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Written Question
Coroners
Wednesday 7th September 2022

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Chief Coroner on when Prevention of Future Deaths reports will resume regular online publication.

Answered by Simon Baynes

As set out on the Chief Coroner’s webpage, publication of PFD reports has been temporarily suspended to facilitate the transition to a new Judiciary website and will resume as soon as practicable following its launch, which is expected later this autumn. It is intended that all PFD reports issued since suspension of publication will be available from the date of the launch.

Where a PFD report is made in relation to a specific inquest, it can be obtained from the coroner and is available to Interested Persons in the context of the inquest, including bereaved families. In addition, there is nothing to prevent organisations that are the subject of a PFD report from sharing and addressing the areas of concern which it sets out.


Written Question
Coroners
Wednesday 7th September 2022

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, why Prevention of Future Deaths Reports have not been published on the Chief Coroner's website since May 2022.

Answered by Simon Baynes

As set out on the Chief Coroner’s webpage, publication of PFD reports has been temporarily suspended to facilitate the transition to a new Judiciary website and will resume as soon as practicable following its launch, which is expected later this autumn. It is intended that all PFD reports issued since suspension of publication will be available from the date of the launch.

Where a PFD report is made in relation to a specific inquest, it can be obtained from the coroner and is available to Interested Persons in the context of the inquest, including bereaved families. In addition, there is nothing to prevent organisations that are the subject of a PFD report from sharing and addressing the areas of concern which it sets out.


Written Question
Prisons: Coronavirus
Thursday 12th November 2020

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the transmission of covid-19 on the prison estate.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The safety of our staff and those in our care remains our top priority and when responding to Covid-19 we have worked closely with Public Health England and been guided by their advice. Closed settings such as prisons pose particular challenges in managing outbreaks, but we have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified.

One of the range of measures HMPPS is taking to limit the spread of the virus in prisons and save lives is to compartmentalise prisoners. This requires establishments to introduce isolation units for the symptomatic, shielding units for the vulnerable, and reverse cohorting to quarantine new arrivals. Social distancing and basic hygiene are also effective controls to reduce transmission and we continue to provide access to the right cleaning and hygiene products in prisons. Other measures have included adapting prison regimes to support social distancing and PPE usage, and expanding the estate with new temporary units.

We have started to rollout regular testing for frontline staff which means we can identify positive cases earlier and will be able to minimise the spread of outbreaks. HMMPS is also rolling out testing for prisoners on reception and transfer.

We continue to work closely with PHE to develop and refine our response to the pandemic.


Written Question
Prison Officers: Coronavirus
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that prison staff have adequate PPE during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

We have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

We are, however, prepared for continued staffing challenges and are driving forward with recruitment campaigns and using many of the tried and tested staffing interventions that worked effectively before, which will allow us to supply establishments with staff at short notice. These measures include enabling operationally qualified staff in HQ and non-operational roles to return to prisons and inviting retired and resigned former staff to return to work on temporary contracts.

There is currently adequate stock and forward supply of all PPE items in accordance with public health advice. We are making preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we move through each phase of managing the outbreak. We have issued a face mask strategy for staff which, in line with public health advice, sets out when face masks must be worn in HMPPS settings.

We have also begun introducing a testing regime for staff and prisoners across all prisons in England and Wales to help identify and isolate cases early and control the spread of coronavirus. Routine staff testing will also be rolled out from November for both directly employed and non-directly employed staff who work with prisoners on a weekly basis. Reception and transfer testing for prisoners is now in place in seven prisons in England and two in Wales. Further sites are expected to begin testing over the coming weeks with a focus on reception prisons first.

All of these measures collectively contribute to preventing the spread of coronavirus and protect staff, residents and the public and it is important to continue to follow all of the guidelines in place.


Written Question
Prisons: Coronavirus
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support prisons in the event of a covid-19 outbreak among staff.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

We have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. Our measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

We are, however, prepared for continued staffing challenges and are driving forward with recruitment campaigns and using many of the tried and tested staffing interventions that worked effectively before, which will allow us to supply establishments with staff at short notice. These measures include enabling operationally qualified staff in HQ and non-operational roles to return to prisons and inviting retired and resigned former staff to return to work on temporary contracts.

There is currently adequate stock and forward supply of all PPE items in accordance with public health advice. We are making preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we move through each phase of managing the outbreak. We have issued a face mask strategy for staff which, in line with public health advice, sets out when face masks must be worn in HMPPS settings.

We have also begun introducing a testing regime for staff and prisoners across all prisons in England and Wales to help identify and isolate cases early and control the spread of coronavirus. Routine staff testing will also be rolled out from November for both directly employed and non-directly employed staff who work with prisoners on a weekly basis. Reception and transfer testing for prisoners is now in place in seven prisons in England and two in Wales. Further sites are expected to begin testing over the coming weeks with a focus on reception prisons first.

All of these measures collectively contribute to preventing the spread of coronavirus and protect staff, residents and the public and it is important to continue to follow all of the guidelines in place.


Written Question
Legal Representation: Coroners
Thursday 24th October 2019

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure greater equality between the amount spent on legal representation by (a) families who are publicly funded and (b) mental health trusts at inquests following the death of a relative in a mental health unit.

