Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Ruth Cadbury Excerpts
Tuesday 6th March 2018

(6 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Rory Stewart Portrait Rory Stewart
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Absolutely. One of the most terrifying statistics is the very high number of prisoners’ children who go on to offend themselves. I should be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss not just the issue of families, but the issue of children in particular.

Ruth Cadbury Portrait Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)
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What are the Government doing to reverse the dramatic fall in community sentencing, which has nearly halved in the past decade, with a particularly sharp drop in recent years?

David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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We have seen an increased use of suspended sentences, but the hon. Lady is right that we must do more. We want to work closely with community rehabilitation companies and the National Probation Service, because the judiciary must have confidence in non-custodial sentences as well as custodial sentences.