Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate prison capacity for offenders.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are investing £4 billion in the biggest prison building programme since the Victorian era, including 6 new prisons – creating 20,000 new prison places and have already delivered c 5,600 of these, with 10,000 expected by the end of 2025. Over the last year, we have also brought on an additional 2,500 places through measures such as crowding and delaying refurbishment where it is appropriate to do so.
On 16 October, the Lord Chancellor announced longer-term measures to reform the way we deliver justice and to address prison capacity. These measures put protecting the public at their heart – locking away the worst offenders for longer whilst having a renewed focus on rehabilitation for lower risk offenders, thereby reducing crime further. The measures announced include: the extension of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders; introducing a presumption against short sentences under 12 months (which have a high rate of reoffending) in favour of suspended sentences (which have lower reoffending rates); reviewing the sentencing discount given for early guilty pleas; the transfer of adult prisoners to rented prison space overseas; curtailing the licence period for IPP sentences; and extending the use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
In addition, a new annual statement of prison capacity will be laid before both Houses. This will include a clear statement of current prison capacity and future demand. The Lord Chancellor also announced up to £400m funding for more prison places (enough to buy 800 new Rapid Deployment Cells) and £30m of funding has been set aside to allow the prison service to identify and purchase land in 2024 for new prisons.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government's net zero policies on the cost of insurance for electric vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The transition to zero emission vehicles is crucial to the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Electric vehicles offer most drivers savings in terms of lower running and maintenance costs. The Government is working closely with the insurance sector to ensure that the transition to zero emission vehicles is sustainable and cost effective. The insurance sector will continue to evolve in line with the growing EV market, and as data becomes more available to inform insurance premiums.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has in place to safeguard monuments in Whitehall and Parliament Square from vandalism and damage during protests and demonstrations.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police have comprehensive powers to deal with individuals who vandalise or damage our cultural monuments. It is a criminal offence for a person, without lawful excuse, to intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any property belonging to another. The police have a duty to protect the public by detecting and preventing crime, including offences of this nature.
The use of these powers is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Service. They have deployed significant resources to recent protests and we have seen them take action to prevent vandalism as part of their response to protests in this area. Ministers are unable to intervene in operational decisions of this nature, as to do so would undermine their operational independence.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of retail theft reports have resulted in a charge in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates showed that on a like for like basis crime has fallen by 56% since 2010.
Retail crime, including shoplifting and violence and abuse, is not acceptable and the Government takes this issue very seriously. I expect police to take a zero-tolerance approach to it.
Whilst the downward trend in charge rates is concerning, I welcome the 29% increase in charges for shop lifting offences in the latest statistics.
The Home Office routinely publish statistics on crimes recorded and charges and is the latest information can be accessed via the links below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase prison capacity.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the length of prison sentences for convicted (a) rapists and (b) other violent sex offenders.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to learn from the experience of other countries in managing fluctuations in prisoner numbers.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of of renting prison places overseas to help manage fluctuations in prisoner numbers.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to establish cooperation agreements with other countries to help manage fluctuations in prisoner numbers.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of comments by Lord King of Lothbury on the potential impact of the Bank of England's net zero policy on the level of inflation.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The primary objective of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is to maintain price stability. Its secondary objective, to support the economic policy of the Government, is subject to maintaining price stability.
Price stability is an essential pre-requisite for economic growth, and will remain the MPC’s primary objective when the Chancellor updates its remit alongside the Autumn Statement. It is for the MPC to judge how it sets monetary policy in line with its remit, and the MPC has our full support as it acts to return inflation to the 2% target.