Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Nic Dakin

Thursday 10th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

5. What steps the Government are taking to provide support to women in the criminal justice system who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Crispin Blunt)]

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the Government, and specifically for me, as I have responsibility for women in the criminal justice system. The National Offender Management Service, in conjunction with Women’s Aid, has published the framework to support women offenders who have experienced domestic and sexual violence. It contains guidance for commissioners and links to resources for practitioners. Women’s Aid and the National Offender Management Service are also training prison and probation staff to pilot the Power to Change programme, which aims to help women prisoners who want to leave a violent relationship.

[Nic Dakin]

With the closure of courts across the land, will the Minister tell us what steps are being taken to guarantee that domestic abuse courts will remain in place?

[Mr Blunt]

We continue to examine the provision of court services across the country and there is an agenda to try to deliver justice much closer to neighbourhoods. Of course, dealing with domestic violence is an important part of addressing a particularly horrible crime at a community level. I have seen for myself the work done by the probation trusts, and that will go hand in hand with what needs to be done with the courts as well.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Nic Dakin

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Crispin Blunt)]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. The evidence from Northern Ireland, where a statutory form of restorative justice has been working positively in the youth sector, shows 85% levels of victim satisfaction. The data are getting better regarding the effect of restorative justice on the rehabilitation of offenders, and appear to show at least a 14% improvement if we use it. That is a pretty convincing case for the proper use of restorative justice, quite apart from the financial benefits that my hon. Friend mentioned.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

T3. The Secretary of State will be well aware of the tragic loss of five young lives on the secure prison estate in recent months. Will he outline what work he and his officials are undertaking to look into those tragic deaths, and what measures he intends to put in place to prevent future occurrences?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Crispin Blunt and Nic Dakin

Tuesday 29th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Blunt]

This is an area of change for probation trusts, and the competition for community pay-back, which we inherited from the previous Administration, is an exemplar of that. I look forward to the opportunity to review all the evidence that has been given to the Justice Committee and I shall come to a view on the basis of the evidence that has been received. I will give my own evidence and take questions in due course in the Committee, presumably at greater length than is allowed here.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

8. What progress he has made on his proposed reform of legal aid.