Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that court hearings proceed during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our courts provide a vital public service and it is important that justice is delivered wherever possible. We are working closely with the courts and judiciary to ensure that cases are progressed through the system as quickly as possible, including through greater use of audio and video hearings.
The courts are expediting sentencing hearings and prioritising remand hearings to ensure that public protection remains a core goal. Magistrates’ court trials are now being listed wherever it is safe to do so and every effort is being made to resume Crown Court trials. Representatives from across the criminal justice system are working at pace to agree the best way of doing this safely.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 195064, what the maximum length of time was between the date when a First Tier Tribunal personal independence payment appeal was lodged and heard for cases involving claimants in Blaenau Gwent during 2017-18.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This information is not held centrally.
HMCTS statistics are not calculated from receipt of the appeal to the hearing, but from receipt of the appeal to the disposal of the case. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Prison Service Instruction 44 of 2010, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of nutritional standards in prisons and correctional facilities.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has issued food policy guidance and specification expectations that require all prisons to provide prisoners with the opportunity to select a meal of choice from a range of meals that are balanced, varied and reflects Government’s recommendation on eating a heathy diet.
The new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) food supply contract provides the opportunity for prisons to purchase fresh vegetables, salad crop and fruit. There is also a range of food commodities that are lower in salt, sugar and saturated fats. HMPPS regularly monitor and record meal provision against policy expectations.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Rule 29 of the Prison Rules 1999, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of prisoners' (a) access to and (b) engagement in physical education.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I am passionate about the benefits that can be derived from participating in sport and physical activity in custody, which include building prisoner’s confidence, providing purposeful activity and supporting engagement with rehabilitation when prisoners are preparing for release.
My former colleague, Dr Lee commissioned Professor Rosie Meek of Royal Holloway University of London to undertake an independent review of sport and physical activity in the Youth estate – Professor Meek’s report was published on 11 August. The recommendations in this report will help us to build a range of sporting activities which engage young people in custody and support their rehabilitation.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the I CAN and Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' report, Bercow: ten years on, published on 20 March 2018, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to implement the recommendations in that report.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We recognise that young people with speech and language difficulties are particularly vulnerable. We are seeking to ensure that practitioners who work with children and young people in settings with a known high prevalence of speech, language and communication needs are trained in recognising and responding appropriately to communication needs, and ensuring access to speech and language therapy as required.
Over the past three years MoJ and the YJB have supported a national project, led by the Department for Education, to deliver special educational needs and disability (SEND) awareness training to the youth justice workforce. The Youth Justice SEND Bubble programme offered free training to Youth Justice System professionals, supporting them to effectively identify and meet children’s special educational and disability needs and allowing them to work towards more effective engagement and positive long-term outcomes.