Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether all prisoners released under the end of custody supervised license are required to wear an electronic tag.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All prisoners released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence are subject to a set of standard licence conditions as identified by Probation in their release management plan such as non-contact requirements, exclusion zones or GPS tagging.
These are not requirements in every case as conditions are set for individual prisoners to create the best chance of reducing reoffending and protecting the public.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received any representations from Heathrow Airport Ltd on proposals to increase the number of air transport movements at that Airport.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has received no recent representations from Heathrow Airport Ltd on proposals to increase the number of air transport movements at Heathrow Airport.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 14123 on Shoplifting: Reoffenders, what the proven re-offending rate was for an index offence of shop lifting (theft from shops) for the (a) January to March 2021 and (b) January to March 2020 cohort.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of shop lifting (theft from shops), who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 81.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 78.3%.
The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of robbery, who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 23.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 27.8%.
The overall proven reoffending rate for (a) January – March 2021 was 24.3% and (b) January – March 2020 was 24.7%. Reoffending rates in recent cohorts have been affected to varying degrees by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Government is committed to reducing reoffending, and reoffending rates have fallen from 31.3% in 2011/12 to 25.2% in 2021/22. We are investing in rehabilitation to stop prison leavers falling back into crime – including tackling drug addiction, increasing the number of offenders in work, and providing basic, short-term accommodation on release. Further, in October last year, the Lord Chancellor announced his intention to legislate for a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months or less. The offender would then serve their sentence in the community and courts will retain discretion to impose a sentence of immediate custody where necessary. Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.
On top of this, we are doubling the number of GPS tags available to courts for sentencing, ensuring more burglars and robbers are tagged which ultimately keeps our communities safer.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 14123 on Shoplifting: Reoffenders, what the proven re-offending rate was for an index offence of robbery for the (a) January to March 2021 cohort and (b) January to March 2020 cohort.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of shop lifting (theft from shops), who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 81.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 78.3%.
The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of robbery, who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 23.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 27.8%.
The overall proven reoffending rate for (a) January – March 2021 was 24.3% and (b) January – March 2020 was 24.7%. Reoffending rates in recent cohorts have been affected to varying degrees by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Government is committed to reducing reoffending, and reoffending rates have fallen from 31.3% in 2011/12 to 25.2% in 2021/22. We are investing in rehabilitation to stop prison leavers falling back into crime – including tackling drug addiction, increasing the number of offenders in work, and providing basic, short-term accommodation on release. Further, in October last year, the Lord Chancellor announced his intention to legislate for a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months or less. The offender would then serve their sentence in the community and courts will retain discretion to impose a sentence of immediate custody where necessary. Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.
On top of this, we are doubling the number of GPS tags available to courts for sentencing, ensuring more burglars and robbers are tagged which ultimately keeps our communities safer.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people charged with an offence relating to domestic violence were released under the home detention curfew in the last 12 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Home detention curfew (HDC) is a robust scheme which has been in operation since 1999. Offenders currently serving a sentence for a domestic abuse linked offence are extremely unlikely to be released on HDC. This government has taken steps to ensure that offenders serving sentences for offences linked to domestic abuse – including non-fatal strangulation and stalking – are presumed unsuitable for HDC, due to the seriousness of these offences and the government’s firm stance on them. This means they will only be considered for release under the scheme where there are highly specific and exceptional circumstances.
Offenders who are eligible and suitable for HDC are subject to a robust risk assessment to manage them safely in the community. This will include checks with partners from other agencies, such as the police, to ensure that the offender being released does not put anyone in the community at risk while on HDC. An offender who is a perpetrator of domestic abuse will not be released on HDC to an address where they pose a threat, or released on HDC at all if the risk is unmanageable.
Data is not collated in a central manner and therefore could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. However, specific offence codes for domestic violence related cases – such as controlling or coercive behaviour – can be identified on an individual basis.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons are prisoners eligible to undertake apprenticeships in England and Wales.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Apprenticeships are one of our initiatives to drive up skills, qualifications and employment across the estate, filling key gaps in the economy, and ultimately reducing reoffending.
In September 2022, the Government changed legislation to allow serving prisoners to undertake apprenticeships. Since then, my officials have been working closely with their counterparts in the Department for Education to engage employers in key skills sectors such as hospitality and construction to sponsor and support apprentice placements.
