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Written Question
Prisoners' Release
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were on temporary release on 14 February 2023; and what the (a) maximum and (b) mean number of days was that each prisoner was on temporary release.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Prison Rules in England and Wales provide that a prisoner may be allowed to leave prison for short periods on temporary licence (ROTL). The main purpose of ROTL is to aid resettlement and suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example, work, attend college, attend an interview or maintain/re-establish links with their family. They are also, once at the required stage of their sentence, allowed to apply for temporary release overnight for a maximum of four consecutive nights a month.

The decision to allow temporary release is taken by the prison governor, on behalf of the Secretary of State, who must always balance the needs of the prisoner and the purpose of the ROTL applied for, against the need to maintain public safety and the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system. Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis to safeguard the public. Category A prisoners, remand prisoners, and prisoners subject to extradition proceedings are not eligible for ROTL under any circumstances. Any breaches can result in more time behind bars.

There is nothing unusual about 14 February and this long-established scheme runs steadily throughout the year.

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023, broken down by (a) maximum and (b) mean number of days.

Table 1: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales.

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Maximum number
of days on ROTL

Mean number
of days on ROTL

1,738

6

1.43

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10767 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) offence.

Table 2a: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by establishment

Establishment

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Askham Grange

37

Berwyn

*

Cookham Wood

3

Downview

8

Drake Hall

10

East Sutton Park

39

Eastwood Park

6

Ford

163

Grendon/Spring Hill

119

Hatfield

125

Haverigg

38

Hollesley Bay

206

Huntercombe

11

Kirkham

129

Kirklevington Grange

93

Leyhill

87

Low Newton

4

North Sea Camp

63

Northumberland

*

Norwich

34

Oakwood

9

Peterborough (Female)

5

Peterborough (Male)

*

Prescoed

86

Send

3

Standford Hill (Sheppey Cluster)

197

Stoke Heath

5

Styal

13

Sudbury

138

Thorn Cross

103

Table 2b: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by offence group

Main Offence Group

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Violence against the person

485

Sexual offences

108

Robbery

98

Theft Offences

97

Criminal damage and arson

16

Drug offences

754

Possession of weapons

69

Public order offences

*

Miscellaneous crimes against society

48

Fraud Offences

60

Summary Non-Motoring

*

Summary Motoring

0

Offence not recorded

0

Data sources and quality

The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10768 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporary released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) sentence length:

Table 3: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by sentence length

Sentence length

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Fine defaulter

*

Less than or equal to 6 months

*

More than 6 months to less than 12 months

*

12 months to less than 2 years

3

2 years to less than 4 years

86

4 years to less than 5 years

149

5 years to less than 7 years

341

7 years to less than 10 years

359

10 years to less than 14 years

280

14 years or more (excluding indeterminate sentences)

173

Extended determinate sentence

71

IPP

41

Life sentences

172

Recalls

50

Sentence length not recorded

9

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10769 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))


Written Question
Prisoners' Release
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were on temporary release on 14 February 2023 by (a) prison and (b) offence.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Prison Rules in England and Wales provide that a prisoner may be allowed to leave prison for short periods on temporary licence (ROTL). The main purpose of ROTL is to aid resettlement and suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example, work, attend college, attend an interview or maintain/re-establish links with their family. They are also, once at the required stage of their sentence, allowed to apply for temporary release overnight for a maximum of four consecutive nights a month.

The decision to allow temporary release is taken by the prison governor, on behalf of the Secretary of State, who must always balance the needs of the prisoner and the purpose of the ROTL applied for, against the need to maintain public safety and the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system. Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis to safeguard the public. Category A prisoners, remand prisoners, and prisoners subject to extradition proceedings are not eligible for ROTL under any circumstances. Any breaches can result in more time behind bars.

There is nothing unusual about 14 February and this long-established scheme runs steadily throughout the year.

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023, broken down by (a) maximum and (b) mean number of days.

Table 1: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales.

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Maximum number
of days on ROTL

Mean number
of days on ROTL

1,738

6

1.43

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10767 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) offence.

