Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has produced a forecast of the number of children who are considered potentially likely to self-harm in youth custodial settings over the Christmas 2020 period.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Forecasting potential levels of self-harm is challenging, however, the rates of self-harm across the Youth Custody Service estate are reviewed regularly. We are very aware of the difficulties many children in custody will have experienced as a result of Covid-19 and the need to follow physical distancing, and that feelings of uncertainty may be heightened over Christmas. We will be working hard to support children in custody at this time, especially for those children who are at a greater risk of self-harm. As a result of the pandemic, ‘SECURE STAIRS’ - the Framework for Integrated Care jointly led by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHS E&I) and the YCS - has enhanced its approach to meet the needs of both children and staff focusing on the importance of connectivity, whilst adhering to physical distancing principles.
We have also been progressing work with a focus to some of the most vulnerable and challenging young people in custody through the Critical Case Pathway (CCP), which is jointly led by the YCS’s Directorate lead Psychologist and NHS E&I Quality Lead. The CCP is a multi-disciplinary pathway which aims to provide oversight, assurance and support to professionals working with the most exceptionally complex young people in the youth custody estate, and take action as necessary to ensure effective assessment, planning and co-ordination of services to ensure that every effort is made to meet the needs of this group of children.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) visited Cookham Wood, Parc and Wetherby Young Offender Institutions on 21 April, and to Feltham and Werrington on 7 July to undertake monitoring visits, with reports subsequently published on the HMIP website. HMIP noted that self-harm had reduced since the start of the pandemic at four of the five sites (and was stable at the fifth); however, we continue to monitor rates of self-harm very closely, whilst also looking to enhance regime opportunities, in a manner which is safe for children and staff.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on the youth custodial estate (a) in total and (b) on consultants or third party contractors in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The information requested for 2015/16 and 2016/17 is available at the following links:
Information for 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 is provided in the table below and is a subset of data published as part of the annual HMPPS Annual Report and Accounts publication. The budget for the youth estate moved from the Youth Justice Board to the Youth Custody Service in the middle of the 2017/18 financial year. The contracted-out figure is included in the total spend across the youth custodial estate.
Resource DEL 2017/18 | Full Year Outturn (£m) | Full Year Budget (£m) |
Total | £103 | £108 |
Contracted Out | £52 | £52 |
Resource DEL 2018/19 | Full Year Outturn (£m) | Full Year Budget (£m) |
Total | £146 | £147 |
Contracted | £76 | £77 |
Resource DEL 2019/20 | Full Year Outturn (£m) | Full Year Budget (£m) |
Total | £172 | £176 |
Contracted | £77 | £79 |
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish updated figures from the Relative Rate Index (RRI) model for the measures specified in the 2016 Ministry of Justice paper entitled Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic disproportionality in the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
In February 2020, a report on Tackling Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice was accompanied by tables which included a 5 year time-series of RRIs up to 2018. The report is the most up to date analysis and links to the biennial Race and the Criminal Justice System Statistics (2018) published in November 2019.
Relative rate indexes (RRIs) are currently being used across a number of Ministry of Justice publications including in the Race in the Criminal Justice System, Youth Justice annual publications and the Judicial Selection and Recommendations for Appointment publications. RRIs allow clear comparisons to identify and understand disparity. A consistent approach across the criminal justice system ensures that the treatment and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups can be examined in more detail, with a greater degree of analysis in order to understand disparities and direct reforms where they cannot be explained.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number prisoners who met the criteria for parole but who could not be released as approved premises were not accepting referrals as a result of covid-19 restrictions, in the last nine months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Approved Premises contribute to the management of high and very high-risk offenders to support their resettlement into the community. We have continued to accept referrals to Approved Premises throughout the pandemic. A priority referral allocation process is in place which includes the prioritisation of high and very high-risk parole cases. Where appropriate, those whose release has been directed by the Parole Board with a condition that they reside in an Approved Premises upon release have been accommodated in Approved Premises throughout the pandemic.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has put in place to allow prisoners eligible for parole to access approved premises and leave prison during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Approved Premises contribute to the management of high and very high-risk offenders to support their resettlement into the community. We have continued to accept referrals to Approved Premises throughout the pandemic. A priority referral allocation process is in place which includes the prioritisation of high and very high-risk parole cases. Where appropriate, those whose release has been directed by the Parole Board with a condition that they reside in an Approved Premises upon release have been accommodated in Approved Premises throughout the pandemic.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that children in youth custodial settings do not have to spend Christmas alone as a result of ongoing covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We are very aware of the difficulties many children in custody will have experienced as a result of Covid-19 and the need to follow physical distancing, and that feelings of uncertainty may be heightened over Christmas. During the Covid-19 period, ‘SECURE STAIRS’ - the integrated framework of care jointly led by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Youth Custody Service (YCS) - has adapted its approach to meet the needs of children focusing on the importance of connectivity, whilst adhering to physical distancing principles.
The YCS continue to look to enhance regime opportunities, in a manner which is safe for children and staff. This will continue over Christmas, with staff working hard to ensure children have sufficient time out of their rooms with peers and staff (whilst complying with Covid-19 requirements), access to entertainment, phone calls and other activities over this period.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps have been taken to use the findings from his Department’s Expert Panel on Harm in the Family Courts to inform the make-up of the advisory panel for the Review of the Presumption of Parental Involvement.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Review of the Presumption of Parental Involvement builds directly on the work of the Harm Panel. Independent researchers will draw from the evidence gathered during the public call for evidence from that review and will conduct additional research which will include detailed case file analysis to assess the application of the presumption of parental involvement.
The Advisory Group has been assembled from a range of voices from across the family court system, and beyond. Their collective experience will be drawn upon to provide advice and inform the commissioned researchers.
A core element of the work of the independent researchers undertaking the evidence gathering will be to understand how the application of the presumption of parental involvement impacts upon people with protected characteristics and how the interpretation of those characteristics may have influenced the outcome. As part of this they will be engaging with the relevant groups – including, but not limited to, Black and Minority Ethnic survivors, deaf and disabled survivors, survivors of sexual violence and mothers.
The independent researchers undertaking the review will consider all available evidence, including from academics and professionals specialising in domestic abuse and sexual violence.