Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in the context of reported figures on black people being ten times more likely than white people to be sent to prison for first-time drug offences, what steps he is taking to tackle this imbalance.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We recognise that race disparities persist in the Criminal Justice System, and we are committed to identifying and addressing disparities under the axiom of ‘explain or reform’ laid out in the Lammy Review. And though we acknowledge that Black people are overrepresented amongst those sentenced to prison for a first-time drug offence, this falls short of the reported 10-fold figure.
Recent data indicates that the main drivers of this overrepresentation lie upstream of the point of prosecution. The government’s data on Outcomes by Offence shows that relative to Black individuals being prosecuted for drug possession, a similar proportion go on to be sentenced for the same offence (15% of individuals identified as Black during prosecution and at the point of sentencing). At the point of sentence, in 2020, 3% of Black individuals were sentenced to immediate custody as a proportion of all Black individuals sentenced for drug possession, which was the same rate as for White individuals, also 3%. These figures suggest that upon reaching prosecution, Black individuals receive outcomes at similar rates to White counterparts. This mirrors the findings of the report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, and our ambitious response - the Inclusive Britain strategy, which highlighted the importance of a whole system approach.
Whilst sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, we are committed to tackling the deep-rooted reasons why people from ethnic minorities are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, including the disproportionate criminalisation of ethnic minorities for drug offences. As set out in Inclusive Britain we have committed to exploring a wide range of schemes to divert people away from the CJS for possession, where appropriate, and will share what works best with police services around the country.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of legally recognising humanist marriages.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Law Commission will present options for how the law should be reformed in relation to who can solemnize a marriage, including how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme. The Government will consider the Commission’s recommendations very carefully.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been subject to immediate custody for offences committed under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 since that legislation came into force, broken down by (a) year, (b) offence type including (i) production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug by Class A, B and C, (ii) unlawful importation by Class A, B, C and unknown class, (iii) possession of a controlled drug by Class A, B, C and unknown class and (iv) permitting premises to be used for unlawful purposes by Class A, B, C and unknown class.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice has published information on immediate custodial sentences for specific offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, in England and Wales, up to December 2020, in the ‘Principal Offence Proceedings and Outcomes by Home Office Offence Code’ data tool, available here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx
As the data tool above does not cover the full time series requested, please see the attached table with details of immediate custodial sentences given for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 from 2005 to 2020. 2005 is the earliest year that the level of detail required is available within the Courts Proceedings Database.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) recent progress the Prisons Minister has made on reporting on the implementation of recommendations in the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report on Custody-Community Transitions, published on 12 June 2019, (b) the expected timescale is for receipt of that report and (c) Departmental bodies will receive that report once completed.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The government responded to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ (ACMD) report on Custody to Community Transitions in October 2019. The MoJ is working closely with key departments across government to tackle the misuse of drugs. We are keen to align this work with any recommendations stemming from Part two of Dame Carol Black’s review, which is due for publication shortly. This forms part of cross departmental work on combatting drug misuse, including support for those moving from custody to the community. This includes many areas highlighted in the ACMD Custody to Community transitions report.
In January, the Department of Health and Social Care received £80m additional funding for drug treatment in 2021/22. The bulk of the funding (£55m circa) has been given to local authorities via a specific grant allocation to support delivery of services to reduce drug related deaths and target the offender cohort. This funding will be used to enhance drug treatment and the numbers of treatment places available, including for those leaving prison, to reduce drug-related crime. It will also tackle the rise in drug-related deaths via the provision of naloxone to prevent drug overdoses. The remainder will fund the treatment element of the ADDER Accelerator programme and an increase the number of inpatient detoxification placements available, for people with the most complex needs.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of recognising Humanist Marriages in law following the 2014 Ministry of Justice review into marriages by non-religious belief organisations and the 2020 High Court ruling that a failure to recognise humanist marriages is discriminatory.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.
The Law Commission published a consultation paper on 3 September 2020 as part of its review and will welcome responses from all.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the proposals from the Law Commission on Humanist Marriages, what steps he will take to recognise humanist marriages while a comprehensive reform of marriage law is undertaken.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.
The Law Commission published a consultation paper on 3 September 2020 as part of its review and will welcome responses from all.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to covid-19 regulations providing for 15 people to gather only for legally recognised marriages, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending that legal recognition on (a) an interim and (b) a permanent basis to humanist weddings.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
In respect of legal recognition of humanist weddings, the Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.
The Law Commission has now published a consultation paper as part of its review and will welcome responses from all.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether in-cell digital training is in use in HM prisons; whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of in-cell digital training in other jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Currently prisoners in HMP Wayland and HMP Berwyn have access to in-cell technology.
As well as being able to undertake basic tasks, such as ordering their canteen and booking visits, prisoners have access to a platform called the Content Hub, which provides them with content to help them progress through their sentence, and to cope when in custody. The in-Cell technology does not allow access to the internet.
The Content Hub provides bite-sized courses, such as health and fitness in prison, learning to read, basic maths and food hygiene. This content is provided by education providers, Way2Learn and People Plus.
We have not yet conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of the bite-sized training, however we are exploring further opportunities to pilot more structured educational content, such as further and higher education courses, in-cell. The benefits and impact of doing this will be assessed and will inform any further roll-out.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) people in operational support grades, (b) prison officers, (c) senior officers and supervising officers and (d) principal officers and custodial managers served in HM prisons in each year since 2000.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The number of band 2 operational support grade staff and band 3 to 5 prison officers employed in HM prisons each year is provided in the table below. Staff in post data is only held since April 2002.
