Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times have prison staff been subject to disciplinary action by reason for that action in each year since 2015.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Information on the number of public sector prison staff who were subject to conduct & disciplinary action since 2014/15 is given in table 1 in the attached spreadsheet. Figures are presented by financial year up to 2022-23.
While the vast majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, we take all and any allegations extremely seriously and is investigated and where appropriate, disciplinary action is taken. There is no place in His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) for any form of unacceptable behaviour.
The Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU) was established in August 2020 and this has been followed by an increase in reported cases. Its aim is to help improve the working environment by providing support, insight and expertise to staff who raise concerns. The services TUBU provides include a confidential helpline to support staff who are experiencing any form of unacceptable behaviour; a mediation service to resolve workplace conflict; and an investigation service.
The investigation service enables managers to obtain advice and signposting, and gives access to qualified investigators where there is an allegation of bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation.
These measures now mean staff are reporting unacceptable behaviour more often.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many allegations of misconduct were received by the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit by allegation type in each year since 2015.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
There is no place in His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) for any form of unacceptable behaviour. Any allegation of unacceptable behaviour is taken seriously and investigated. Where appropriate, disciplinary action is taken.
The Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU) was established in August 2020. Its aim is to help improve the working environment by providing support, insight and expertise to staff who raise concerns. The services TUBU provides include a confidential helpline to support staff who are experiencing any form of unacceptable behaviour (bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation); a mediation service to resolve workplace conflict; and an investigation service.
The investigation service enables managers to obtain advice and signposting, and gives access to qualified investigators, where there is an allegation of bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation. It was launched across HMPPS in December 2023. It is therefore too early to provide annual figures for the numbers of allegation of misconduct it has received.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of contracting (a) rehabilitation, (b) therapy and (c) other similar services for frontline staff.
Answered by Damian Hinds
In full recognition of the challenging aspects of front-line prison and probations services-based work, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) provides a wide range of formal contracted rehabilitation, therapy, physical and mental health support for its staff.
The principal merits of external contracted services are firstly, that the robust Crown Service Commercial tender process requires a strict evaluation criterion and moderation exercise where all the evaluation forms and notes become public record. This means that the successful bidder has been selected fairly, on the merits of their service provision and without conflict of interest. As the largest individual customer of services through this framework, the Ministry of Justice takes a key role in defining the services that must be provided and the standards that contractors must meet before gaining access to the framework. Secondly, due to the wide geographically dispersed nature of our HMPPS working population across the UK with some overseas staff, it is imperative that the contractors are capable of delivering a range of services to 62,801 full time equivalent staff in post (HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Thirdly, contractors are subject to a series of performance measures set by both the Crown Commercial Service and the department which are reported at set intervals and managed accordingly in order to ensure staff have rapid access to services. This allows regular evaluation of service quality and effectiveness but also ensures that the correct governance structures remain in place, such as GDPR for handling employee personal data and ensuring their data protection rights. Fourthly, the contracted model of employee health services benefits from impartiality, in that independent external clinical advice is given to the employee confidentially and if appropriate with consent, to the referring line manager.
The contracted services for staff health and wellbeing include occupational health (OH), employee assistance programmes (EAP) and reflective sessions. These contracts include a variety of services which include but are not limited to therapeutic or rehabilitative interventions and are aggregated based on specialisms to ensure the MoJ has access to the most relevant services. Working with subject matter experts employed by the third-party providers, the department has the benefit of being able to explore and implement innovative and value-adding employee health and wellbeing services for front-line staff. This model is also vital to ensuring that the breadth of services can be delivered consistently across the prison and probation estate. The merits of contracted services can be evidenced upon illustration of the wide range of services that are hereby listed:
Occupational Health
Prison officer pre-employment health assessments at national Fitness Centres
Performance and Attendance management referrals for advice on fitness for work and reasonable adjustments due to ill health, disability and/or following an accident/injury at work
Post-Covid Syndrome Referral Service
Fast track Trauma referrals
EMDR and CBT (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
Immunisations and vaccination history checks.
Health Surveillance
Physiotherapy
Workstation and workplace ergonomics
Dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions assessments 13
Occupational Therapy
Ill-health retirement and advice on eligibility for ill-health early retirement
Body Fluid Exposure & Sharps Injury Support
Online Physio Support
Online Health Condition Management
Employee Assistance Programmes
Employee self-referral to 24/7 confidential telephone helpline staffed by qualified counsellors
Face to face or online counselling Services, including therapeutic interventions
Bullying and harassment support
Management support services
Support and advice on personal matters e.g. health, relationships, family, financial, emotional, legal, anxiety, alcohol, drugs and other issues.
Support for work matters - work demands, working relationships, work/life balance, stress and other related issues
Reflective Sessions
Trauma and Critical Incident Support
Health and wellbeing promotion, such as wellbeing and mental health related workshops and training programmes
Mediation
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of staff who have been victims of (a) sexual harassment and (b) bullying in his Department in its Westminster premises each year since 2018.
