Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Howard League for Penal Reform's review of access to books in prisons; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.
There may be several operational reasons why books posted to a prisoner would be returned to sender, including volumetric control on property or if the item fails security screening (for example if it’s impregnated with psychoactive substances). Governors may also restrict an individual’s access to some specific reading material on a case-by-case basis in accordance with HMPPS’s Public Protection Manual, in light of the prisoner’s offence or offending behaviour work.
In April we launched new education contracts to enable prisons to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF). Family and friends of prisoners are able to send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.
Prisons must provide the opportunity for prisoners to rehabilitate, which will ultimately reduce reoffending – access to books forms an extremely important part of this.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the number of books available in prisons.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.
Every prison is required to have a library and every prisoner must be allowed to have and exchange library books under the Prison Rules.
The new Education contracts launched in April gave prisons more freedom to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF).
Family and friends of prisoners are able to hand or send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the training requirements are for new prison officers; and (a) how and (b) where is that training delivered.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Newly recruited prison officers are required to complete a 12 week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. This provides new officers with a foundation level of training in all core skill areas including interpersonal skills, mental health awareness, equality, violence reduction and safer custody, alongside the more traditional security awareness and practical skills needed to be a prison officer.
HMPPS deliver POELT training nationally from 37 centres, which are a mixture of prison sites and Learning and Development learning centres. These venues can change depending on the recruitment demand. Training is classroom delivery alongside the practical elements which are delivered in a dojo and cell area. We are currently reviewing our training courses.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Crown , (b) County and (c) Magistrates' Courts his Department has closed since 2010.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The number of Crown, County and Magistrates’ Courts closed since 2010 is provided in the table.
Category | Number |
Crown Courts | 4 |
County Courts | 71 |
Magistrates’ Courts | 141 |
Crown and Magistrates’ Courts (Combined) | 3 |
Magistrates’ and County Courts (Combined) | 13 |
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what quantum of savings his Department has accrued to the public purse as a result of the sale of court buildings.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Since the commencement of the Reform Programme in financial year 2015/16, HM Courts & Tribunals Service has saved £37.5 million as a result of consolidating the court and tribunal estate. A further £121 million has been raised through the sale of surplus court and tribunal buildings. These savings are being reinvested in our programme of reform and modernisation.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of recent reforms to HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Answered by Oliver Heald
This Government is investing close to £1billion to modernise our courts and tribunals system. On 15 September the Lord Chancellor, Senior President of Tribunals and Lord Chief Justice published a joint paper setting out their vision to modernise our world-leading justice system, available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-our-justice-system-joint-statement
Our reforms will reserve the full force of judge and courtroom for the most difficult and sensitive issues, and will strip away unnecessary hearings, redundant paper forms and duplication. We will introduce streamlined working practices and a modern digital infrastructure across all jurisdictions to eliminate the most common causes of delay. We will make more information and more services available online to provide swifter and more certain resolution for all parties. By combining tradition with technology we will improve the experience for all court and tribunal users.
The modernisation work to deliver this vision has got off to a strong start and is delivering well against plans.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has for the reform of the Court Service.
Answered by Oliver Heald
This Government is investing close to £1billion to modernise our courts and tribunals system. On 15 September the Lord Chancellor, Senior President of Tribunals and Lord Chief Justice published a joint paper setting out their vision to modernise our world-leading justice system, available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-our-justice-system-joint-statement
Our reforms will reserve the full force of judge and courtroom for the most difficult and sensitive issues, and will strip away unnecessary hearings, redundant paper forms and duplication. We will introduce streamlined working practices and a modern digital infrastructure across all jurisdictions to eliminate the most common causes of delay. We will make more information and more services available online to provide swifter and more certain resolution for all parties. By combining tradition with technology we will improve the experience for all court and tribunal users.
The modernisation work to deliver this vision has got off to a strong start and is delivering well against plans.