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Written Question
Family Courts: Nottinghamshire
Wednesday 22nd September 2021

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog in Nottinghamshire's family courts.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The protection of children, particularly those who are most vulnerable, is a priority for this government and this has never been more important than during this period. The family courts were quick to respond to the pandemic and I am extremely grateful for the dedication of family justice professionals at this unprecedented time.

Record levels of judicial sitting days have been listed at the family court in Nottingham throughout the pandemic and these high levels of sittings continue. The court is utilising the new powers introduced via Practice Direction 36, which enables suitable cases to be dealt with via alternative methods other than a court hearing.

In March this year, we launched the £1m Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, to encourage and support separating parents to explore mediation before coming to court. In August, ministers confirmed an additional £800,000 would go towards the scheme, helping around 2000 more families. We want to ensure that every parent is able to resolve their case in the most effective way, including through mediation where safe and appropriate.

We continue to focus on reducing the outstanding caseload by investing in more judicial sitting days and increasing the overall level of disposals. Cases with the most significant safeguarding issues remain our priority, and where suitable, cases are being heard remotely to continue maximising our use of our estate.


Written Question
Family Courts
Friday 4th December 2020

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the equity of service delivered by family courts to both parties.

Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) works with an independent judiciary to provide a fair, efficient and effective family justice system. Details of how we achieve this and our future plans for improvement can be found in the Ministry of Justice Single Departmental Plan and in the HMCTS Business Plan 2019/2020.

The business plan describes how HMCTS aims to run an efficient and effective courts and tribunals system, enabling the rule of law to be upheld, and providing access to justice for all. The plan also details how HMCTS is responsible for:

  • providing the supporting administration for a fair, efficient and accessible courts and tribunal system
  • supporting the independent judiciary in the administration of justice

Further information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-single-departmental-plan/ministry-of-justice-single-departmental-plan--3

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819783/HMCTS148_Business_Plan_2019_A4P_External_RGB.PDF


Written Question
Prisons: Synthetic Cannabinoids
Tuesday 9th July 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidences there were of the use of synthetic cannabinoids in prisons in each of the last three years.

Answered by Robert Buckland

Drug testing is an essential element of the HMPPS drug strategy and provides us with robust evidence on the prevalence of drug misuse. It can be used in support of security measures, to identify and signpost into drug treatment, monitor treatment compliance and act as an incentive to engage in treatment and drug free living.

HMPPS continues to explore new methodologies to develop our mandatory and voluntary drug testing frameworks enabling us to be responsive to the changing patterns of drug misuse in prisons. This includes the misuse of prescribed medication, and the dynamic market in psychoactive substances.

Data and information on drug testing is routinely published as part of the normal publication schedule which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018. Data on drug tests in 2018-19 will be published in due course in line with the normal publication schedule.


Written Question
Nottingham Prison: Prisoners' Release
Wednesday 29th May 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released from HMP Nottingham into homelessness in each month since June 2017.

Answered by Robert Buckland

Data from October 2017 until March 2018, based on published statistics, are provided on the attached table. Please note that data for April 2018 onwards is due for publication in July.

Figures for January to September 2017 are not included as this would require assuring unpublished statistics which could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere safe, stable and secure to live. Having somewhere stable to live acts as a platform for ex-offenders to be able to access the services and support needed to turn their back on crime for good. Overcoming the many barriers offenders face to securing suitable accommodation is something that Ministry of Justice cannot do in isolation.

The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government are both members of the cross-Government Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Taskforce and the Reducing Reoffending Board. Homelessness of ex-offenders is a key issue that is discussed at these meetings.

We are investing up to £6.4m in a joint pilot scheme to support individuals released from three prisons, namely Bristol, Leeds and Pentonville. We have now launched our Invitation to Tender, to secure suppliers in the three pilot areas. This is a concrete step in our commitment to tackling rough sleeping.


Written Question
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Tuesday 2nd April 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Drug Rehabilitation Requirements have been granted by courts in England in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

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

The table below shows the number of Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) commenced under community orders and suspended sentence orders in England and Wales in 2016 and 2017.

There is no available published data with a separation of figures for the two countries.

Year

Number of DRRs commenced

2016

9,698

2017

8,719

We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England on a protocol to support the greater use of community sentences with treatment requirements in courts, including DRRs.

The Community Sentence Treatment Requirement (CSTR) protocol sets out what is expected from all relevant agencies to ensure improved access to treatment for offenders who need it. It focuses on reducing reoffending by addressing the health needs of offenders that may be contributing to their offending behaviour.

The protocol is operating across five courts within England (as health is devolved in Wales). These sites are Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Sefton and Plymouth. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019 includes a commitment by NHS England to build on these pilots. Decisions on how the use of the protocol could be extended will be made in due course, based on the evaluation of the test bed sites.


Written Question
Community Orders: Pilot Schemes
Thursday 21st February 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements pilot scheme.

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

The Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England have jointly developed a Community Sentence Treatment Requirements protocol. This aims to increase the use of community sentences with treatment requirements for mental health and substance misuse issues. The protocol is currently being tested in five test bed sites within England (as health is devolved in Wales). These sites are Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Sefton and Plymouth. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019 includes a commitment by NHS England to build on these pilots. Decisions on how the use of the protocol could be extended will be made in due course, based on the evaluation of the test bed sites.


Written Question
Young Offenders: Rehabilitation
Tuesday 19th February 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote rehabilitation of young offenders.

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

Our key objective through the youth justice system (YJS) is to reduce offending and reoffending by increasing the life chances of children in touch with the YJS. Over the last ten years we have successfully reduced first time entrants into the YJS by 86% and the number of children in custody has fallen by 70%. However, while these successes are welcome the consequent change in the size and composition of the cohort brings its’ own particular challenges, with the children left in the system generally displaying a more concentrated mix of high-end need.

Although the reoffending rate for children in the YJS dropped 1.3 percentage points over the last 12 months, it remains far too high and I am committed to ensuring we continue to work as hard as we can to reduce it further. That is why resettlement is a key priority for the Youth Justice Board and why my Department is undertaking a programme of reform in the youth custodial estate.

Over the next two years we will invest over £2m to increase the range of educational, vocational and enrichment activities, including sports and physical activity, available across the estate. We are expanding frontline staffing in public-sector Young Offenders Institutions, and have increased the number of staff in key frontline posts by 27% in the last year. And we are introducing a new Youth Justice Specialist role and providing funding for every Prison Officer in the Youth Custody Service to undertake a foundation degree in youth justice. Over 300 staff are already enrolled on this qualification. We are also investing in the development of Enhanced Support Units to provide specialist psychological support to children with the most complex needs.

In addition, we are investing £5m to repurpose the Medway Secure Training Centre (STC) site into the first Secure School. Due to open in late 2020, this new provision will combine the ethos and practice of schools with the structure and support of secure children’s homes. This is a first step towards our future vision for youth custody.


Written Question
Prison Sentences: Nottinghamshire
Tuesday 29th January 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2019 to Question 20986, how many prisoners were given custodial sentences in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Rory Stewart

Data on the number of offenders sentenced to custody in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2015 has been published up to December 2017 and is available in the “Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool” at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017

To obtain the requested data:

  • Ensure that the ‘Court Type’ filter is set to “All”

  • Select “15: Immediate Custody” in the ‘Outcome’ filter

  • Figures for Nottinghamshire can be found in row 71.

Data for 2018 is due to be published in May 2019.


Written Question
Prosecutions: Drugs
Friday 25th January 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of prosecutions for psychoactive substances dealing.

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

The number of prosecutions for offences relating to supply of psychoactive substances for the last 5 years are published and can be found in the ‘Experimental statistics: Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’ at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017.

The relevant offences can be found by searching the ‘Detailed offence’ filter for psychoactive substances.

Home Office are responsible for policy relating to the Psychoactive Substances Act.


Written Question
Prisoners: Nottinghamshire
Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners given custodial sentences who were homeless before sentencing in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Rory Stewart

We are unable to provide data based on the total number of prisoners who were given custodial sentences in Nottinghamshire and were homeless before sentencing as this data isn’t held. Instead the following table sets out the number of people of no fixed abode serving sentences who had an origin address link to Nottinghamshire and who were held in prisons at intervals since 2015. It does not include those held on remand, who are held on a non-criminal basis or those held in immigration removal centres.

March

June

September

December

2015

125

130

151

147

2016

159

146

135

131

2017

141

142

161

149

2018

132

150

139

147

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) works to ensure that prisoners due to be released from prison have accommodation arranged for them upon release. It is recognised that securing suitable accommodation is a vital part of an offender's resettlement, and we are working collaboratively with other government departments and interested parties to ensure that we meet the accommodation needs for prisoners on their release. There are currently 100 Approved Premises (AP), providing over 2,200 bed spaces nationally. The recent introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 will also help facilitate resettlement for the prisoners back into areas without APs.

The Government published its Rough Sleeping Strategy in August 2018, launching a £100 million initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate rough sleeping across England. As part of this strategy, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), will be investing approximately £6m in a pilot scheme to support ex-offenders secure suitable accommodation upon release; the pilots will operate in HMPs Pentonville, Bristol and Leeds.