In England, all appropriately risk-assessed prisoners in the open estate and certain women’s prisons can undertake apprenticeships in the community, as long as they are eligible for ROTL and within a year of release. Apprenticeships are now being tested in the closed Category C estate, offering the chance for high quality training leading to sustainable employment outcomes.
As skills and education are devolved in Wales, the Welsh Government is responsible for provision of education and training in Welsh prisons.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there is a requirement for the victims of domestic abuse to be informed when the perpetrator of their abuse is released early under the home detention curfew scheme.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Offenders currently serving a sentence for a domestic abuse offence are extremely unlikely to be released on home detention curfew (HDC). Since June 2023, offenders serving current sentences for specified domestic abuse offences are presumed unsuitable for HDC. This means they will only be considered for release under the scheme where there are highly specific and exceptional circumstances.
More broadly, victims of specified sexual and violent offences, where the prison sentence is 12 months or more, have a statutory entitlement to the Probation Victim Contact Scheme (VCS). Victims will be updated with key stages in the sentence, including when an offender due to be released on HDC, and have the statutory right to request licence conditions on release, such as a no contact condition and an exclusion zone.
Also, we have recently introduced a victim notification scheme (VNS) for victims of stalking and harassment where the offences are non-qualifying for the VCS. Victims will be informed of the offender’s release which is more likely to be at their normal automatic release date given the presumption against release on HDC, and will be offered the chance to request licence conditions. The VNS was piloted in a few probation regions but is now being rolled out nationally with the expectation that it will be live in all areas in England and Wales by the spring.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Dartmoor, published in December 2023, what was the result of the radon inspection at HMP Dartmoor in 2020; and what steps were taken after this inspection.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS is continually investing in the prison estate to ensure that prisons remain safe, decent, and secure. Our investment each year ensures that all prisons will remain operational.
This includes the continuing programme to improve fire safety across the estate, as per our commitment to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate to make all accommodation compliant by the end of 2027, major upgrades to security and investment in safety and decency across all prisons.
Radon occurs naturally in various parts of the UK including Dartmoor, and we monitor for its presence in accordance with HSE guidelines. Elevated radon readings were found at Dartmoor in 2020 in subterranean areas adjacent to the kitchen and workshops. Temporary mitigations have been in place at Dartmoor in those areas since 2022 following advice from specialist contractors, pending permanent mitigations that are near completion. Further specialist advice has been commissioned following the recent identification of elevated radon levels in some accommodation areas of the prison. We are closely monitoring radon levels on site and taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department have commissioned any reports into the presence of radon gas in HMP Dartmoor.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS is continually investing in the prison estate to ensure that prisons remain safe, decent, and secure. Our investment each year ensures that all prisons will remain operational.
This includes the continuing programme to improve fire safety across the estate, as per our commitment to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate to make all accommodation compliant by the end of 2027, major upgrades to security and investment in safety and decency across all prisons.
Radon occurs naturally in various parts of the UK including Dartmoor, and we monitor for its presence in accordance with HSE guidelines. Elevated radon readings were found at Dartmoor in 2020 in subterranean areas adjacent to the kitchen and workshops. Temporary mitigations have been in place at Dartmoor in those areas since 2022 following advice from specialist contractors, pending permanent mitigations that are near completion. Further specialist advice has been commissioned following the recent identification of elevated radon levels in some accommodation areas of the prison. We are closely monitoring radon levels on site and taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department was first aware of the suspected presence of Radon Gas in HMP Dartmoor.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS is continually investing in the prison estate to ensure that prisons remain safe, decent, and secure. Our investment each year ensures that all prisons will remain operational.
This includes the continuing programme to improve fire safety across the estate, as per our commitment to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate to make all accommodation compliant by the end of 2027, major upgrades to security and investment in safety and decency across all prisons.
Radon occurs naturally in various parts of the UK including Dartmoor, and we monitor for its presence in accordance with HSE guidelines. Elevated radon readings were found at Dartmoor in 2020 in subterranean areas adjacent to the kitchen and workshops. Temporary mitigations have been in place at Dartmoor in those areas since 2022 following advice from specialist contractors, pending permanent mitigations that are near completion. Further specialist advice has been commissioned following the recent identification of elevated radon levels in some accommodation areas of the prison. We are closely monitoring radon levels on site and taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners.