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Written Question
Prisoners: Coronavirus
Thursday 2nd April 2020

Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any reports of COVID-19 infection among the imprisoned community; whether HM Prison Service has made arrangements to protect others imprisoned in the same establishment; and what estimate they have made of the number of COVID-19 infected prisoners that can be managed within the total prison estate.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

COVID-19 presents a unique set of challenges that we must address in order to maintain the provision of services in custody. HMPPS are working very closely with Public Health England (PHE) to ensure our approach is based on the best scientific advice available. The safety and wellbeing of staff, prisoners and visitors is paramount and at the heart of our approach.

We have existing, well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. In line with broader clinical advice, HMPPS has introduced a procedure for the protective isolation of individuals in prison custody when it is considered that they may be potentially infected with the virus.

As of 24 March, prisons in England and Wales are temporarily closed to visitors. This is to ensure prisons are complying with PHE social distancing rules. The usual regime in prisons has also been paused temporarily to apply social distancing. These measures are vital for keeping prisoners and staff safe and preventing the spread of the virus.

We are closely monitoring the number of individuals within the imprisoned community who have tested positive for COVID-19. As of 31 March, 69 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19 across 25 prisons.


Written Question

Question Link

Monday 10th July 2017

Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the law on bribery and improper inducements.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

The Government has no current plans to review the law on bribery and improper inducements.


Written Question
Probate: Fees and Charges
Monday 27th March 2017

Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the rationale behind the new rates for grant of probate announced in the budget.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

The Government set out its rationale for reforming the fees for grants of probate in its response to consultation on the fees published on Friday 24 February.

The Government is committed to providing a modern, world-leading justice system which is proportionate and accessible. The best way to protect access to justice is with a properly funded courts and tribunals service.

Fees are necessary to support an effective courts and tribunals system that supports victims and vulnerable people, and is easy for ordinary people to use. In 2015/16, the Government spent around £1.9 billion on our courts and tribunals and recovered only around £700m through fees and other income. We do not believe that the taxpayer should continue to meet all of this cost.

A key change will be the threshold under which no fee is payable increasing from £5,000 to £50,000. More than half of estates in England and Wales will pay no probate fees. The fees will be implemented on a banded structure, increasing in line with estate values, meaning higher fees are paid by those who can afford to do so. Over 90 per cent of estates will pay £1,000 or less for this service and no one will pay more than 1 per cent of the total estate in fees.


Written Question
Probate: Fees and Charges
Tuesday 21st March 2017

Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the value of a deceased person’s estate and the cost of grant of probate; and whether the increases in the latter announced in the Budget represent the costs associated with the grant or will raise a surplus in addition to those costs.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

On Friday 24 February 2017, after careful consideration of responses to consultation, the Government announced its intention to introduce a new banded system of fees for grants of probate, subject to Parliamentary approval. The original Government consultation and the response can both be found on the Ministry of Justice consultation hub website.

In 2015/16, the Government spent around £1.9 billion on our courts and tribunals and recovered only around £700m through fees and other income.

The new probate fees are fair and proportionate in that they are linked to the value of the estate. Our plan to raise the threshold under which no probate fee is payable from £5,000 to £50,000 will ensure that more than half of estates will pay no fee at all. No one will pay more than 1% of the total estate value in fees.

Parliament has given the Lord Chancellor the power, through section 180 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to set court and tribunal fees above the cost of the service. All of the additional income that the fees will raise must be reinvested back into our courts and tribunals.

The Government is committed to providing a modern, world-leading justice system which is proportionate and accessible. Fees are necessary to support an effective courts and tribunals system that supports victims and vulnerable people, and is easy for ordinary people to use.


Written Question
Prison Accommodation
Monday 20th March 2017

Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of (1) the current capacity of the prison system, and (2) the current number of prisoners.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

As of Friday 17 March, the latest published data, the prison population was 85,501 and useable operational capacity was 86,585, indicating headroom of 1,084 places.

We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and will aim to deal with the prison population in a way that gives the taxpayer the best possible value for money. The Justice Secretary has launched wholesale reforms to transform all prisons into places of safety and reform where offenders are supported to turn their backs on crime for good.