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Written Question
Ministry of Justice: Apprentices
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

As of 31 March 2020, the Civil Service has achieved a total of 2.1% of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3% by March 2021. The Ministry of Justice has achieved 1.68% of the total staff employed within the department.

The Ministry of Justice’s Apprenticeship Strategy, designed to meet the allocated targets, consists of three strands:

  • Promoting the use of Cabinet Office-approved apprenticeships programmes to develop professional skills;
  • Designing and delivering operational apprenticeship standards for specific operational roles; and
  • Promoting the use of apprenticeships as an entry route/development of career pathways for staff at all levels of the organisation.

This target is a percentage of the total workforce so the percentage attained will change in line with workforce fluctuations over time, making it challenging to predict when a department will meet it. The data for 2018/19 can be found here. The data for 2019/20 can be found here.

Departments are committed to increasing the number of apprentices across the Civil Service and continue to work towards the 2.3% target.


Written Question
Courts: Coronavirus
Tuesday 28th April 2020

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What changes are required for the effective operation of courts and tribunals during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Access to justice is an essential part of our lives - and I want to pay tribute to all those involved in keeping the wheels of justice turning - the judges, HMCTS staff, and partners throughout the justice system as well as legal professionals, volunteers and others.

Our priorities are to maintain access to justice – in particular for the most urgent cases such as bail applications and urgent family hearings – and to protect the safety of all who work in the courts and tribunals. To do this, we have already made changes in 5 broad areas:

  • Prioritising cases
  • Supporting our staff
  • Expanding use of video
  • Consolidating courts
  • Cleanliness

Despite the exceptional circumstances, our justice system remained ‘open’ to deal with the most vulnerable in society. In France, for example, courts are closed for all but ‘essential litigation’ and Italy is in full lockdown until 4th May.


Written Question
Extortion: Prosecutions
Tuesday 21st May 2019

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful prosecutions have been brought for the offence of blackmail against people that demanded money to leave sites which they are occupying illegally in each year since 2010.

Answered by Robert Buckland

Information regarding prosecutions and convictions for blackmail offences from 2010 to 2018 can be found at the following link –

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx

Filter the ‘Offence’ field to ’35 Blackmail’ to obtain these figures. The total number of defendants proceeded against as well as those convicted of blackmail for the 2008-2018 decade will appear in the pivot table.

However, specific information regarding blackmail offences, such as the offence of blackmail against people that demanded money to leave sites which they were occupying illegally, may be held on court record. But to be able to identify these cases, as they are not held centrally, we would have to access individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Veterans: Prison Sentences
Tuesday 26th February 2019

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many former members of the armed forces have served custodial sentences in each year since 2000.

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

Since January 2015, all offenders coming into custody (convicted or remanded) are asked at reception if they have previously served in the Armed Forces. The department publishes this data quarterly and the number declaring has remained stable at approximately 3.5% - 4%.

In October 2018, Ministry of Justice published Experimental Statistics on ex-service personnel in the prison population (next release due October 2019), which indicated that there were at least 2,032 former members of the Armed Services in prison as at 30 June 2018. Details of the report and breakdown can be found at:

  1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750708/ex-service-personnel-prison-population-2018.pdf

  2. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750710/ex-service-personnel-2018.ods

We do not hold information on the number of former service personnel that have served a custodial sentence for the years requested, which could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the unique nature of those who served in the Armed Forces and those prisoners who declare a military background are able to access a range of specialist support, including from military charities who deliver services in prisons.


Written Question
Prisoners: Armed Forces
Tuesday 26th February 2019

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the prison population has previously served in the armed forces.

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

Since January 2015, all offenders coming into custody (convicted or remanded) are asked at reception if they have previously served in the Armed Forces. The department publishes this data quarterly and the number declaring has remained stable at approximately 3.5% - 4%.