Answered by Wendy Morton

Legal aid is available for advice and assistance for all inquests, subject to a means and merits test. Inquests follow an inquisitorial process and legal aid support for representation is not typically applicable. Exceptional Case Funding may be available where certain inquests require legal representation. The Government wants to ensure that the bereaved are placed at the heart of the inquisitorial process and is taking forward a number of measures announced in the recent Review of Legal Aid for Inquests to make the inquest process more sympathetic to the needs of bereaved families; the Government also has work underway looking at the prevention of deaths of people who are in the care of the state.


Written Question
Prisoners: Mental Health Services
Thursday 31st January 2019

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest number of weeks is which have passed between a doctor recommending transfer of a prisoner to a bed in a mental health facility and the prison’s eventual transfer of that prisoner in each year for which information is available.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

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 four years is set out below. The Ministry of Justice does not record the patients’ diagnoses:

2014

2015

2016

2017

Total

1061

1010

980

936

The data are published annually on the gov.uk website under the Offender Management Statistics. The latest published data are up to December 2017. The figures for 2018 are currently subject t to the appropriate checks and validation before eventual publication later this year.

It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures by geographical area; this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest number of weeks, which have passed between the Ministry of Justice receiving an application for transfer of a prisoner and the prisoner’s eventual admission to hospital, is set out in the tables below.

Average number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

1.7

1.9

1.9

2

1.6

Highest number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

23.1

28.6

25.1

24.9

23

Lowest number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

0

0

0

0

0

The time has been measured from the date at which the Ministry of Justice receives an application for transfer to the actual date of admission to hospital. It should be noted that two medical reports recommending transfer are required in each case and a bed must be available before the prisoner can transfer. In some instances, the Ministry of Justice will receive an incomplete application and so some of the time between receipt and admission will be spent awaiting both required medical reports, or other essential information.

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.

Information on the length of time between the initial medical recommendation and the prisoner’s admission to hospital is not available in the format requested.

Information is collected on the number of transfers, not the number of individual prisoners who are transferred. An individual prisoner may undergo more than one transfer in any given time period.

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, DHSC, NHS England and Public Health England to improve the mental health of offenders at all points of the criminal justice system.


Written Question
Prisoners: Mental Health Services
Thursday 31st January 2019

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in (a) England and (b) England and Wales were transferred to a bed in an NHS mental health facility because they had (i) psychosis, (ii) schizophrenia or (iii) any other condition in each of the last five years.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

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 four years is set out below. The Ministry of Justice does not record the patients’ diagnoses:

2014

2015

2016

2017

Total

1061

1010

980

936

The data are published annually on the gov.uk website under the Offender Management Statistics. The latest published data are up to December 2017. The figures for 2018 are currently subject t to the appropriate checks and validation before eventual publication later this year.

It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures by geographical area; this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest number of weeks, which have passed between the Ministry of Justice receiving an application for transfer of a prisoner and the prisoner’s eventual admission to hospital, is set out in the tables below.

Average number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

1.7

1.9

1.9

2

1.6

Highest number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

23.1

28.6

25.1

24.9

23

Lowest number of weeks

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Total

0

0

0

0

0

The time has been measured from the date at which the Ministry of Justice receives an application for transfer to the actual date of admission to hospital. It should be noted that two medical reports recommending transfer are required in each case and a bed must be available before the prisoner can transfer. In some instances, the Ministry of Justice will receive an incomplete application and so some of the time between receipt and admission will be spent awaiting both required medical reports, or other essential information.

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.

Information on the length of time between the initial medical recommendation and the prisoner’s admission to hospital is not available in the format requested.

Information is collected on the number of transfers, not the number of individual prisoners who are transferred. An individual prisoner may undergo more than one transfer in any given time period.

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, DHSC, NHS England and Public Health England to improve the mental health of offenders at all points of the criminal justice system.


Written Question
Court of Protection: Mental Capacity Act 2005
Thursday 31st January 2019

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has given to NHS bodies on how to respond to requests for reports by the Court of Protection issued under Section 49 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

When deciding the circumstances in some cases, section 49 reports are essential to ensure that the Court of Protection has all the necessary information to enable a decision to be made about an individual’s wishes and needs. During a hearing , the court may request further information including from social workers and clinicians in the form of a section 49 report. The Department has not issued any guidance on the use of section 49 by the independent judiciary but Practice Direction 14E, issued by the Court of Protection, provides detail on how to respond to requests for section 49 reports.

No data is collected on either the number of requests to NHS bodies for section 49 reports or on which NHS bodies have been requested to provide reports.


Written Question
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Thursday 31st January 2019

Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which NHS bodies have been asked to provide reports under Section 49 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in each of the last five years.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

When deciding the circumstances in some cases, section 49 reports are essential to ensure that the Court of Protection has all the necessary information to enable a decision to be made about an individual’s wishes and needs. During a hearing , the court may request further information including from social workers and clinicians in the form of a section 49 report. The Department has not issued any guidance on the use of section 49 by the independent judiciary but Practice Direction 14E, issued by the Court of Protection, provides detail on how to respond to requests for section 49 reports.

No data is collected on either the number of requests to NHS bodies for section 49 reports or on which NHS bodies have been requested to provide reports.