Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the answer of the Minister for Justice to question 266 in oral evidence to the Justice Committee on 14 July 2020, HC 306, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Prospects and (b) the Shaw Trust on (i) risk assessments for delivering education and (ii) industrial relations with the University and College Union at Feltham Young Offender Institution.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The University and College Union (UCU) is not a recognised Trade Union by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). As such it is the responsibility of the private providers, who deliver education and recognise the UCU, to have discussions on the delivery of education during the Covid-19 recovery period. All providers are fully engaged in local risk assessments to ensure obligations are fulfilled to staff, department and children in custody, and the Youth Custody Service has liaised with Prospects with regard to their obligations on this basis.
With regards to risk assessments on delivering education, the teachers who provide education across the children and young people secure estate are protected by the Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure agreed between HMPPS and its recognised trade unions.
Additionally, HMPPS have consulted with recognised trade unions at both a local and national level on their Exceptional Delivery Models and risk readiness assessments. These assessments considered and encompassed staff working in educational settings, including staff not employed directly by HMPPS.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the answer of the Minister for Justice to question 266 in oral evidence to the Justice Committee on 14 July 2020, HC 306, what assessment he has made of the (a) level and (b) extent of engagement between Prospects Shaw Trust and University and College Union on risk assessments on delivering education at Feltham Young Offender Institution.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The University and College Union (UCU) is not a recognised Trade Union by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). As such it is the responsibility of the private providers, who deliver education and recognise the UCU, to have discussions on the delivery of education during the Covid-19 recovery period. All providers are fully engaged in local risk assessments to ensure obligations are fulfilled to staff, department and children in custody, and the Youth Custody Service has liaised with Prospects with regard to their obligations on this basis.
With regards to risk assessments on delivering education, the teachers who provide education across the children and young people secure estate are protected by the Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure agreed between HMPPS and its recognised trade unions.
Additionally, HMPPS have consulted with recognised trade unions at both a local and national level on their Exceptional Delivery Models and risk readiness assessments. These assessments considered and encompassed staff working in educational settings, including staff not employed directly by HMPPS.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral answer of the Minister of State of 14 July 2020 to the Justice Select Committee, Question 264, what discussions his Department has had with UCU on opening up education (a) at HMYOI Feltham and (b) across the prison estate.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The University and College Union (UCU) is not a recognised Trade Union by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). As such it is the responsibility of the private providers, who deliver education and recognise the UCU, to have discussions on the delivery of education during the Covid-19 recovery period. All providers are fully engaged in local risk assessments to ensure obligations are fulfilled to staff, department and children in custody, and the Youth Custody Service has liaised with Prospects with regard to their obligations on this basis.
With regards to risk assessments on delivering education, the teachers who provide education across the children and young people secure estate are protected by the Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure agreed between HMPPS and its recognised trade unions.
Additionally, HMPPS have consulted with recognised trade unions at both a local and national level on their Exceptional Delivery Models and risk readiness assessments. These assessments considered and encompassed staff working in educational settings, including staff not employed directly by HMPPS.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of overtime hours worked by prison officers at HMP Ranby were compensated for with (a) time off in lieu and (b) overtime payments in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The data for the overtime hours taken by staff as time off in lieu can only be obtained by disproportionate cost. We would have to look at each individual staff record for the past six months to obtain this level of information.
Table below shows the number of hours for which staff compensated with overtime payment in each of the last six months. Please note that this cost includes overtime hours completed for other establishments.
Months | January | February | March | April | May | June |
Hours | 1098 | 1146 | 3529 | 6639 | 5481.5 | 1745.75 |
We are making special payments to all of our hard-working prison staff who are going above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours of time off in lieu staff at HMP Ranby have (a) accumulated and (b) been repaid in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The data regarding the accumulated hours worked by staff as time off in lieu is not held centrally. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate as all individual staff records would need to be scrutinised.
The table below shows the number hours for which staff were paid overtime, or ‘Payment Plus’, in the last six months. Please note this cost includes overtime hours completed for other establishments.
Month | January | February | March | April | May | June |
Hours | 1098 | 1146 | 3529 | 6639 | 5481.5 | 1745.75 |
We are making special payments to all of our hard-working prison staff who are going above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions staff at HMP Ranby have been ordered to extend scheduled shifts in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Fewer than five staff at HMP Ranby were ordered by the Governor to extend their scheduled shifts in the last six months.
We cannot provide an exact figure where the true number falls between one and five. We believe that the release of some of this information would risk identification of the individuals concerned and it should not be assumed that the actual figure represented falls at any particular point within this scale; ‘five or fewer’ is used as a replacement value from which it would be difficult to isolate or extract any individual data.
Staff in minus hours of their contractual working hours will be asked or, when necessary if they refuse, be ordered to extend their shift when there is a need to maintain safe and decent regimes.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many FTE equivalent Band 3 prison officers there are at HMP Ranby; and what his Department's target is for staffing at that prison.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The number of full time equivalent band 3 prison officers at HMP Ranby as at 31 March 2020 was 204.1.
Governors now have the autonomy to determine staff numbers to best meet the needs of the prison, whilst keeping within the overall budgetary envelope. In August 2019, HMP Ranby had a significant increase in their band 3 prison officers, to help facilitate keyworker activity and improve safety and performance. The next HMPPS Workforce Bulletin can be accessed on this page when it is published on 20 August 2020 - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was in staff payments and awards at HMP Ranby in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The table below shows the overall staff salary costs and any additional payment awards made to staff at HMP Ranby in the last six months.
We are also making special payments to all of our hard-working prison staff who are going above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.
January to June 2020 | Staff Costs - HMP Ranby | |||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
Salary | £1,225,097 | £1,255,139 | £1,301,870 | £1,283,881 | £1,293,544 | £1,264,886 |
Additional Payments | £158,952 | £137,898 | £154,645 | £150,892 | £320,005 | £270,260 |
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Total | £1,384,049 | £1,393,037 | £1,456,515 | £1,434,773 | £1,613,549 | £1,535,146 |
Note for the table |
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Salary costs includes National Insurance and employer contributions | ||||||
Additional payment includes payment plus, overtime and bonus payments | ||||||
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HMP Ranby has a regime management plan in place; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
There is an Exceptional Regime Management Plan (ERMP) at the prison. This was developed in consultation with Public Heath England at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan outlines a framework to assist with the delivery of services during the pandemic.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What assessment his Department has made of the effect on children in custody of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We are very sensitive of the difficulties many children in custody will be having as a result of Covid-19, and the measures taken to protect children and staff.
There has been a focus on delivering essential activities (including regular phone calls, with additional free phone credits allocated). ‘SECURE STAIRS’ - the integrated framework of care jointly led by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Youth Custody Service - has adapted its approach to meet the needs of children at this time, whilst adhering to physical distancing.
I am pleased that, following completion of ‘youth-specific’ Exceptional Delivery Models, ‘face to face’ education and visits are commencing this week at our public sector Young Offender Institutions, as part of Covid-19 recovery work.