Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what advice his Department provides to journalists subject to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is currently developing reforms regarding the challenges which Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) present to journalists and others involved in freedom of expression relating to the public interest. Our recent Call for Evidence on SLAPPs consulted media professionals and journalists, inviting their views and experiences to inform our legislative reforms.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his timetable is for introducing legislative proposals on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer to my answer to the Hon. Member for Croydon North on 7 September, the Government is currently considering options in relation to SLAPPs.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on decisions on the future of the Camp Hill prison site.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
There are no plans to reopen the Camp Hill prison site.
The prison estate is kept under careful review to ensure there is sufficient capacity. Decisions on the future size of the prison estate will reflect the current and projected prison population, including an assessment of the necessary margin to manage population fluctuations.
We are investing £3.8bn to deliver 20,000 additional, modern prison places, including up to 2,000 temporary prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on international libel litigation in the UK courts; and what steps he is taking to help ensure freedom of speech in the justice system.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government believes that the right to speak freely and debate issues without fear of censure is a vital part of a democratic society, and that libel proceedings should not be used to impede and frustrate that debate.
The reforms we introduced in the Defamation Act 2013 have helped to rebalance the law to offer more effective protection for freedom of speech. In particular, by tightening the test to be applied by the courts in relation to libel actions brought against people who are not domiciled in the UK.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the upkeep of the Camp Hill prison site on the Isle of Wight since its closure.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The estimated cost to the public purse of the upkeep of the former prison since its closure for the period 2013/14 to 2018/19 is £1.19m.
The department will continue to work with the council and others on the future of the site.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of ending private sector involvement in the prison system.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We remain committed to a role for the private sector in operating custodial services. I have not made any assessment of the cost associated with the ending of private sector involvement in the prison system.
The Government believes that the private sector has an important role to play in delivering custodial services in England and Wales, and currently runs some high-performing prisons, in the delivery of an estate which is both decent and secure.
We believe that competition can deliver improvements to service quality, encourage innovation, secure capital investment, and achieve value for money.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What progress he has made on the sale of the Camp Hill prison site to Isle of Wight Council.
Answered by Robert Buckland
We have commissioned a demolition survey of the former prison results should hopefully be available, in late July.
The Camp Hill element of HM Prison Isle of Wight closed on 31 March 2013. In summer 2014, the then Secretary of State decided that the former prison sites at Camp Hill, Reading and Wellingborough would be retained in case they offered a useful contingency option to deal with population pressures. The site was released for disposal on 10 January 2017.