Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many self-inflicted deaths there were of former (a) women and (b) male prisoners in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Data about deaths of offenders under probation supervision can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/deaths-of-offenders-in-the-community-annual-update-to-march-2017. The next set of figures, up to March 2018, is expected to be published in October.
Not every offender released from custody is under probation supervision, so some deaths will not be shown in those figures. The statistical data about deaths that is available from other sources does not record whether or not the deceased had previously been imprisoned.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of (a) the availability and (b) the suitability of supported accommodation for female prisoners on release.
Answered by Edward Argar
We have interpreted “supported accommodation” as referring to Approved Premises, which provide residential accommodation in the community for female offenders who pose a medium risk of harm, as well as having complex resettlement needs.
We are conducting a review into Approved Premises capacity for women, to ensure there is provision for women where it is needed. We are seeking to identify suitable provision for women in London and Wales, where we recognise that need is pressing.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the change in the number of commissioned beds in (a) secure children’s homes, (b) secure training centres and (c) young offender institutions since 2010.
Answered by Edward Argar
The change in the number of commissioned places in the three sectors of the under-18 estate is consistent with the sentencing practice of the courts and our policy of ensuring that young people are sent to custody only when there is no alternative. We will continue to ensure that enough places are available to ensure that the sentence of the court can be carried out.
The number of children entering the youth justice system has declined year on year, but many of those in our care demonstrate very challenging and complex behaviour.
To deal with these challenges we are increasing frontline staff numbers in public-sector Young Offender Institutions and already have more than 200 officers enrolled on a specialist youth custody foundation degree.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many transfers of prisoners to hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983 there have been in each of the last three years; and what the average time was for such transfers to take place in each of those years.
Answered by Edward Argar
The total number of prisoners who have been transferred to hospital under sections 47 or 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last three years is set out below:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|
Total | 1,010 | 980 | 936 |
|
The data are published annually on the gov.uk website under the Offender Management Statistics.
The average time for such transfers to take place in each of those years has remained the same: 14 days.
The time has been measured from the date at which the Ministry of Justice is provided with a complete application for a transfer warrant - indicating transfer is appropriate - to the actual date of admission to hospital. The Ministry of Justice has a target of 24 hours within which to provide a transfer warrant, once the assessments are complete and the two required medical reports and all other relevant information is received. This target is met in 95% of cases.
This average time information is not published. The measure has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
We take the mental health of prisoners extremely seriously, which is why we have increased the support available to vulnerable offenders - especially during the first 24 hours in custody - and invested more in mental health awareness training for prison officers.
But we recognise that more can be done and continue to work in partnership with HMPPS, NHS England and Public Health England to improve mental health services for offenders at all points of the criminal justice system.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault and (b) harassment by staff have been made by inmates in prisons in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse and all HMPPS staff are expected to meet high standards of professional and personal conduct. Failure to maintain the required standards will lead to formal action.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has spent on investigations into self-inflicted deaths in each of the last two years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) spent approximately £1.3m on investigations into self-inflicted deaths in 2016-17 and £1.2m in 2017-18. This covers the salary costs of managers, investigators, and administrative staff including interview transcribers, family liaison officers, and fees for call-off investigators. It also includes travel and incidental expenses.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Proposal to amend the Tribunal Procedure (First-Tier Tribunal) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008, published on 22 March 2018 by the Tribunal Procedure Committee, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the recommendations in that document of (a) abolishing pre-hearing examinations and (b) giving First-Tier Mental Health Tribunals the power to take decisions without an oral hearing where a patient has been automatically referred to a Tribunal.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Ministry of Justice has made an initial estimate that there may be a potential saving of up to £5.8 million from removing the requirement for medical members to carry out a pre-hearing examination and enabling the Mental Health Tribunal to decide referral cases without an oral hearing. This figure would be reduced if legal aid costs rose because of appellants’ legal representatives commissioning Independent Medical Reports.
In terms of the proposal to decide referral cases without an oral hearing, the appellant would still have the right to request an oral hearing and an oral hearing will be directed by the judge if they feel one is necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what number and proportion of patients discharged at tribunal (a) had and (b) had not received a pre-hearing examination in each of the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The number of patients who receive a pre-hearing examination is not recorded centrally. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
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 a zero tolerance approach to sexual assault and harassment by staff of inmates in prisons.
Answered by Rory Stewart
All HMPPS staff are expected to meet high standards of professional and personal conduct. Failure to maintain the required standards will lead to formal action, and may result in dismissal from the Service. If a member of staff is suspected of misconduct in public office or any other criminal offence, HMPPS will work with law enforcement to investigate the incident and pursue a criminal justice outcome.
HMPPS are currently reviewing the Standards of Behaviour and Discipline policies for prison officers in order to ensure they remain current. It is also implementing new approaches to tackle corruption and misuse of public office.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable for the post-implementation review the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made by and under LASPO and remains committed to publishing the findings by the end of this year.