In October 2018, Ministry of Justice published Experimental Statistics on ex-service personnel in the prison population (next release due October 2019), which indicated that there were at least 2,032 former members of the Armed Services in prison as at 30 June 2018. Details of the report and breakdown can be found at:

  1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750708/ex-service-personnel-prison-population-2018.pdf

  2. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750710/ex-service-personnel-2018.ods

We do not hold information on the number of former service personnel that have served a custodial sentence for the years requested, which could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the unique nature of those who served in the Armed Forces and those prisoners who declare a military background are able to access a range of specialist support, including from military charities who deliver services in prisons.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs
Monday 7th January 2019

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times a tribunal (a) has been required to meet to consider amendments, (b) found in favour of the application for amendment and (c) decided there would be no change to an Education, Health and Care Plan in each local authority area in each year since the plans were introduced.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Due to the volume of data required to answer this question, the information is attached as an annex to this answer.


Written Question
Prison Sentences
Monday 5th February 2018

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to custodial sentences in (a) men's and (b) women's prisons in each year since 2010.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Data on admissions to custody following sentence, covering 2010 to 2016, is published online and can be found in table 2.6 in the following link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/610978/receptions-2016.xlsx


Written Question
Sentencing: Armed Forces
Friday 2nd February 2018

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were currently serving or had previously served in HM Armed Forces were sentenced to custodial sentences in (a) men's and (b) women's prisons in each year since 2010.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

We are unable to provide a breakdown as requested for those who have served in the armed forces. The Ministry began collecting data on service in the armed forces from 2015. All newly received offenders into custody (convicted or remanded) are now asked on reception if they have served in the armed forces. Latest figures published in October 2017 show approximately 3% of offenders who responded to the question were former members of the armed forces. This has been a similar level to the previous four quarters. Due to the very small number of female ex-armed service personnel in prisons this number is not split by gender.

Prisoners who choose to identify as veterans are given access to available specialist support via the armed forces. This includes support for issues such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that may affect them following their service. Additional support can be offered by military service charities working with prisons and rehabilitation services.


Written Question
Young Offenders
Friday 27th October 2017

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of young offenders aged 10 to 14 (a) was sent to a young offender institute and (b) received rehabilitative programmes in each year from 2010 to present.

Answered by Phillip Lee

Young people aged 10 to 14 year olds who are sentenced to custody by virtue of their age are not placed in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), YOIs accommodate only young males who are aged 15-17 years old. Young male or females aged 10 to 14 years old sentenced to custody will either be placed in a Secure Children’s Home (SCH) or a Secure Training Centre (STC).

The table below shows the number of occasions young people were sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order as a proportion of total cautions and convictions given to young people aged 10 to 14 from the year ending March 2010 to the year ending March 2016.

Table 1

Year ending March

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

b) Youth Rehabilitation Order

12%

13%

13%

16%

11%

11%

13%

Table 2 below shows (a) number of occasions young people aged 10 to 14 were sent to custody as a proportion of total cautions and convictions given to young people aged 10 to 14 and (b) number of occasions young people were sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order as a proportion of total cautions and convictions given to young people aged 10 to 14 from the year ending March 2010 to the year ending March 2016

Table 2

Year ending March

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

a) Sentenced to custody (SCH or STC)

1%

1%

1%

2%

1%

1%

2%

b) Sentenced to Youth Rehabilitation Order

12%

13%

13%

16%

11%

11%

13%

Please note:

Young people aged 10 to 14 cannot be placed in Young Offender Institutions if sentenced to custody and are instead placed in Secure Children's Homes (10 - 14 year olds) or Secure Training Centres (12 - 14 year olds), therefore the proportion of occasions young offenders aged 10 to 14 sent to a Young Offender Institution is 0%.

The data has been sourced from the Youth Justice Board’s JMIS database using case level data from Youth Offending Teams.

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 and can be subject to change over time.


Written Question
Prisons: Staff
Tuesday 12th September 2017

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff have been employed in each prison operated by (a) HM Prison Service and (b) each private prison operator in each year since 2010.

Answered by Sam Gyimah

The government has committed to recruit a net increase of 2500 prison officers across public sector prisons by December 2018. In addition to the recruitment activity to fill these 2500 new posts, there is ongoing recruitment activity to fill current vacancies, and vacancies which arise.

Information on the number of full time equivalent staff employed within public sector prisons and privately operated prisons can be found in the accompanying excel workbook.