Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce mobile phone use in prisons.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is a crime to possess or operate a mobile phone in prisons, and prisoners caught with devices can face extra time behind bars.
Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, completed in March 2022, and included funding to reduce the smuggling of illicit items such as mobile phones into prisons, and our measures are producing results. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2022, we had recorded 28,626 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply mobile phones into prisons.
We have invested in a variety of mobile phone detection and blocking equipment across the prison estate to reduce mobile phone use. HMPPS also have a specialist digital team who ensure the data from illicit devices (including mobile phones) that are found in possession of prisoners can be subsequently analysed enhancing our ability to evidence criminality.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of funding for and (b) effectiveness in the disbursement of that funding for contact centres as a result of the withdrawal of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services from the disbursement process.
Answered by Gareth Johnson
The Government recognises the important services provided by child contact centres.
Until April this year, the Ministry of Justice provided small value grants, via Cafcass, to support the running of child contact centres. The Ministry of Justice is in the final stages of agreeing the funding arrangements for this year’s grants and information will be made publicly available once this process is complete.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his proposed reforms to the Human Rights Act on non-religious groups.
Answered by Sarah Dines
As is the case whenever a new government is formed, we are now looking again at the Bill of Rights to ensure that it meets the government’s objectives.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his proposed reforms to the Human Rights Act on humanist education.
Answered by Sarah Dines
As is the case whenever a new government is formed, we are now looking again at the Bill of Rights to ensure that it meets the government’s objectives.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to section 83 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, what the status is of report on the extent to which people using contact centres in England are protected from the risk of domestic abuse or other harm as of 16 March 2022.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government is on track to publish a report about the extent to which individuals, when they are using contact centres in England, are protected from the risk of domestic abuse or, in the case of children, other harm. This will be delivered by April 2023 as set out in section 83 of the Domestic Abuse Act.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to review imprisonment for public protection sentences.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the operation of sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) under constant review. This includes continuing to ensure that IPP prisoners, as well as all prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, have every opportunity to progress towards safe release.
HM Prison and Probation Service are focused on reducing the risk and thereby the successful rehabilitation of IPP prisoners via an action plan which is being taken forward jointly with the Parole Board. This approach is working, with high numbers of unreleased IPP prisoners achieving a release decision each year. All IPP prisoners will have their continued detention reviewed by the independent Parole Board at least once every two years.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of defendants offending while awaiting delayed court dates.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not hold any data on offences committed by offenders.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many multi-hander trials were moved to another court in 2020; and which courts those trials were moved to and from.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Data relating to the volume, and movement, of multi-hander trials are not readily accessible from HM Courts & Tribunals Service IT systems and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through manual examination of individual case records.