Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support employment opportunities for ex-offenders.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector to get more people with convictions into work.
Key employment roles are in place across all 93 resettlement prisons to prepare prisoners for work on release, match them to jobs and provide critical ID documents to secure work and a home.
We have launched regional Employment Councils which, for the first time, brings businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support offenders leaving prison. This builds on the work of Employment Advisory Boards linking prisons with business leaders to ensure prisoners have the skills and training employers need to meet labour market demand.
In addition, HM Prison and Probation Service’s Creating Future Opportunities programme offers tailored support for ex-offenders - particularly those who are furthest from the labour market - to secure employment, training and education opportunities for release.
Supporting further, the criminal records regime is designed to strike a balance providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions and enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives. We also work closely with DWP to ensure support is in place for ex-offenders in the community, for example through co-location of services.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle parental alienation.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” and does not accept that it is a syndrome capable of diagnosis.
In his judgment in the case of Re C the President of the Family Division detailed that the courts focus should be on the “identification of ‘alienating behaviour’” rather than seeking “to determine whether the label ‘parental alienation’ can be applied”. In providing advice to the court, Cafcass does not recognise “parental alienation” and instead looks at the individual behaviours of a parent. In cases where a child is resistant, or refuses, to see a parent Cafcass Family Court Advisers must first consider whether domestic abuse or other forms of harmful parenting are a contributing factor.
The Government is aware of concerns of about unregulated “parental alienation” experts being instructed in the family courts. To address this issue, we are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and their associated Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these unregulated experts.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reform the criminal justice system to help tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Laura Farris
This Government has introduced a comprehensive legislative framework to prevent violence against women, including our landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
We have pioneered the creation of new offences including coercive control, non-fatal strangulation and intimate image abuse; more than doubled the number of adult rape cases reaching court compared to when we commissioned our End-to-End Rape Review; and made sure that sentences for adult rape are almost 40% longer than they were in 2010.
And through our Sentencing Bill, we will ensure that rapists and serious sexual offenders spend the entirety of their custodial sentence behind bars, without possibility of parole.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the circumstances under which voluntary deportation to countries of origin is the appropriate course of action for people serving indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection in the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) is a mandatory scheme under which all foreign national prisoners serving indeterminate sentences will be considered for removal from the UK once their tariff expires.
This scheme is jointly administered with the Home Office and decisions to approve or refuse a removal under TERS are authorised by the Public Protection Casework Section in HMPPS on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Further information about the scheme can be found on gov.uk: The Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (publishing.service.gov.uk).
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms to sections (a) 3 and (b) 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the human rights of people who are non-religious.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
With our proposed changes to section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), we aim to make sure the balance between our domestic institutions is right, by ensuring that UK courts can no longer interpret legislation contrary to Parliament’s intent.
Our proposed changes to section 6 of the HRA will ensure that those delivering vital public services can do so without the constant threat of having to defend against trivial human rights claims.
Humanist marriage is very much on my department’s radar. In 2014, the Government published a consultation paper and response assessing the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups.
To ensure we are considering the implications of changing the law on marriage fairly for all groups, we invited the Law Commission to undertake a review which is currently underway and is expected to report in July of this year. By looking at the law comprehensively, the Law Commission will seek to put forward proposals that would ensure that, insofar as possible, groups and couples are all subject to the same rules and the same level of regulation.
Following the Law Commission report, we will take the time to consider any proposed changes to marriage laws thoroughly, including how non-religious belief organisations (such as Humanists) and/or independent celebrants could conduct legally binding weddings. Any change to legislation would then take place when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what additional targeted support his Department is providing to prison officers struggling with living costs.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Prison Officer pay is reviewed annually by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) who consider evidence from a range of parties and make recommendations for Government.
The Government submitted its evidence to the PSPRB on 23rd February 2022.
We expect the PSPRB to report with recommendations for Government in the coming months and the Government will announce the 2022/23 pay award later in the year.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 111770, on Succession, whether he plans to put in place protections to prevent a convicted domestic abuser inheriting from the death of their spousal victim in the absence of an individual will.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The law normally prevents those guilty of an unlawful killing from being a beneficiary of a will (the ‘forfeiture rule’) but does not automatically change inheritance rights for any other conviction.
I am, however, aware of concern that the law may not go far enough. The Government is currently giving consideration to this issue, and to the case and options for reform.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that the rights of more vulnerable citizens are protected when replacing the Human Rights Act 1998 with the proposed Bill of Rights.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
We have discussed our proposals with groups representing vulnerable members of society throughout the consultation process and further such engagement is planned. Under a Bill of Rights, the rights currently set out in the Human Rights Act will be protected for all UK citizens, with redress available in UK courts. When our proposals are fully developed, and once all responses to the consultation have been considered, we will conduct and publish an equality impact assessment.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of legislating to make to Body-Worn Cameras accessible to all officers on the frontline, including Prisoner Escorting and Custody officers.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
A procurement process for the next generation of Body Worn Video Cameras (BWVC) within the public prison estate is underway, for rollout commencing in 2022. The process will represent a substantial uplift of cameras available to the entire public prison estate, with each establishment having sufficient stock of cameras for every operational band 3 – 5 Prison Officer on shift at any time and a surplus for other roles.
In conjunction with the procurement of new cameras, a review of the current Prison Service Instruction is being undertaken to ensure the new Policy Framework reflects new and effective practices. This includes mandatory wearing of cameras by operational band 3 – 5 Prison Officers and their use outside of prison establishments, including on external escorts of prisoners.
It is at the discretion of Privately Managed Provisions (PMP), such as Prisoner Escort and Custody Services, to determine the provision of BWVCs to their staff. PMP providers have a range of existing contracts for the provision BWVCs, which adds to the complexities of standardising BWVC use within PMP. As such, mandating BWVCs within PMP has not been pursued within the current review of the Prison Service Instruction.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce tougher penalties for causing death by dangerous driving.
Answered by Alex Chalk
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provisions that will increase the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 years’ imprisonment to life. The PCSC Bill has passed third reading in the House of Commons and has been introduced to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.