Answered by Mike Freer
There is zero tolerance for bullying across the civil service. The MoJ also has policies in place to support staff facing any form of bullying, harassment or victimisation while at work.
The table below shows the number of grievances raised by MoJ staff where the grievance reason includes "Bullying" or "Harassment - sex", and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld", and the member of staff’s office location is either 102 Petty France or Clive House, by year.
| 2018 | 2019 |
| 2020 | 2021 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Harassment - sex" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" and the member of staff’s office location is either 102 Petty France or Clive House | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" and the member of staff’s office location is either 102 Petty France or Clive House | Less than 5 | 0 |
| Less than 5 | 7 |
Notes and caveats:
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any complaints of (a) bullying, (b) harassment or (c) discrimination by were dismissed by his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer
There is zero tolerance for bullying across the Civil Service. The MoJ also has policies in place to support staff facing any form of bullying, harassment or victimisation while at work.
The table below shows the number of grievances raised by MoJ staff (including agencies) where the grievance reason includes "Bullying" or "Harassment - sex", and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld", by year.
| 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Grievances where the reason includes "Harassment - sex" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" |
|
|
|
| 6 | 0.0078 | 6 | 0.0072 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" | 170 | 0.23 | 174 | 0.23 | 172 | 0.22 | 201 | 0.24 |
Notes and caveats:
Grievances may only be dismissed if it is determined that they have been submitted for vexatious or malicious reasons. Data on grievances dismissed for these reasons are not held on the Ministry of Justice management system.
The number of formal grievances raised by MoJ staff where the reason includes "Bullying" is set out in the table below, including those which were not upheld.
| 2017 | 2017 rate per 100 staff | 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Number of grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" | 378 | 0.56 | 418 | 0.57 | 491 | 0.65 | 551 | 0.71 | 536 | 0.64 |
Notes and caveats:
2017* | 67,931 |
2018 | 73,015 |
2019 | 75,502 |
2020 | 77,121 |
2021 | 83,816 |
*Please note: the 2017 average staff in post figure is based on data covering March to December 2017. A new HR database was introduced in early 2017 and figures from January and February 2017 data are not regarded as robust.
No assessment has been made of trends in the level of verbal abuse towards Departmental staff as the MoJ does not hold relevant data on central systems.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of staff who have been victims of (a) sexual harassment and (b) bullying in his Department in each year since 2018.
Answered by Mike Freer
There is zero tolerance for bullying across the Civil Service. The MoJ also has policies in place to support staff facing any form of bullying, harassment or victimisation while at work.
The table below shows the number of grievances raised by MoJ staff (including agencies) where the grievance reason includes "Bullying" or "Harassment - sex", and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld", by year.
| 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Grievances where the reason includes "Harassment - sex" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" |
|
|
|
| 6 | 0.0078 | 6 | 0.0072 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" | 170 | 0.23 | 174 | 0.23 | 172 | 0.22 | 201 | 0.24 |
Notes and caveats:
Grievances may only be dismissed if it is determined that they have been submitted for vexatious or malicious reasons. Data on grievances dismissed for these reasons are not held on the Ministry of Justice management system.
The number of formal grievances raised by MoJ staff where the reason includes "Bullying" is set out in the table below, including those which were not upheld.
| 2017 | 2017 rate per 100 staff | 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Number of grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" | 378 | 0.56 | 418 | 0.57 | 491 | 0.65 | 551 | 0.71 | 536 | 0.64 |
Notes and caveats:
2017* | 67,931 |
2018 | 73,015 |
2019 | 75,502 |
2020 | 77,121 |
2021 | 83,816 |
*Please note: the 2017 average staff in post figure is based on data covering March to December 2017. A new HR database was introduced in early 2017 and figures from January and February 2017 data are not regarded as robust.
No assessment has been made of trends in the level of verbal abuse towards Departmental staff as the MoJ does not hold relevant data on central systems.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of verbal abuse towards Departmental staff; and what steps his Department is taking to better protect departmental staff.
Answered by Mike Freer
There is zero tolerance for bullying across the Civil Service. The MoJ also has policies in place to support staff facing any form of bullying, harassment or victimisation while at work.
The table below shows the number of grievances raised by MoJ staff (including agencies) where the grievance reason includes "Bullying" or "Harassment - sex", and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld", by year.
| 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Grievances where the reason includes "Harassment - sex" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" |
|
|
|
| 6 | 0.0078 | 6 | 0.0072 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" | 170 | 0.23 | 174 | 0.23 | 172 | 0.22 | 201 | 0.24 |
Notes and caveats:
Grievances may only be dismissed if it is determined that they have been submitted for vexatious or malicious reasons. Data on grievances dismissed for these reasons are not held on the Ministry of Justice management system.
The number of formal grievances raised by MoJ staff where the reason includes "Bullying" is set out in the table below, including those which were not upheld.
| 2017 | 2017 rate per 100 staff | 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Number of grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" | 378 | 0.56 | 418 | 0.57 | 491 | 0.65 | 551 | 0.71 | 536 | 0.64 |
Notes and caveats:
2017* | 67,931 |
2018 | 73,015 |
2019 | 75,502 |
2020 | 77,121 |
2021 | 83,816 |
*Please note: the 2017 average staff in post figure is based on data covering March to December 2017. A new HR database was introduced in early 2017 and figures from January and February 2017 data are not regarded as robust.