Table 2a: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by establishment

Establishment

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Askham Grange

37

Berwyn

*

Cookham Wood

3

Downview

8

Drake Hall

10

East Sutton Park

39

Eastwood Park

6

Ford

163

Grendon/Spring Hill

119

Hatfield

125

Haverigg

38

Hollesley Bay

206

Huntercombe

11

Kirkham

129

Kirklevington Grange

93

Leyhill

87

Low Newton

4

North Sea Camp

63

Northumberland

*

Norwich

34

Oakwood

9

Peterborough (Female)

5

Peterborough (Male)

*

Prescoed

86

Send

3

Standford Hill (Sheppey Cluster)

197

Stoke Heath

5

Styal

13

Sudbury

138

Thorn Cross

103

Table 2b: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by offence group

Main Offence Group

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Violence against the person

485

Sexual offences

108

Robbery

98

Theft Offences

97

Criminal damage and arson

16

Drug offences

754

Possession of weapons

69

Public order offences

*

Miscellaneous crimes against society

48

Fraud Offences

60

Summary Non-Motoring

*

Summary Motoring

0

Offence not recorded

0

Data sources and quality

The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10768 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporary released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) sentence length:

Table 3: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by sentence length

Sentence length

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Fine defaulter

*

Less than or equal to 6 months

*

More than 6 months to less than 12 months

*

12 months to less than 2 years

3

2 years to less than 4 years

86

4 years to less than 5 years

149

5 years to less than 7 years

341

7 years to less than 10 years

359

10 years to less than 14 years

280

14 years or more (excluding indeterminate sentences)

173

Extended determinate sentence

71

IPP

41

Life sentences

172

Recalls

50

Sentence length not recorded

9

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10769 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))


Written Question
Prisoners' Release
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were on temporary release by (a) prison and (b) sentence length on 14 February 2023.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Prison Rules in England and Wales provide that a prisoner may be allowed to leave prison for short periods on temporary licence (ROTL). The main purpose of ROTL is to aid resettlement and suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example, work, attend college, attend an interview or maintain/re-establish links with their family. They are also, once at the required stage of their sentence, allowed to apply for temporary release overnight for a maximum of four consecutive nights a month.

The decision to allow temporary release is taken by the prison governor, on behalf of the Secretary of State, who must always balance the needs of the prisoner and the purpose of the ROTL applied for, against the need to maintain public safety and the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system. Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis to safeguard the public. Category A prisoners, remand prisoners, and prisoners subject to extradition proceedings are not eligible for ROTL under any circumstances. Any breaches can result in more time behind bars.

There is nothing unusual about 14 February and this long-established scheme runs steadily throughout the year.

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023, broken down by (a) maximum and (b) mean number of days.

Table 1: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales.

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Maximum number
of days on ROTL

Mean number
of days on ROTL

1,738

6

1.43

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10767 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporarily released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) offence.

Table 2a: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by establishment

Establishment

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Askham Grange

37

Berwyn

*

Cookham Wood

3

Downview

8

Drake Hall

10

East Sutton Park

39

Eastwood Park

6

Ford

163

Grendon/Spring Hill

119

Hatfield

125

Haverigg

38

Hollesley Bay

206

Huntercombe

11

Kirkham

129

Kirklevington Grange

93

Leyhill

87

Low Newton

4

North Sea Camp

63

Northumberland

*

Norwich

34

Oakwood

9

Peterborough (Female)

5

Peterborough (Male)

*

Prescoed

86

Send

3

Standford Hill (Sheppey Cluster)

197

Stoke Heath

5

Styal

13

Sudbury

138

Thorn Cross

103

Table 2b: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by offence group

Main Offence Group

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Violence against the person

485

Sexual offences

108

Robbery

98

Theft Offences

97

Criminal damage and arson

16

Drug offences

754

Possession of weapons

69

Public order offences

*

Miscellaneous crimes against society

48

Fraud Offences

60

Summary Non-Motoring

*

Summary Motoring

0

Offence not recorded

0

Data sources and quality

The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10768 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))

Data on the number of individuals recorded as temporary released from prison on 14 February 2023 broken down by (a) prison and (b) sentence length:

Table 3: Number of prisoners on temporary release (ROTL) on 14 February 2023, in England and Wales, broken down by sentence length

