Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress their Department have made on implementing Procurement Policy Note 06/21.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has implemented the requirements of PPN 06/21: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts, where it is relevant to the subject matter of the contract and proportionate to do so. The Ministry of Justice has applied the PPN to 11 completed procurements since the PPN came into effect on 30 September 2021. Commercial teams from the Ministry of Justice have also attended training and awareness sessions provided by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of people who were in employment six months after they have been released from prison in the last twelve months.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
I am pleased to say that the proportion of prisoners released from custody who were employed at six months from their release has increased by nearly a third between April 2022 and March 2023, from 23.2% to over 30.4%.
We are determined to increase the number of prison leavers securing employment on release to cut their chances of reoffending and so we can keep the public safe.
We are offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release from custody, supported by our new, dedicated Prison Employment Leads, who are now in post at 92 prisons including all resettlement prisons.
They provide case-level employment support and match prisoners to roles on release and head up our new Employment Hubs where prisoners can access support with job applications and CVs.
We are building stronger links with employers, including through our prison Employment Advisory Boards which are chaired by local business leaders. They will provide challenge and advice on how to align the skills delivered in prisons with labour market demand, with Chairs now appointed in 92 prisons.
Data on the number and proportion of people in employment after release from prison is published regularly and can be found on the Gov website at Employment Rates following Release from Custody - Ad Hoc - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the prisoner transfer agreement with Albania.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
A new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania came into force in May 2022. In May 2023, we announced a complementary arrangement whereby the UK Government has agreed to provide support to modernise and expand the Albanian prison system and in return Albania has agreed to accept the return of up to 200 Albanian Nationals currently serving sentences of 4 years or more in the UK. The arrangement will save taxpayers’ money, as it is cheaper to house prisoners in Albania than in England and Wales and will also free up capacity in our prisons.
The deal builds on the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the UK and Albania in 2021, which came into force in May 2022. This implementation package will ensure Albania has the right processes and prison capacity in place, meaning transfers can now proceed at pace.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations in the report entitled Root and branch review of the parole system: the future of the parole system in England and Wales, published in March 2022.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We have made significant progress.
Parole Board hearings can now be heard in public – there have been three so far. We have reformed the way indeterminate sentence prisoners are moved to open prison conditions by making sure that moves only happen if there is evidence they can be safely managed and there is low risk of them absconding. The Secretary of State will reject any recommendation from the Board where he is not satisfied there is a wholly persuasive case for transferring a prisoner.
Regarding release decisions, the Secretary of State can now provide the Parole Board with an overarching view which takes account of all reports and available evidence, including any professional opinions offered by report writers pertaining to the prisoner’s suitability for release. In these cases, the Secretary of State will be represented at an oral hearing.
In Part III of the Victims and Prisoners Bill, we are making the statutory release test more prescriptive and making clear that an offender must not be released unless the Board is confident there is no more than minimal risk to the public.
We are increasing the number of Board members with a law enforcement background and the Bill will introduce the power to require them to sit on panels concerning the most serious offenders – the ‘’top-tier’’. The Bill also creates a power that will allow the Secretary of State to take a second look, on behalf of the public, at any decisions to release a top-tier prisoner.
Another key recommendation was to establish a Parole System Oversight Group to explore and resolve whole-system operational issues across the parole system in England and Wales, such as delays. This Group has now been established and the inaugural meeting was held in June 2023.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of the Pandemic Recovery Fund for local authorities that has been spent on coroners’ services.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Whilst the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, it does not have operational responsibility for coroner services which are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. Local authorities’ independence from central Government means that they are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities. This is appropriate as central Government cannot predict exactly what the cost of a local service will be.
