Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason classes in Christian dogmatics were discontinued at HMP Brixton.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Other than one sessional chaplain (who resigned in October in order to take up a post in the police force), there have been no resignations or dismissals from the Chaplaincy Service at HMP Brixton during the last six months.
Regular Christian classes are held throughout the week, including several Bible study classes. The Alpha course has not been provided at the prison for a number of years – records show the most recent session as having been held on 27 January 2010. Plans are in place, however, to restart the course.
We recognise the importance of faith and the positive impact that it can have on the lives of offenders, which is why there are multi-faith chaplaincy teams in every prison.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether services according to the rites of the Church of England are held at HMP Brixton; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Every prison establishment, including HMP Brixton, has an Anglican chaplain and offenders are able to attend services in accordance with the rites of the Church of England.
We recognise the importance of faith and the positive impact that it can have on the lives of offenders, which is why there are multi-faith chaplaincy teams in every prison.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) number of applications (i) made and (ii) granted for the enforcement of existing section 8 orders in the country courts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We do not hold data on the specific costs of enforcement cases. Data modelling undertaken by the Department in 2014 estimated the average cost for issuing all types of private law Children proceedings to be £270 and was published in https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/court-fees-proposals-for-reform/supporting_documents/courtfeesconsultation.pdf
Information on the number of children who are the subject of applications and orders for enforcement in private law Children Act proceedings is published in Tables 3 and 4 of Family Court Statistics Quarterly available from www.gov.uk
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sanctions against parents with care who repeatedly breach access arrangements ordered by the family courts.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Where the family court is satisfied that breach of a child arrangements order has occurred and enforcement action is necessary to secure compliance, it may make an enforcement order requiring the person in breach to undertake unpaid work. The court may also order that person to pay financial compensation to another person who has suffered a financial loss due to the breach. These powers are in addition to the court’s general powers to treat non-compliance as a contempt of court, which is punishable by imprisonment or a fine.
The Government believes that these powers provide suitable options for sanctions for the court to consider when breaches of child arrangements orders take place.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to alter the arrangements for supervision of solicitors in response to the Ecohouse fraud; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Legal services in England and Wales are independently regulated in accordance with the framework set out in the Legal Services Act 2007. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which prosecutes solicitors and firms involved in dubious investment schemes, as it has done in this case. The SRA and others have issued a series of warnings for the public and the profession to be wary of questionable investment schemes.