Sentence length

Number of prisoners
on ROTL

Fine defaulter

*

Less than or equal to 6 months

*

More than 6 months to less than 12 months

*

12 months to less than 2 years

3

2 years to less than 4 years

86

4 years to less than 5 years

149

5 years to less than 7 years

341

7 years to less than 10 years

359

10 years to less than 14 years

280

14 years or more (excluding indeterminate sentences)

173

Extended determinate sentence

71

IPP

41

Life sentences

172

Recalls

50

Sentence length not recorded

9

Data sources and quality

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Disclosure control

An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or one. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

Source: Prison NOMIS

PQ-10769 (Ministry of Justice; Data and Analysis (Directorate))


Written Question
Prisoner Escapes
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were on an escape list on 1 January in each year since 2015.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The following shows the number of prisoners on an escape list on 01 January of each year 2015-2024.

Year *Number of Prisoners on Escape List Alert code (XEL, XELH **)

2015

563
2016296
2017252
2018291
2019195
2020167
2021101
2022113
2023105
2024160

*First of January only for each year

**Escape List, Escape List- Heightened

A prisoner escapes from prison if they unlawfully gain their liberty by breaching the secure perimeter of a closed prison. A prisoner escapes from an escort if they are able to pass beyond the control of escorting staff and leave the escort, the vehicle or the premises (such as a court or hospital).

The vast majority of escapes are recaptured by police either immediately or within a matter of hours and there are no cases of prison escapees remaining at large. Offenders who break the law will be punished – including extra time in jail when appropriate.

Prisoners who pose an escape risk are identified and their ongoing risk is managed by placing them on the Escape List (E-List). Prisoners placed on the E-List are subject to additional security measures, restricted activity and regular review.

Prison escapes are incredibly rare, and numbers have declined substantially in the last 10-15 years. Between 1997 and 2010, escapes from prisons were nearly 10 times higher than the subsequent 13 years.


Written Question
Prisons: Radicalism
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were referred to Pathfinder for possible radicalisation in prison in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

All convicted terrorists are referred to Pathfinder upon entry to prison. Information on the number of persons in custody for terrorism connected offences is published. The most recent data is available here: Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes, and stop and search, Great Britain, quarterly update to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Ministry of Justice is unable to disclose the numbers of non-TACT connected offenders who are identified as posing a terrorist risk due to security considerations.


Written Question
Confiscation Orders
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the total amount of impairment from confiscation orders in each year since 2013.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Confiscation orders are the principal means by which the government carries out its policy to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crime. They are used with the intent to disrupt and deter criminality. Confiscation orders are not punitive in nature but are designed to require the defendant to pay back the proceeds of their crime and to thus deprive them of the benefit of their crime.

A confiscation order is issued against an individual after they have been convicted of an offence, ordering them to pay back the amount that the court has determined they had benefited from their crime. The confiscation order name is a misnomer as nothing is confiscated. The court will determine the amount of the benefit received based upon the relevant criminal conduct. In determining the benefit amount the court can take into consideration all the financial assets of the defendant including gifts, “hidden assets” and the “criminal lifestyle” of the defendant. By including the value of assets such as those classed as “hidden” or “gifts”, the aim of the court is to effectively deprive the defendant of their use and take them out of circulation. The court will then determine the available amount which may be less than the benefit amount. The court may allow a limited time for the confiscation order to be paid, in the event of non-payment the outstanding balance on the order will begin to accrue interest at a rate of 8% per annum, with interest continuing to accrue until the order balance is paid in full. In addition, the defendant will be required to serve a default prison sentence for non-payment, the serving of the prison sentence does not reduce the amount of the confiscation order that is due to be paid nor does it stop interest accruing.

The impairment charge, as reported annually in the HMCTS Trust Statement, is an accounting estimate of the outstanding impositions which has been assessed as theoretically unrecoverable. The charge reduces the value of the overall debt to an amount that HMCTS has estimated, for accounting purposes only, to be recoverable and ensures that the Financial Statements do not value the debt at more than is potentially collectable.