Local authority revenue and financing information for England is published annually on gov.uk. The following table sets out data on expenditure on coroners’ court services for each of the last five financial years:
| Total expenditure (employers’ costs and running costs) (£000) | Expenditure net of fees and other service income (£000) |
2021-2022 | 173,000 | 123,685 |
2020-2021 | 166,376 | 123,453 |
2019-2020 | 149,450 | 108,983 |
2018-2019 | 131,804 | 95,341 |
2017-2018 | 124,796 | 92,360 |
The Ministry of Justice is unable to estimate spending on coroner services from the Pandemic Recovery Fund.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of local authority spending on coroner services in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Whilst the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, it does not have operational responsibility for coroner services which are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. Local authorities’ independence from central Government means that they are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities. This is appropriate as central Government cannot predict exactly what the cost of a local service will be.
Local authority revenue and financing information for England is published annually on gov.uk. The following table sets out data on expenditure on coroners’ court services for each of the last five financial years:
| Total expenditure (employers’ costs and running costs) (£000) | Expenditure net of fees and other service income (£000) |
2021-2022 | 173,000 | 123,685 |
2020-2021 | 166,376 | 123,453 |
2019-2020 | 149,450 | 108,983 |
2018-2019 | 131,804 | 95,341 |
2017-2018 | 124,796 | 92,360 |
The Ministry of Justice is unable to estimate spending on coroner services from the Pandemic Recovery Fund.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has a target for the length of time an inquest should take from its opening to its conclusion.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes Coroner Statistics each May covering the preceding calendar year. The information is collated from data provided by each of the 81 coroner areas across England and Wales.
Data from the published statistics is set out in the table below, across all coroner areas for each of the last five years, on the total number of inquests recorded, the average length of inquests, the total number of inquests open for more than two years, and the total number of inquests suspended and not resumed. The requested information for inquests adjourned for longer than two years in England, London and Barnet only is not collated as part of the annual statistics. Table CSV included in the annual publication provides further information for adjourned inquests by coroner area.
The published statistics also record the average length of an inquest in individual coroner areas and Barnet is part of the North London Coroner area with Brent, Harrow, Haringey and Enfield. Table 13 collates this information by region.
The Ministry of Justice does not have a target for the length of time an inquest should take. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they manage their caseload is a matter for them. Following the Covid-19 pandemic the Chief Coroner issued guidance to coroners on how their services can best recover and tackle backlogs that accumulated in some areas.
Regulation 26 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 require coroners to notify the Chief Coroner of any investigation which has not been completed or discontinued within a year of the death being reported to them, and provide reasons for this. They must also notify the Chief Coroner when such investigations are completed or discontinued.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Number of inquests recorded | 36,273 | 32,762 | 31,991 | 29,969 | 29,094 |
Average length of inquest | 30 weeks | 31 weeks | 27 weeks | 27 weeks | 26 weeks |
Inquests open for more than 2 years at year end | 1,760 | 1,366 | 1,104 | 601 | 472 |
Inquests suspended due to criminal proceedings and not resumed | 748 | 729 | 599 | 849 | 834 |
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the average length of time from an inquest being opened to it being concluded in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes Coroner Statistics each May covering the preceding calendar year. The information is collated from data provided by each of the 81 coroner areas across England and Wales.
Data from the published statistics is set out in the table below, across all coroner areas for each of the last five years, on the total number of inquests recorded, the average length of inquests, the total number of inquests open for more than two years, and the total number of inquests suspended and not resumed. The requested information for inquests adjourned for longer than two years in England, London and Barnet only is not collated as part of the annual statistics. Table CSV included in the annual publication provides further information for adjourned inquests by coroner area.
The published statistics also record the average length of an inquest in individual coroner areas and Barnet is part of the North London Coroner area with Brent, Harrow, Haringey and Enfield. Table 13 collates this information by region.
The Ministry of Justice does not have a target for the length of time an inquest should take. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they manage their caseload is a matter for them. Following the Covid-19 pandemic the Chief Coroner issued guidance to coroners on how their services can best recover and tackle backlogs that accumulated in some areas.
Regulation 26 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 require coroners to notify the Chief Coroner of any investigation which has not been completed or discontinued within a year of the death being reported to them, and provide reasons for this. They must also notify the Chief Coroner when such investigations are completed or discontinued.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Number of inquests recorded | 36,273 | 32,762 | 31,991 | 29,969 | 29,094 |
Average length of inquest | 30 weeks | 31 weeks | 27 weeks | 27 weeks | 26 weeks |
Inquests open for more than 2 years at year end | 1,760 | 1,366 | 1,104 | 601 | 472 |
Inquests suspended due to criminal proceedings and not resumed | 748 | 729 | 599 | 849 | 834 |
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the average length of time from an inquest being opened to it being concluded in each region in England.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes Coroner Statistics each May covering the preceding calendar year. The information is collated from data provided by each of the 81 coroner areas across England and Wales.
Data from the published statistics is set out in the table below, across all coroner areas for each of the last five years, on the total number of inquests recorded, the average length of inquests, the total number of inquests open for more than two years, and the total number of inquests suspended and not resumed. The requested information for inquests adjourned for longer than two years in England, London and Barnet only is not collated as part of the annual statistics. Table CSV included in the annual publication provides further information for adjourned inquests by coroner area.
The published statistics also record the average length of an inquest in individual coroner areas and Barnet is part of the North London Coroner area with Brent, Harrow, Haringey and Enfield. Table 13 collates this information by region.
The Ministry of Justice does not have a target for the length of time an inquest should take. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they manage their caseload is a matter for them. Following the Covid-19 pandemic the Chief Coroner issued guidance to coroners on how their services can best recover and tackle backlogs that accumulated in some areas.
Regulation 26 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 require coroners to notify the Chief Coroner of any investigation which has not been completed or discontinued within a year of the death being reported to them, and provide reasons for this. They must also notify the Chief Coroner when such investigations are completed or discontinued.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Number of inquests recorded | 36,273 | 32,762 | 31,991 | 29,969 | 29,094 |
Average length of inquest | 30 weeks | 31 weeks | 27 weeks | 27 weeks | 26 weeks |
Inquests open for more than 2 years at year end | 1,760 | 1,366 | 1,104 | 601 | 472 |
Inquests suspended due to criminal proceedings and not resumed | 748 | 729 | 599 | 849 | 834 |
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests have remained open for more than two years in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes Coroner Statistics each May covering the preceding calendar year. The information is collated from data provided by each of the 81 coroner areas across England and Wales.
Data from the published statistics is set out in the table below, across all coroner areas for each of the last five years, on the total number of inquests recorded, the average length of inquests, the total number of inquests open for more than two years, and the total number of inquests suspended and not resumed. The requested information for inquests adjourned for longer than two years in England, London and Barnet only is not collated as part of the annual statistics. Table CSV included in the annual publication provides further information for adjourned inquests by coroner area.
The published statistics also record the average length of an inquest in individual coroner areas and Barnet is part of the North London Coroner area with Brent, Harrow, Haringey and Enfield. Table 13 collates this information by region.
The Ministry of Justice does not have a target for the length of time an inquest should take. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they manage their caseload is a matter for them. Following the Covid-19 pandemic the Chief Coroner issued guidance to coroners on how their services can best recover and tackle backlogs that accumulated in some areas.
Regulation 26 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 require coroners to notify the Chief Coroner of any investigation which has not been completed or discontinued within a year of the death being reported to them, and provide reasons for this. They must also notify the Chief Coroner when such investigations are completed or discontinued.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Number of inquests recorded | 36,273 | 32,762 | 31,991 | 29,969 | 29,094 |
Average length of inquest | 30 weeks | 31 weeks | 27 weeks | 27 weeks | 26 weeks |
Inquests open for more than 2 years at year end | 1,760 | 1,366 | 1,104 | 601 | 472 |
Inquests suspended due to criminal proceedings and not resumed | 748 | 729 | 599 | 849 | 834 |