Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts

Tuesday 24th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I thank my hon. Friend for her comments. Catering and bakery is a big area in which we do a lot of training already. We are working with organisations like Costa Coffee to get people into employment. We also have the Bad Boys Bakery at Brixton, which produces some excellent cakes.

[Mr Speaker]

There is no reason to doubt it; the Secretary of State seems remarkably well informed about these important matters.

[Derek Twigg (Halton) (Lab)]

Getting ex-prisoners into employment is clearly very important, as the Secretary of State has said. What assessment has her Department made of the number of prisoners who leave prison and get into employment and stay in it for more than six months?

--- Later in debate ---

[Tom Elliott (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) (UUP)]

In a recent case in Northern Ireland, someone charged with a serious terrorist offence in connection with the murder of prison officer David Black absconded when he was on bail, and the police did not report that to the courts for over five weeks. Is the Minister aware of that, and has he had any discussions with the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland to take this matter forward?

[Mr Speaker]

That is only tangentially related to the question on the Order Paper, and I think that is a generous statement, but the Minister is a dextrous fellow, so let us hear from him.

[Mr Gyimah]

The straightforward answer is that I am not aware of that particular case and I am willing to take it up with the hon. Gentleman.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Lee]

Yes, consideration has been given to that. There is a particular difficulty with new psychoactive substances, because the way in which they are smuggled in—for example, by the impregnation of letters or paper—means that it is difficult to stop them via scanning. The hon. Gentleman should be assured that we are desperate to get a grip on the smuggling and supply of drugs into prisons because of the adverse impact that they are having.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Dr Davies) has an identical question, Question 19. It was not grouped with this question, but the position is clear: if he does stand I will call him, and if he doesn’t I won’t. He does. Get in there man!

[Dr James Davies (Vale of Clwyd) (Con)]

19. Does my hon. Friend agree that, if we are to reduce reoffending, it is vital to get prisoners off drugs and give them the skills they will need to find work in their local community on release?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Gyimah]

Our ambition for the probation system review, due out at the beginning of April, is clear. We want a simple probation system with clear outcome measures, such as getting offenders into employment and housing. Outcomes, rather than inputs, are the best way to judge our probation service across the board.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Danny Kinahan.

[Danny Kinahan (South Antrim) (UUP)]

That was on a previous question, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Oh, never mind. We will bear the hon. Gentleman in mind for subsequent questions.

[Matt Warman (Boston and Skegness) (Con)]

11. What progress the Government have made on modernising the courts system.

--- Later in debate ---

[Danny Kinahan (South Antrim) (UUP)]

Yesterday, the British-Irish Parliamentary Association heard how well the Garda and the Police Service of Northern Ireland are working together. When we leave the EU, however, it looks as if we will become associate members of Europol, and the Schengen information system is another item that we need to keep together. Will the Minister ensure that we are in either the same place or a better place?

[Mr Speaker]

I think that the hon. Gentleman also meant to refer to the modernisation of the courts system—purely an error of omission from the hon. Gentleman.

[Danny Kinahan]

I would like to see the modernisation of the courts system.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Oliver Heald]

I do agree. We have the best legal system in the world, but we also need to have the most modern one. Getting as many things out of court that do not need to be there, applying the full force of judge and courtroom for the most difficult and complex issues, stripping away unnecessary hearings, redundant paper forms and duplication are all important. I can report that, while two hearings ago, there was a saving of a Shard-load of paper as a result of these reports, that has now gone up to three Shard-loads, so we have saved a pile of paper as high as the Burj Khalifa, the largest building in the world.

[Mr Speaker]

What a well-informed fellow the right hon. and learned Gentleman is.

[Christina Rees (Neath) (Lab/Co-op)]

The new chairman of the Bar Council, Andrew Langdon QC, has warned people not to rely too heavily on the delivery of justice online. Yesterday the President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, complained that facilities in his courts were a disgrace,

“prone to the link”

—the video link—

“failing and with desperately poor sound and picture quality”.

His own court, Court 33, has no such facilities and no video links. Does the Minister understand that some cases are not suitable for video links, and is he prepared to properly resource the ones that are?

--- Later in debate ---

[Elizabeth Truss]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Finding suitable housing, like getting a job, is very important to reducing reoffending. We will therefore measure housing rates as well as employment rates, and prison governors will be held accountable for how well they do in helping offenders to obtain housing.

[Mr Speaker]

Let us hear the voice of Bolton West on this matter. Chris Green.

[Chris Green (Bolton West) (Con)]

16. It is commonly understood that once people have been in prison they have paid their debts to society, and contributing to society, especially through work, is a key part of rehabilitation. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the declaration of a criminal record at the very beginning of a job application creates an unnecessary barrier to work?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Gyimah]

There is a number available, but I do not have it to hand. I am willing to provide it, if the hon. Lady wants to follow up.

[Mr Speaker]

Put the details in the Library; it will be helpful to us all.

[Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central) (Lab)]

22. When she plans to publish her Department’s review of the introduction of employment tribunal fees.

--- Later in debate ---

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, a Crabb or a Berry? I think we will have the Crabb.

[Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire) (Con)]

Ministers will be aware of the disturbing incident that took place recently at Haverfordwest magistrates court, where a defendant, while in the dock, was able to use a sharp object to carry out a serious act of violence against themselves. Will the Secretary of State please commit to looking into what went wrong with the security arrangements at the court? No one should be in a position to do harm to themselves or others in any courtroom in England and Wales.

[Sir Oliver Heald]

My right hon. Friend makes an important point about an extremely concerning incident. I have been briefed already, but I have asked for a further report from Her Majesty’s Courts Service on exactly what happened and what measures are necessary to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.

[Mr Speaker]

Let’s have a Berry.

[Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)]

When I met Lancashire police federation representatives last Friday, they said that they believe the sentencing guidelines dealing with an assault on a police officer to be adequate, but that in some cases they are not properly enforced by the courts. What will the Secretary of State do to ensure that an attack on a police officer is always considered an aggravating factor, because an attack on the law enforcers is an attack on society itself?