No assessment has been made of trends in the level of verbal abuse towards Departmental staff as the MoJ does not hold relevant data on central systems.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints about bullying were made by staff in his Department, in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mike Freer
There is zero tolerance for bullying across the Civil Service. The MoJ also has policies in place to support staff facing any form of bullying, harassment or victimisation while at work.
The table below shows the number of grievances raised by MoJ staff (including agencies) where the grievance reason includes "Bullying" or "Harassment - sex", and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld", by year.
| 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Grievances where the reason includes "Harassment - sex" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" |
|
|
|
| 6 | 0.0078 | 6 | 0.0072 |
Grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" and the outcome is either "Upheld" or "Partially Upheld" | 170 | 0.23 | 174 | 0.23 | 172 | 0.22 | 201 | 0.24 |
Notes and caveats:
Grievances may only be dismissed if it is determined that they have been submitted for vexatious or malicious reasons. Data on grievances dismissed for these reasons are not held on the Ministry of Justice management system.
The number of formal grievances raised by MoJ staff where the reason includes "Bullying" is set out in the table below, including those which were not upheld.
| 2017 | 2017 rate per 100 staff | 2018 | 2018 rate per 100 staff | 2019 | 2019 rate per 100 staff | 2020 | 2020 rate per 100 staff | 2021 | 2021 rate per 100 staff |
Number of grievances where the reason includes "Bullying" | 378 | 0.56 | 418 | 0.57 | 491 | 0.65 | 551 | 0.71 | 536 | 0.64 |
Notes and caveats:
2017* | 67,931 |
2018 | 73,015 |
2019 | 75,502 |
2020 | 77,121 |
2021 | 83,816 |
*Please note: the 2017 average staff in post figure is based on data covering March to December 2017. A new HR database was introduced in early 2017 and figures from January and February 2017 data are not regarded as robust.
No assessment has been made of trends in the level of verbal abuse towards Departmental staff as the MoJ does not hold relevant data on central systems.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly statistics, Probation Officer Recruitment Annex, September 2021, published on 18 November 2021, what steps he is taking to reduce probation officer vacancy rates in (a) Kent, Surrey and Sussex, (b) South West, (c) London, (d) East Midlands and (e) other probation service regions.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In April 2021 we published the first national Recruitment and Retention Strategy for the Probation Service which identified several key areas of focus.
The Probation Service is committed to increasing recruitment to fill Probation Officer vacancies, particularly in areas with significant local employment market challenges.
In 2020/21, we recruited a record 1,007 trainee probation officers. We are further increasing our recruitment to unprecedented levels, with a target 1500 trainee Probation Officers being recruited this financial year (2021/2022).
As outlined in the Recruitment and Retention Strategy, our focus is addressing recruitment and retention challenges within the Probation Service, particularly for those Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) with the highest average Probation Officer vacancy rates over a 12-month period.
We have identified 6 common drivers of attrition across those regions where it is more challenging to recruit and retain probation officers. These drivers include:
o Pay and benefits
o Newly Qualified Officers’ (NQO) attrition
o High caseloads
o Lack of career progression
o Wellbeing
o Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination
Work is currently underway to address all drivers of attrition, including options to retain NQOs in their qualifying regions for a period post qualification and a targeted recruitment campaign to reduce probation officer vacancy rates in Kent, Surrey & Sussex (KSS), in an effort to fill 35 probation officer vacancies.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of HMPPS staff in the last latest staff survey indicated that they had not reported an experience of bullying or harassment in 2020.
Answered by Alex Chalk
All forms of unacceptable behaviour, including bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation, are not tolerated by HMPPS or the Ministry of Justice. Such behaviour is contrary to the organisations’ core values and all allegations of unacceptable behaviour are taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, disciplinary action is taken.
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit (TUBU) began work in August 2020 and its investigation arm is due to launch later this year. There is no published data available regarding the proportion of staff who have reported experiencing bully, harassment, victimisation or discrimination since TUBU launched.
The MoJ’s People Survey is completed in October and asks questions of staff based on their experiences during the preceding 12 months. As such their responses may not be specific to their experiences within 2020 as specified in the question but may also be relevant to experiences within the final part of 2019.
In the 2020 People Survey, 2,334 HMPPS respondents indicated that they had been bullied or harassed at work in the previous 12 months. This equates to 13% of HMPPS respondents to this question. There were 1,415 HMPPS respondents who answered that they preferred not to say whether they had been bullied or harassed at work in the previous 12 months. This equates to 8% of HMPPS respondents to this question.
Of the HMPPS respondents who said that they had experienced bullying and/or harassment, 1,053 indicated they had not reported an experience of bullying and harassment in those 12 months. This equates to 45% of HMPPS respondents who said they had experienced bullying and/or harassment.
The overall response rate for HMPPS was 35%.