Asked by: Baroness Chakrabarti (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals are currently remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare under the Bail Act 1976; how many individuals have been remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare in the past year; and what source they use for that data.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no centrally collated statistical data available on the number of individuals currently remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare under the Bail Act 1976, or how many individuals have been remanded in custody for their own protection or welfare in the past year. To obtain this information would exceed permitted costs.
The court’s decision to remand an individual in custody for their own protection or welfare is used as a last resort and out of concern for the defendant, where circumstances are such that a defendant would come to harm if released into the community and there is no other suitable option available to the courts.
The Mental Health Bill was introduced to Parliament in November 2024 and has now completed Third Reading in the House of Commons. It includes a reform to end the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act where the court’s sole concern is the defendant’s mental health. To support implementation of the reform, we are working with partners to collect data on cases where concerns around mental health are the only reason this power is used.
Asked by: Baroness Chakrabarti (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they provide to ensure that the work of the National Security Online Information Team is compliant with protection of the rights to freedom of expression and privacy; and whether they will publish that guidance.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government firmly believes that people must be able to debate and discuss issues freely. Preserving individuals’ right to freedom of expression is therefore a key principle which underpin National Security and Online Information Team’s (NSOIT’s) work.
The NSOIT tackles online attempts to manipulate the information environment while respecting the right to free speech and privacy, by only monitoring themes and trends - not individuals. The team is focused on threats posed by foreign states as well as risks to election integrity.
NSOIT has policies and procedures in place, in accordance with all applicable legislation, to ensure that individuals are not monitored and their rights are respected. NSOIT has a privacy notice which sets out how data will be processed and this is regularly reviewed and updated. A copy will also be published on gov.uk shortly. However, the Government does not plan to publish its detailed compliance policy, as to do so would give malign actors, including hostile states, insights into NSOIT capabilities and specific areas of focus.