Table 1: Band 2 operational support grade staff and band 3-5 prison officers in post (FTE), in Public Sector prisons1, as at 30 June 2002-20192.
|
|
|
| Full time equivalent |
Date | Band 2 / Operational Support | Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists) | Band 4 / Supervising Officer | Band 5 / Custodial Managers |
30-Jun-02 | 6,736 | 17,911 | 3,588 | 1,192 |
30-Jun-03 | 7,278 | 18,356 | 3,647 | 1,234 |
30-Jun-04 | 7,514 | 18,758 | 3,711 | 1,228 |
30-Jun-05 | 7,224 | 18,905 | 3,742 | 1,175 |
30-Jun-06 | 7,360 | 19,174 | 3,791 | 1,166 |
30-Jun-07 | 7,588 | 19,416 | 3,844 | 1,182 |
30-Jun-08 | 8,014 | 19,650 | 3,964 | 1,223 |
30-Jun-09 | 7,797 | 20,102 | 3,941 | 1,179 |
30-Jun-10 | 7,621 | 19,837 | 3,776 | 902 |
30-Jun-11 | 7,293 | 19,563 | 3,510 | 759 |
30-Jun-12 | 6,846 | 18,406 | 3,291 | 618 |
30-Jun-13 | 6,105 | 17,083 | 2,224 | 1,381 |
30-Jun-14 | 4,922 | 14,623 | 1,847 | 1,318 |
30-Jun-15 | 4,752 | 14,988 | 1,905 | 1,308 |
30-Jun-16 | 4,753 | 14,556 | 2,015 | 1,307 |
30-Jun-17 | 4,474 | 15,283 | 1,904 | 1,334 |
30-Jun-18 | 4,623 | 18,021 | 1,898 | 1,414 |
30-Jun-19 | 4,662 | 18,535 | 1,918 | 1,543 |
Notes
1. Includes staff who were employed in HM prisons only and does not include those based in HQ, such as officers who are on detached duty with no fixed location, POELT trainers, or staff redeploying from closing establishments who are allocated to an area office in the HR database before being reallocated to a prison in the database.
2. The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold any data on HMPPS staff before 2002.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prisoners and (b) chaplains employed within prisons there are of each religion or belief.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Prison Act 1952 enshrines in law the statutory duties of a prison chaplain. These tasks, which must be undertaken daily, are incorporated into Prison Rules and Young Offender Rules. They are explained in detail in Prison Service Instruction 05/2016 Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners.
We recognise and respect the right of prisoners to register and practice their faith while serving their prison sentence. Chaplaincy plays a critical and unique role in the work of prisons and life of prisoners. It provides not only faith advice but pastoral care in support of HM Prison and Probation Service’s commitments to decency, safety and rehabilitation.
A breakdown of prisoner population by religion is provided in the quarterly Offender Management statistics publication on GOV.UK. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018. The relevant extract of those statistics is provided in the following table:
Table 1.5: Prison population by religion and sex | ||||||
| ||||||
| 31-Mar-18 | 30-Jun-18 | 30-Sep-18 | 31-Dec-18 | 31-Mar-19 | Percentage change March 2018 to 2019 |
Males and Females | 83,263 | 82,773 | 83,005 | 82,236 | 82,634 | -1% |
All Christian | 39,839 | 39,541 | 39,784 | 39,293 | 39,515 | -1% |
Anglican | 13,971 | 13,808 | 13,755 | 13,496 | 13,480 | -4% |
Free Church | 776 | 764 | 782 | 758 | 737 | -5% |
Roman Catholic | 14,334 | 14,277 | 14,246 | 14,094 | 14,160 | -1% |
Other Christian | 10,758 | 10,692 | 11,001 | 10,945 | 11,138 | 4% |
Muslim | 12,847 | 12,894 | 12,868 | 12,894 | 13,008 | 1% |
Hindu | 379 | 354 | 350 | 361 | 343 | -9% |
Sikh | 625 | 632 | 634 | 638 | 611 | -2% |
Buddhist | 1,517 | 1,518 | 1,569 | 1,575 | 1,619 | 7% |
Jewish | 480 | 488 | 477 | 482 | 477 | -1% |
Other religious group | 1,724 | 1,777 | 1,782 | 1,838 | 1,876 | 9% |
Non recognised | 10 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 7 | ** |
No religion | 25,711 | 25,393 | 25,413 | 25,053 | 25,034 | -3% |
Not recorded | 131 | 165 | 116 | 96 | 144 | 10% |
Chaplains may work on a full-time, part-time, sessional or voluntary basis. A breakdown of Chaplains in employed in prisons and by faith, is provided below.
Number of chaplains (headcount) employed by HM Prison and Probation Service1, as at 31 March 2019.
|
| Headcount |
Prison Service establishments | Religion | Number of chaplains |
| Christian | 242 |
| Muslim | 118 |
| Sikh | 12 |
| Hindu | 3 |
| Unknown2 | 99 |
Total |
| 474 |
Notes to Table | ||
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Information on the private estate is not held centrally. The total number of chaplain staff since 2010 can be found in the HMPPS Workforce Statistics Bulletin. The latest publication on the number of Chaplains can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2019 Information on the religious affiliation of chaplains is not published. | ||