leavers is one way that the Ministry of Justice is supporting businesses by producing the candidates that employers need to fill the nearly 1.25m vacancies in the UK right now. We know, too, that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points, helping to cut crime and give us safer streets.
We are offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release from custody. This will be supported by our new, dedicated Prison Employment Leads, who are now in post at 80 prisons. They will provide case-level employment support and match prisoners to roles on release, as well as head up new Employment Hubs where prisoners can access support with job applications and CVs.
We are also building stronger links with employers, including through our prison Employment Advisory Boards. Chaired by local business leaders, they will provide challenge and advice on how to align the skills delivered in prisons with labour market demand. Chairs have now been appointed to 72 Employment Advisory Boards.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to tackle the backlog in court cases.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and our decisive action kept justice moving during the pandemic. Now that barristers have returned to work, we can work together to drive down the backlog and ensure victims see justice served sooner.
To increase capacity in the Criminal Justice System, we have removed the limit on sitting days in the Crown Court for the second year in a row and extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022. We have extended Magistrates’ sentencing powers have been extended from 6 to 12 months' imprisonment for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court. These actions will deliver swifter justice for victims and reduce the backlog of cases.
Over the next three financial years, we are investing an extra £477 million for the Criminal Justice System to help improve waiting times for victims of crime and address the Crown Court backlog.
Over the next three financial years we are also investing £324 million to further improve waiting times in the civil and family courts, and tribunals. In July 2022, we introduced a Virtual Region pilot scheme to support civil and family courts in London and the South-East. In March 2021 we launched the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme to encourage people to resolve their disputes outside of court where safe and appropriate to do so.
Across all jurisdictions, we are recruiting more judges to enable us to sit at the maximum possible level over the coming years.