The impairment charge and resulting net book value figure are solely accounting estimates and do not reflect the value of the impositions that is being enforced by HMCTS and the other Agencies, such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office. All the agencies associated with the enforcement of confiscation orders continue to enforce the full value of the impositions imposed by the Court.

Financial Year

Gross Balance of confiscation orders outstanding at the end of the financial year £000

Impairment Charge Balance at start of financial year £000

Impairment charge for the year £000

Net book value of the Confiscation orders at end of the financial year £000

2022-23

2,510,532

2,292,082

86,397

132,053

2021-22

2,438,105

2,210,158

81,924

146,023

2020-21

2,353,455

2,060,430

149,728

143,297

2019-20

2,224,952

1,904,113

156,317

164,522

2018-19

2,065,303

1,808,987

95,126

161,190

2017-18

1,961,278

1,686,262

122,725

152,291

2016-17

1,814,818

1,570,973

115,289

128,556

2015-16

1,761,449

1,370,761

200,212

190,476

2014-15

1,573,765

1,280,892

89,869

203,004

2013-14

1,491,223

1,211,215

107,213

172,795


Written Question
Prison Officers: Working Hours
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers attended their shifts at (a) HMP Huntercombe, (b) HMP Maidstone and (c) HMP Morton Hall on 1 September 2023.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the number of Band 3 prison officers who were on duty in the prison on that day at HMP Huntercombe, HMP Maidstone and HMP Morton Hall on 1 September 2023, together with the reasons for absence, are set out in the table below:

Attendance

Huntercombe

Maidstone

Morton Hall

On duty

48

55

44

Annual Leave

16

16

13

Training

5

11

15

Sick Absence

7

4

7

Other Absences

3

6

2

It should be noted that these figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

The figures for those who were on duty in the prison on that day include all staff who attended for all or part of a shift, including any additional-payment shifts and night duties. Those recorded in the category of ‘Other Absences’ can include staff attending medical appointments, and those on restricted duties, phased return, secondment, maternity leave, jury service, official duty, parental leave, suspension or bed watch, as well as any working at a different grade, taking time off in lieu or working remotely.

We have taken a series of measures to increase the prison workforce. Despite a challenging labour market, the 12 months ending 30 June 2023 saw an increase of 701 Full-Time-Equivalent Band 3-5 prison officers. This means we now have 4,000 more prison officers than in March 2017. We are committed to recruiting up to 5,000 prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s.

We recently increased the pay of the vast majority of frontline officers by 7 per cent. Combined with other pay rises, this means starting pay for prison officers has increased since 2019 from £22,293 to £30,902 (on the basis of a national rate, 37-hour week with unsocial hours) or £23,529 to £32,851 (on the basis of a national rate, 39-hour week with unsocial hours).


Written Question
Home Office: Aviation
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 101 of the Home Office's Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023, how many individual trips were made on (a) domestic and (b) international flights.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice Climate Change & Sustainability Unit collate data related to flights on behalf of the Home Office. The figures quoted below relate only to the Home Office account.

There were 4,623 individual trips made on domestic flights in 2022-23.

There were 3,254 individual trips made on international flights in 2022-23.


Written Question
Prison Accommodation
Tuesday 24th October 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many rapid deployment cells are (a) in place and (b) planned at (i) HMP Huntercombe, (ii) HMP Maidstone and (iii) HMP Morton Hall.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

We are delivering 40 Rapid Deployment Cells at HMP Huntercombe. Units were deployed at the site in September 2023 and essential works are ongoing to get the units ready for occupation. First prisoners are expected to occupy the units from early January 2024.

There is no current plan to deliver Rapid Deployment Cells at HMP Maidstone or HMP Morton Hall.

The Rapid Deployment Cells Project is a key element of the HMPPS Programme to create short-term prison places and this project has a clear strategic goal to deliver additional places at prisons across the country, whilst long-term capacity is built.

We will continue to explore where Rapid Deployment Cells could potentially be deployed at prisons across the estate.


Written Question
Prisons: Translation Services
Tuesday 24th October 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many translators work in prisons.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

There are no translators employed in prisons on a permanent basis. The Ministry of Justice Language Service Contract provides face-to-face and telephone interpretation services for prisons, on a case-by-case basis, on request.